Background: As part of the Education and Social Justice Project, in June 2025, Cici Sprouse (C'26) interviewed Marina Muñoz Ariza, a final-year law and criminology student at Universidad Loyola Andalucía preparing to sit for Spain's National Police entrance exam. For the past year, Marina has volunteered with Fundación Padre Garralda, working both with young children living alongside their incarcerated mothers in a prison's Mothers’ Unit and, later, running workshops with male inmates. In this interview, Marina discusses how volunteering inside the prison system reshaped the prejudices she brought with her, how the experience has intersected with her coursework on juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior, and how she hopes the empathy she developed will inform her future work in law enforcement.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself, maybe our background and where you’re from?
My name is Marina, and I’m from Seville. I study law and criminology here at Loyola. Yes, I’m already in my final year.
Congratulations.
Thank you. And I’ve already finished the exams and courses, and I only have my end-of-degree projects left, which are like a final paper you complete. And after that, I’d like to take the competitive exam to join the National Police. Honestly, I had thought a bit about volunteering, but it’s true that I didn’t really look into it until about a year ago, when I talked to Juan, the person in charge of volunteer work here at the university. And well, there’s a time of year when there’s like a fair where different volunteer organizations come together. So, going around there, asking questions and all that, I became really interested in one that had to do with penitentiary centers, prisons, called the Fundación Padre Garralda. And yeah, the foundation works because there are mothers who are in prison living with their children. There are special units––like separate buildings––apart from the main prison. And they also have workshops for going inside, both with the men and with the women, and also for those units I mentioned with the children. Since these are children up to 3 years old who are living there, the foundation organizes outings on weekends. You go there to pick up the children, and we “pick them up” meaning that we go spend the day at the park or we go on an excursion, sometimes excursions with the mothers. We’ve also done, in the summer, a camp with the mothers, their children, and their other children who live outside. The idea is to create a more family-like setting, so the mother isn’t constantly responsible for the children.
And then, on the other hand, the workshop with the men. Honestly, that was hard for me at first, because entering a prison is something that, at the beginning, was very hard. I went in thinking I would only work with the children because it’s a reality where they aren’t to blame that their parents-–usually their mothers in this case-–have made mistakes and ended up there. So, yes, that part was really hard for me. But then, once I actually went inside with the men, you realize they’re people like us. What happens is that they’ve made mistakes, or they’ve had the terrible luck to be born into a different environment, a different family, and that ends up leading them to make serious mistakes that land them there. And honestly, it’s very easy to end up there.
Before starting that kind of volunteer work, what was the training like? Was there a course before going?
Well, before anything, Juan did an interview with me and asked me about my traits and personality, why that particular volunteering had caught my attention. And then, when he gave me the contact information for the people at the foundation, I went to their office, and they did another interview. They asked me if I had any ideas for workshops, or what I was like in terms of working with children and so on. And then it was, well, little by little, I just started going in. In the end, there isn’t really a course as such. You learn by doing, and from the moment you start working with the children, you have contact with the mothers. So, in the end, we sort of build a relationship with them.
What were those relationships like?
Well, at first, it’s striking, seeing such small children, and the mothers being a bit serious, but once you start talking, they’re incredibly warm people, very grateful, very polite. Honestly, I never felt disrespected there. And they’re grateful, the women, because you’re, well, “losing” your time, or rather, setting aside time where you could be with your family or somewhere else, and instead, you go there. On a Sunday, which is usually a day of rest, you spend the whole day there, go to the park, like you’re giving their children an opportunity that they themselves can’t give them. So, in the end, they’re very grateful. I thought they might be a bit more like, “My child with you? I don’t know you.” But since many of the volunteers are basically my age, they also end up building relationships. And once you’re warm, or friendly, and you’re reasonable, in the end, they start to open up and trust you. So, honestly, it was very good.
Did you feel ready to go in?
No. No.
And at the beginning, because you mentioned that interview with Juan, and that he asked you, “Why do you want to do this?” What was your initial answer?
Well, as I’ve told you, I want to join the National Police. And the police’s job is to arrest people when they’re committing their crimes. And I liked, well, I liked the idea of knowing what happens afterward, because the police catch them in their worst moment. It’s just one stage in their lives, and then, we let them go, and they end up in prison. And that’s it. So, I liked the idea of understanding how those people could be helped so that once they went back out onto the street, they wouldn’t commit the same mistakes again, or at least, to influence things a little so that everyone can make mistakes. There are mistakes and mistakes; yes, I distinguish between them. But honestly, I had that idea: I went in with a lot of prejudice, but also with the idea of getting to know a bit more and having another perspective.
Do you think you’ve…I don’t know...been successful, according to your initial goal?
Yes. I mean, as I was saying, I didn’t want anything to do with the men or the women inside prison because I’d think of the families of the victims, and I’d feel ashamed that they might see me helping. But the truth is that these people––well, their mistakes––most of them have illnesses or have issues with drugs, alcohol. There are so many people on the street who end up inside because of different circumstances. You realize that thanks to having good parents and good stability, that hasn’t happened to us. But if we had grown up without parents who cared for us, or if we’d taken drugs or whatever from a young age, it’s very easy to go off track.
