A prison with no cell, a prison where you can be with your family! =) How's that
By chiyochan
@chiyosan (30186)
Philippines
July 1, 2012 1:12am CST
Here in the Philippines, there is this prison in Palawan where a lot oc cases in there are those who are sentenced to life, with no chance of parole and so they have been in the said provincial jail where they are asked to labor on lands and even find food for their family. The place is so huge with mountain ranges on its back with no other choice but death should you choose to try and escape (actually no one dared escape because they know they won't survive the wild...)
Anyway.. the prison was known for the inmates in there as they are almost living a life that is not common to an inmate - they are free to wander around the hectares of the prison, and they can even choose to request their family to live with them - IN the prison, they are given their own house, and there are also mini stores inside! it is a small community in there! and there are no violence at all, people live as thought they are small families and they are just about as happy as any free man is.
i saw the documentary of this place and i thought wow, we have that here in the country?! have you ever heard anything like this - or does your country have this kind of set up?
1 person likes this
13 responses
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
1 Jul 12
wow... Thats extraordinary! I have read about French Guiana, where thee warders're allowed to maintain families within prison premises. That was because the whole islands were prisons... Prisoners had their barracks and the warders and officers had their houses.. There prisoners with privileges who got to work at those houses... They used to do housework. And most of them would sleep with the women at home....
I gathered all this from 'Papillon' by Henri Charriere, who was a prisoner too....
1 person likes this
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
oh wow! this is interesting. i have not heard of this myself... but i would like to check it out and see what else is with the said prison.. i know it differs a great deal with ours here in the province of palawan... but i am sure there is also some similarity as to the purpose of them not putting the prisoners in single cells or that they are not bound by chains or rails. i am sure hopeful that the people there are well different from the prisoners in other prisons where they are contained...
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
4 Jul 12
Hi... You can read about it in 'Pappillon' written by Henri Charriere. He spent 9 years in French penal settlement and made many attempts to escape. The French system of punishment is the worst... Once someone was sent there, they would give up the hope of seeing him again, or seeing him in health... And it was hugely corrupt too.
@Lauraleigh99 (4718)
• United States
4 Jul 12
I have never heard of this place. I will have to look it up online. That is crazy to have a prison that is designed like this. What kind of punishment is it for those that are in there? I wonder if a lot of people do bad things just to get into this prison
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
6 Jul 12
well if we look at it that way, then we would definitely think that they are not being punished, they are not suppose to have a life like this - as if it was a favor that they have done a crime but then i am sure most of those who are on this place were committed of a crime that are not as heinous as we think.
@rsa101 (41086)
• Philippines
4 Jul 12
Yes I know this place as well and I think it is a good place for criminals to spend their sentence than spend it here in Muntinlupa where it is so crowded and not conducive to reform the criminal but is made more or a hardened one at times.
I admire it since the prisoner is given the time and space to think on his own free time. I think this can reform a prisoner than putting a person in jail which is not conducive to reforms. I just hope we could have more of such a place in our country so that we may give a chance to these kind of people a time to reform themselves up.
1 person likes this
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
6 Jul 12
yes this is really a good rehabilitation for these people. for sure most if not all of them will be changed - personality and their outlook in life and they will know it is not yet the end of their life, but a new beginning, only secluded from the outside world.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
1 Jul 12
Perhaps some people will even want to apply to emigrate there to start a new life in the country side. It can be a paradise with no contamination of a rat race world that the normal people like us are in. The only difference maybe is that "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave". :)
1 person likes this
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
2 Jul 12
haha right, like what i have posted previously this prison seemed more like a chance rather than an end for a person who is convicted for life. i guess they have been reborn or renewed in this set up and surely they have appreciated this as they seemed happy living there inside the "prison".
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
2 Jul 12
it sounds as though there is yet a life even if you are convicted if and only if you are to be transferred to this facility. However when one is convicted it does not guarantee that you are to be in this place, you might just end up elsewhere and rot with all the others... it really depends. but if it was me, no thanks i am like happy to be free as i am now and would not dream of being in jail. never, even if the place is sure to be like the iwahig prison.
