⚖️ Year 11 Sociology & Psychology Trip | Wednesday | 📍 Langata Women’s Prison

During our sociology/psychology trip to prison, there was an abundance of fascinating things I learnt about the Kenyan prison system and its workings.Upon arrival to the prison, we were frisked thoroughly to ensure we had no items that were not allowed EG electronics. We began at the Admin office explained the different processes of which the prison used and how prisoners were administered into the Langata Max Security prison, the most interesting of these processes was the Presidential pleasure, this is when the president grants a pardon to inmates who have mental disabilities.After this we entered the actual holding area and i was extremely fascinated to see the quality of living they were in, the grass was well manicured, the pavements were modern and well kept and the buildings were in decent shape

We then went through a series of shops where prisoners are taught to sew crotchets and make things, they were even able to sell them! There was even a high quality bread factory inside the prison where the women learned to make bread with high quality machines and provided the bread to the other prisons and fellow inmates as well as selling them. The final “shop” we went to was in fact a legal area where prisoners are taught skills of the law and some become paralegals and assist in other prisoners cases, one prisoner who was a paralegal told us an extremely inspiring story on how she ended up in prison and how we should control our anger and not succumb to peer pressure. We ended off the day by going to the daycare and seeing all the frolicing children of the inmates and it was deeply inspiring to see their joy regardless of their situation, the quality of this daycare was top of the line and it shocked me deeply, we gave the kids their toys, spent some time with them and then set off back to school. All in all this trip gave me an amazing insight on the stigma prisoners face and how not all of them may not be bad people just because of their crimes, it also gave me and im sure others positive feedback on how to live our lives in a proper manner, if you have the chance to visit, i highly recommend it as it was an extremely eye opening experience, and im grateful for the teaching staff for allowing us to go on such a venture.

Ryan Sodi - 11B

The sociology and psychology class visited Lang’ata Women’s Prison, and it turned out to be more impactful than most of us expected.

Before going, most of us had many stereotypes and thoughts about what prison life is like. However, being there in person changed those ideas and gave us a proper view of prison life instead. It wasn’t only about punishment, instead it was about structure, rehabilitation, and giving people a chance to rebuild and restructure their lives. We learned about the inmates’ daily routines, including education programs and vocational training like tailoring and crafts, which can help them after their release.

Although we didn’t get to hear many personal stories, being in that environment was enough to change our perspective. To be honest, it made everything we’ve been learning in class feel more real, and less like just an idea from our textbooks.

One of the most meaningful parts of the visit was giving back. As a group, we donated items such as sanitary products, food and basic necessities and spent time with the children living in the facility. Despite their situation, the kids were very excited and joyful, especially when we gave them toys, which made the experience both heartwarming and a little emotional at the same time. It’s something many of us will surely remember for a long time.

From both a sociology and psychology perspective, the visit helped us better understand how the penal system influences people’s lives and helped us understand prison life in general. It also highlighted the importance of empathy and not judging situations without understanding the bigger picture.

Zeenia Uppal - 11N