My Comparative Criminal and Juvenile Justice study abroad experience in Costa Rica was truly amazing! I could not have asked for a more immersive and enlightening experience than the one that I had. I loved every part of Costa Rica: the beautiful plant and animal life, the kind people we met and the amazing food, it was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Traveling to Costa Rica was extremely nerve wracking for me as I had never flown alone or been out of the U.S. before. My worries were immediately relieved when I was greeted by the friendly people from the Costa Rican Language Academy. The culture in Costa Rica was one of the biggest shocks to me, especially the driving. The way that strangers interact with each other was another shock to me as everyone just seemed so friendly to one another, something that seems to be lost at times in the U.S. The day that I flew in, I was absolutely overwhelmed with all of the amazing sites I was seeing on my drive from the airport, such as the beautiful hills and mountains that can be seen from every part of San José. My travel day did however end quickly, because I absolutely had to catch up on some sleep!

Our main itinerary plans for this program consisted of visiting Costa Rican prisons and rehabilitative centers. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend these visits. The reason for this was due to their recent change in government, which led to prison strikes and lack of civility within prisons at the time we were there. This was disappointing but also an experience in itself! As a political science major, I was eager to learn about what this change in government entailed. We heard from a current lawyer in Costa Rica on our second day there that shared with us more about why these prison strikes were happening. Costa Rica has implemented a new “tough on crime” initiative with this recent change of government that has led to inhumane living conditions in prisons along with an increased use of force within these facilities. This was disheartening to hear, but many of the visits that we had instead of the previously planned ones informed us about the extensive rehabilitative processes they have for offenders along with the many advocacy groups that are actively fighting for the rights of the incarcerated individuals.

Regardless of the fact that we were not able to do some of our planned visits, we quickly had some amazing new visits planned for us. We visited the Costa Rican Supreme Court a couple times during our trip. One of the visits we had there was regarding an amazing rehabilitative process that they have for offenders. The process includes bringing together the offender, victim, social workers, psychologists and an anonymous judge. The goal of the process is to help the offender understand their mistakes and take ownership, while hopefully giving the victim better closure regarding the crime that took place. This process has been extremely successful, and has led to a significant decrease in re-offenses by people that have completed this program.

One of our excursions included visiting the beautiful La Paz waterfall and Poás Volcano. This was the last day of the program and I could not have imagined spending it in a better way! We got to see many native Costa Rican animals at a sanctuary in the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, along with so many extraordinary plants. Listening to the water rushing was so mesmerizing, I could not imagine a more relaxing scene.

My study abroad experience in Costa Rica was truly unforgettable. I loved every bit of immersing myself in a new culture and learning everything I possibly could about it. I can confidently say I understand what people mean when they say that study abroad changes their lives, because I have now become someone who says that!

As they say in Costa Rica, Pura Vida!!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Comparative Criminal and Juvenile Justice