The visit to the prison was emotionally draining beyond what I expected. I had been to prisons in Nepal before when I was 15, and to be honest, prisoners there are treated worse, but in a way, as the interactions had been extremely impersonal and the way the police talk about them very dehumanizing, I failed to recognize how deeply problematic such dynamics are.
Going to the prison and meeting prisoners really transformed how I saw or dismissed prison life as normal or almost a consequence of their actions. Again, when it comes to self-reflection, this experience and listening to the stories and opinions of my peers, brought to light how one can be aware and cognizant of structural and systematic issue with society and its institutions but still not fully empathic of the situation. While the trip to the maximum security was as I had expected: tense, awkward and slightly uncomfortable, talking to the prisoners in the correctional facility not only moved me but also made me hopeful for the world if we are just able to move past structural boundaries. Listening to the prisoners at the facility and the presentation they prepared highlighted to me how despite the crimes they had committed, how human their wishes, their concerns, and their insecurities really were. In fact, in the smaller groups, most of the people who spoke, talked about how their main regret was letting down their families and in particular their children as well as how this was this was a huge motivating factor to improve themselves and get sober/reformed so that they could be the kind of positive role model that the children have. Although their remarks and experiences did reflect the lack of support that prisoners get in the U.S. after coming out of jail, I was still astounded at the resources and support that did already exist in the prison system for someone looking to reform. In Nepal, prisoners are looked as nothing beyond the crime they commit and what they do, and such programs in the jails are not even thought as deserved let alone as a right.
Perhaps when we as Nepalese, look at the cyclic nature of poverty, lack of education, violence and crime beyond our own prejudices, we will develop compassion and empathy for people who often are unknowingly and often knowingly a victim of it.
