Set among 6000 beautiful hectares, Sablayan Prison in the Philippines resembles a national park. Its 2200 inmates build their own houses, have jobs with wages, and are entitled to three meals a day. Privileges include cellphones and an on-site church and mosque. It’s hard to believe that the idyllic expanse is a place of punishment for the most atrocious of crimes.
This project explores the notions of time and identity; do our actions define us or are we more than the things we do? What does repentance mean, and is there a grey area between the human and the monster in us all?
Occupation: fisherman
Sentence: 3 life sentences
Jailed for: bigamy, abduction of minor and a third forgotten crime
Occupation: carpenter
Sentence: 23 years
Jailed for: homicide
Occupation: cleaner
Sentence: 5 years
Jailed for: drunk and disorderly
Occupation: childminder
Sentence: life
Jailed for: murder
Occupation: labourer
Sentence: 27 years
Jailed for: rape
Occupation: farmer
Sentence: 6 years
Jailed for: homicide