Toughest Prisons : Costa Rica
This is in relation to the Netflix series "Inside the World's Toughest Prisons" and overall it is a relatively entertaining program although, as you might expect, it is a bit repetitive.
source
Raphael Rowe is the host of this show and I suppose it is appropriate because he spent 12 years in jail for the beating and robbery of a gay couple, one of who later suffered a heart attack. Rowe proclaims his innocence for this conviction and I don't know the full details... anyway, he seems like a nice guy now.
source
The premise behind this episode is similar to all the others in that Rowe goes and spends a few days in the prison with the inmates and seeing what it is like inside the walls of these normally horrible prisons. The sequences seem a bit staged but I suppose it is difficult for them not to be because the inmates are almost certainly compensated for their involvement and there is a video crew and security following Rowe everywhere that he goes.
This is not to say that the Costa Rican prison is not prison is not bad... it's really bad in that they don't have electricity and it is horribly overcrowded and underfunded, but since Rowe is definitely treated differently than an actual prisoner would be, I am certain we are not really seeing what it would be like.
source
The inmates give him the full tour and offer tips on how to not get killed and rise up in the hierarchy inside the walls. They laugh with him and no doubt treat him significantly different than a real inmate would experience on their first couple of days. It is a bit of an eye-opener still, especially if you have seen what prisons are like in Europe.
Later in the episode they travel to a much nicer prison in the same part of the country. This other prison is focused more on rehabilitation rather than punishment and the inmates are only allowed to stay in this very comfortable prison if their behavior is pristine. Here they have the chance to gain skills and even degrees as well as enjoying a much greater sense of freedom as they are not locked down or supervised for most of the day. Of course any attempt to escape or fighting will result in them being returned to the hellish conditions of the other prison.
This newer prison causes a lot of controversy in Costa Rica because many of the taxpayers don't believe that criminals should be given this sort of "luxury." I think I disagree with the detractors on this topic. I think it is well documented that people who are simply treated like animals their entire time in prison and who also gain no life or professional skills while on the inside, are extremely likely to almost immediately return to a life of crime once they are released.
source
this is not from the show, but classes are offered in prisons around the world
I don't know if this sort of "tier" system is used in other places in the world, but at least I feel as though it should be. I guess I don't know - I have been to prison twice: Once on a school trip in 10th grade and another time because I got arrested for too many noise-ordinance violation tickets that I didn't pay and being held in a holding cell is just a formality.
What do you think? Should prison be a harsh punishment with no perks or should the focus be on giving life skills to the convicts so perhaps they have a chance to do something "real" once they are released? Of course one is almost certainly a lot more expensive than the other. I am interested in your thoughts.
That's my answer. I believe a great majority of prisoners become criminals inside the prison and do even worse things once they are out. I understand they have to be punished for what they did but I believe also that they have to be thought how to behave in real (not criminal) life. They need to learn skills to be able to be integrated into society so they can live a "normal" life.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this series. Documentaries about prisons are endlessly fascinating. The psychological impacts and social structures that build would provide anthropologists and psychologists constant sources of study.
There's no doubt some of these environments are cruel, bleak, barren places, devoid of compassion for the most part - but the Russian and Asian prisons that the host visits in other episodes are really, very different from the traditional prisons we tend to see on such shows.
It's an interesting and refreshing take on the genre of prison-doc.
i'll have to look at one of the Asian ones. I know there are many stories about the famous "Bangkok Hilton" in Thailand. I wonder if he went there... hmmmm
This looks like a really interesting documentary. If that is what you can call it. I think there have been quite a few shows lately that have a similar premise to this. My wife and I finally watched The Dirt the other night. It's not something I would watch with the kids(if we had them), but it was actually a really interesting movie.
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.
Was that the series that featured our infamous "Pollsmoor Prison" here in Cape Town? Also known as one of the most dangerous prisons in the world - host to some of the worlds most notorious gang members.
I watched a few of the episodes from that series (if it is the same one I am thinking of) and Shooooweeee!!! They were REAL eye openers!