So, I think it has fulfilled me a lot as a person. It has made me more humble about the privileges I have at home, simply having a good family, being able to study. And going inside and seeing that they haven’t had affection or a family there for them. It’s made me value things more.
Do you have a specific story that shows what you mean?
For example, with the women, in the women’s prison, there was one woman who had her little boy. She loved him a lot, but she knew she wasn’t very responsible. She wasn’t very grounded, didn’t have a lot of routine. And in her life, in the end, her father left home. Her mother died in her arms when she was six because of drugs. And so, she ended up living with her uncle, and her uncle wasn’t a very good person. So, she lived on the streets. And basically, she was a sex worker. Then, she got into drugs. She became pregnant by a man who was also involved in drugs. And when the time came, when the baby was born, he left. The baby was born in an industrial area. Like in buildings on the outskirts, warehouses and such, and he left her there alone while the baby was being born. And she…I really valued this because despite everything and how badly things were, instead of taking the baby and abandoning him like has happened many times, she called an ambulance. They went there, and yes, they took the baby from her, but at least she called and saved his life.
And then, the next time she got pregnant, she was already in prison, and someone from our foundation went with her to the hospital. The baby was born, and she really does love her boy, but because of her drug problems, she doesn’t have the ability to say, “I’m going to save money,” or “I’m going to…” It’s very difficult. But you see that if you don’t have a family––if your father abandoned you, you have no affection, you grew up around alcohol, taking drugs from childhood––you don’t understand that life can be different, or that there are good people, and your end goal in life ends up being the same path.
And has that perspective and these experiences shaped your classes or your development academically?
Well, I’ve had several subjects. Criminology focuses a lot on the offender, the victim, and so on. And this year, I had a subject on juvenile delinquency that examines how young people start committing crimes from childhood. And I realized that thanks to this volunteer work, a lot of things in my degree I can see in practice. Yes. So, I see how, well, I’m with older people, maybe 40 or 50 years old, but when they tell you about their lives, as young people, they were going through exactly what we study. And the basis of everything is a broken family structure: alcohol, drugs, substances in general.
So, you see in that subject that the problem really isn’t the children––they are children. When I talk with the men––because I’ve never worked with the women except for the mothers unit––I’ve mostly been with the men. And with the men, you talk to them, and they’re like children. They still have that childlike enthusiasm. I’ve done some workshops at Christmas, where we did more arts-and-crafts things, like cutting cardboard, drawing. And you think, “I’m about to bring coloring pencils to a 50-year-old man…” But in the end, what matters is being in an environment where they can be creative.
We also do activities. At Christmas, we had each person write a goal or resolution they wanted for the next year. And you see how they all ask for happiness, health––they have hopes like children. And you see how, since childhood, they’ve lived through horrible things, and in this subject it’s clear; it’s not the kids’ fault. But you realize their parents were once those kids, too. So, it’s a vicious cycle. And since hardly anyone goes in to help, because in prison, who helps? Only the foundations. And there are very few foundations for the number of inmates. So, in this subject, I’ve been able to apply everything very easily. Like, my practical experience fits perfectly.
Do you think most people in your major have participated in something similar?
No.
Why not?
Because I think people have a lot of, well, a lot of prejudices about prison. I was the first one. Only this year, in the course I mentioned, people from the foundation came to explain the volunteer program, and some classmates became interested, but only in the mothers-and-children part. Because it’s true that children make you feel more tenderness. But people are very closed-minded. I was the first one. People are very afraid of prison. And it’s true that in prison, there’s… well, everything. But where we go in to help are the areas where people are more centered, more stable, let’s say. People don’t realize how much they appreciate what we do. Because from the outside, you see the news, which does a lot of damage. Because maybe out of all the prisons in Spain, there are only 20, let’s say, “dangerous” units like in the movies. Very few. Most prisoners are sick or addicted. But people have a lot of prejudice.
And also, I think a lot of people lack humility. In the sense that everyone lives in their own bubble––“my life is perfect, everything’s fine”––and they don’t try to help those next to them. I see that more and more, each person is only trying to help themselves, and there’s a lot of competition with the person next to you. Like, if I help the person next to me, I’ll fall behind. So, I think there’s a lack of wanting to help others.
Had you ever participated in something similar before coming to Loyola?
No, nothing. Well, in my school we did some volunteering––collecting food, collecting toys, and things like that––but never anything like this. This was the first time I’d even heard of it, here at the university.
Well, I think you’ve already said a bit about how much you value this experience. But if you had to choose two more specific things you value most about the program, what would they be?
Well… what I value most is maybe the closeness––how you can really approach people. And how with just a little affection and a little respect, the other person can trust you and be grateful, because in the end, we are the same. The only thing that separates us in this case is rules and advantages or disadvantages we’ve had. So, what I value, aside from what it’s done for me––making me more humble, more aware––because every day I left the prison I would say, “How lucky I am.” Lucky for my family, my environment, my friends, everything. So, being confronted with those values. And also the feeling that maybe, I’ve been able to contribute something to that person, and that one day, they might remember our volunteer program, and remember that there are people who are there to help them, that they aren’t forgotten.