@lynboobsy11 (11343)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
Well that's nice for some prisoner that been there with no really sin. It is only my opinion on those prisoner that really admit the crime and that they do the crime. They have to be there because they have to suffer the life sentence and to suffer the worst because the crime what they did. But if it is the kind of prison that they entered is like they are living in a normal life I don't think they done justice to the crime they committed. It is really unfair for those family that they committed the crime. If it is the life of a prisoner I know anyone with no resources outside would like to be in prison with free food and shelter and like living in a normal life around.
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
oh yes, it is nice for them. but they are not in for a free food or with everything given to them in the land. the prison boasts of a huge land where the prisoners had to actually plow their field and work for their own food. they had to be farmers. i think it is a rehabilitation site as to the lack of an amount of guard, the trust given to them not to go missing and try to escape. they aree well, therefore even happier indeed to be in the prison than out of it because of what the said place is able to give them.
@jaiho2009 (39140)
• Philippines
2 Jul 12
This place do exists here in our country.
I have few military relatives who visited this place and one thing that I can remember from their stories why prisoners are contented with their lives is..
prisoners don't have life anymore after they are released from prison
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
6 Jul 12
Yes, actually that is wrong. It is really impossible for them to think that they are doomed when they are sent to this jailhouse / land. I mean this is what life is before everything was "improved" and before technology was known especially in the provinces right? it is like they took a vacation and just went home!!
@blebchel (249)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
I am in awe with this set up . My first time to know that there is something like that in Palawan. I am just glad that the prisoners there practice freedom. It is kinda good for them compared to the usual prisoners who are supposed-to-be inside the small four corners of the room.
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
This is a wonderful set up, indeed. it goes beyond the fright of what they might be able to do as they are like free as a bird in the thousands of land the government has set up for these prisoners. But yes... it is good set up and it is wonderful that they have this for the prisoners who will otherwise just rot away in the city jails we have here in manila or in some prison provinces. at least in this set up they care for themselves, and they are able to work and serve a better purpose themselves.
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
Yes, i know this place, because my husband often speaks of it when he was assigned in Palawan. It's actually called Iwahig.
And the place was really a peaceful place, where the prisoners cultivate the crops where they get their foods and some are living with their family.
My huaband says he wants us to live there in Palawan, but with Iwahig around, i had second thoughts.
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
I have heard of it before but did not actually believe of it unless i have seen it myself in a documentary. =) it was a beautiful place, and yes they do grow their own crop in in the place, they are just like any community in the country the difference was that they had a barricaded entrance.. but can you believe they had like less than 20 people in there to "guard" or maintain the place! guards were only in the front of the gates to accept visitors not actually to contain the people inside. he he...
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
I think since the prisoners specially those with their families already there, wouldn't think of escaping. They already have contentment in the place because it's a peaceful and beautiful place.
Speaking of contentment in life!
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
2 Jul 12
yes, with the set up they are given at the said prison, i am sure there is nothing more they can hope for. they are secluded from the people but they have their own lives to live in the said place and this is not to be taken lightly as the life in the prison offered to them is quite better than what others have life outside the prison here in manila... right?
@ARIES1973 (11944)
• Legaspi, Philippines
1 Jul 12
I think I've heard this thing before. Perhaps one of the reasons, is for the government to be relieved from spending too much for these prisoners. So instead of keeping them in a cell, they were allowed to stay in one place and work for their own living. Just my opinion chiyosan.
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
yeah, this is true. i think it is the right thing that they did this... of course because when you do not need of a maintenance for a building, for security guards or i mean for police men to guard the prisons, then i think that is sure one way to save money as well. there are at least a couple of people to work on the government land that they can get money from during harvest time and this is free labor.
@Lorden (348)
• South Africa
1 Jul 12
No I can't say I have ever heard of something like this. A prison that is fun? Well I'm very happy for the people who committed crimes because of being forced by their circumstances of poverty to do so. It sounds like in a prison like this, they can actually have a second chance at a better life.
1 person likes this
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
yeah this has been going on for quite a time here in the Philippines, apparently. Well that is true what you have said and that they are of course had now a chance at second life even if they are, well imprisoned in the ihawig center. I'd say this is more than a prison... it is a rehabilitation as well even if there is no hope for them of getting out of the place, they can still see to it to change and be of use in the community.
@joevanosa (303)
• Philippines
1 Jul 12
wow! i never thought that it is within our own country knowing how sad our inmates being shown by the media. How poor our facilities are. but im glad that is existing here. in short, we are just so improving. where do you think this place is located?
