My experience in prison

I recently went to Estremera prison. A place I never imagined I would go. One enters with a lot of fear, but above all prejudices. I imagined it would be just as scary as in the movies, but nothing could be further from the truth.

We went through about four security checks. They took our car keys and gave us a badge that said "visitor" on it. "If you lose this card in prison you will not get out of here" we were told. We all joked that the prisoners would make us the changebut I had some real fear.

A female officer took us to a sandy soccer field and there we waited for the protagonists of this story to arrive. Suddenly a huge metal door opened and about 40 prisoners suddenly appeared. From then on, everything went very smoothly and I can say that I spent one of the most interesting mornings of my life, thanks to the Invictus Foundation, which tries to transmit values through sport. We chatted for a while and then they played rugby.

What does it mean to be free for a prisoner?

We made a corro and had a nice get-together about freedom. "Nobody is really free, neither here nor in the street. The things outside tie you down and don't let you think clearly" said Carlos. "Out there they cry for nonsense, because they are tied to the things of the world." Carlos commented on his regret for his crimes, but stressed how much prison has helped him because, by having time to think, he has been able to reflect and "realize many things. That has made me freer. 

Many said that when they relate to each other, they feel freer: "We calm down. We love each other. It was clear that many of them had a good relationship and a great sense of humor. While some played rugby, others told me the funniest anecdotes.

But the idea that resonated the most was the following: freedom is in the mind. "Freedom is something to be valued, but we take it away from ourselves and we don't realize it" said Adonái Guerra, a Canary Islander who had one month left in prison. 

Dismantling prejudices

I could only think that, indirectly, they were conveying the idea that sin takes away our freedom and makes us more and more slaves. How often this is repeated to us in the Church, and how little we realize it. These prisoners were able to experience this physically. I liked to see that this is what they have internalized the most and I thought "I wish I was as aware of it". It helped me a lot to be in front of such a real repentance and an experience of awareness of sin.

This visit also made me reflect on prejudices. "We are only one mistake away from each other," they said. "Out there they think very negatively of those of us inside" they repeated. They all said that they never thought they would end up there but that their mistakes led them there: "no matter what we have done, we are people". All these statements touched my heart. I thought of all the times I had judged all those people whose sin is exposed. And how easy it is to judge them. I wish I could always keep in mind that I could be in that same situation.

I could tell a thousand more anecdotes, but I will conclude with another lesson I learned from what I will call the repentant ones. "Prison is not hard. What is hard is the time lost with your family, with the people you love," said Jesús, who had his two daughters tattooed, one on each side of his face. Inside, they know how to value time. And they make the most of every vis a vis with their families. They are looking forward to Saturday to enjoy their long awaited weekly visit. "We appreciate things when we lose them" said Adonái. How true this phrase is!