What has been the hardest part, would you say?
For me, emotionally–the first day I did the children’s volunteer work. I cried a lot, really a lot, because you see these two- or three-year-old children, so small, so good, so innocent. And you see that when they grow up, they’re going to follow the same path as their family. It was like a shock, a reality check. That was the first thing I did before going in with the men’s workshops. So, it was shocking, thinking, “How sad that these people––so good, like angels––because of family circumstances, the environment they live in, they’re going to end up like this or worse.” If they start even younger, they end up worse. Or maybe, they won’t even reach adulthood because of drugs and everything. You see those sweet children, so affectionate, and then, maybe, years later, you see them older, and they’ve lost everything. You start to notice it even at six years old––can already see the coldness, the lack of trust. Because in the end, they’re children who’ve lived with their mothers inside prison, even though there’s a separate building with a park.
Yes, I wanted to ask, how would you describe that environment where they live?
Well, basically, there’s the main prison, and then a separate building called the Mothers’ Unit, where mothers live with their children as if it were an apartment. So, you enter the prison––there’s the control post, run by the officers––and then, there’s a park area in the middle, like a courtyard, and a daycare with a swing, a slide. Then, there’s a dining hall, a playroom for the kids. And then, on one side, there are rooms where the mothers live––in what is basically an apartment. The idea is to prepare them for life outside, so that when they’re released, they’re already used to being alone with their children. And you see, it’s a much more family-like environment. Because if these children lived inside the main prison… That happens sometimes, because not every prison has a mothers’ unit. And the mothers’ unit is for when they’re close to release. So, if they’re not close to release, and they have their baby inside, well, the baby lives with them in a regular mothers’ module that’s next to other modules. And there, the situation is much more difficult, as some mothers have told me––like mothers who wouldn’t feed or clean their children, leaving them dirty.
For me, a child is the most important thing in the world––so innocent and small, needing so much care. And these women, having the luck of being able to have children, because many women would love to and cannot. That was another painful part for me. Because I would see women who kept having babies, but they didn’t give them the affection they needed. And then, I would think of families. In my own case, someone in my family couldn’t have children, and I’d think, “How lucky they are, and they don’t appreciate it.” So, it was like two sides: you help them, but then you also think of that. But overall, it was meaningful.
Are there people…because, for example, in the United States, I know the prison system, in general, but not specifically the part about children, but is there some similar system? And here in Spain, are there organizations working against this?
I don’t know. What happens in Spain is that the law says the most important thing is the child’s well-being. And it’s understood that the best thing for the child is to be with the mother. So, in my opinion, Spain handles these things very poorly. Because imagine a woman––like the one I told you about––who had a horrible life and had a baby. She was in Seville but went to Madrid, because in Madrid there are transitional apartments, housing for when women leave prison and have nowhere to go. They help them find work and give them freedom to move somewhere else. And this woman, because of drugs, ended up back in prison. She went in again with the child. And I’ve been told that when she gets out again, they will probably take the child away. So, I think waiting that long to remove the child is very harmful for her, but also for the child, who keeps growing and bonding with his mother. Because if you remove a one-year-old baby, maybe he won’t understand. But a three- or four-year-old absolutely can, and it could cause problems later. So, I think it’s not done well.
It’s very complicated, because you never know if someone can change, and sometimes, a child can change their life. But there are so many negative factors that, usually, they don’t change enough. And the child grows and then gets taken away later. But yes, in Spain what matters most is the child’s well-being, and because they should be with their mother, they’re allowed to stay in the prison only until age three. Up to three. The first time I went in, I saw a five-year-old girl, because her mother was close to release, so they let her stay.
What is your relationship like with the people who work in the prisons? Do you talk with them?
Yes, yes. Especially when I went to the men’s workshop, we spoke with the prison officers. And they told us that it’s a complicated job. Because for them, it’s very different than for us––when they see us, we’re coming in to help, we’re peaceful, calm. But the officers are there with them every day. So, there are many problems, because living together with so many different people––many of them with serious problems––is very hard.
They told us that as long as you behave respectfully and politely, they’ll respect you, as well. But you have to know the limits. Because they…This officer told us, since I was with a classmate who wants to be a prison officer, that you should never say yes to a favor. Because once you help an inmate get a phone, or bring something in, they’ll never stop asking, and you’ll be under threat. So, you have to know the line. Be respectful and trustworthy, but separate: “I have my job, you’re here, but we’re not friends, and I cannot bring you anything.” Because as we’ve seen in the news, many officers fall into these things––having sexual relationships with inmates, or getting into fights.
In the past, and still sometimes, officers beat prisoners, because inside, there aren’t always cameras. This officer told us that when he started working, beatings were common, beating someone repeatedly, and sometimes, a person could die. His coworkers would tell him to do it, and he said, “No. My job is not that.” He said, “If a prisoner comes at me in a fight, I need to defend myself, of course, according to the law, but otherwise, I show respect.” And he was very warm. There’s everything. Some workers don’t even say good morning, and others, like this man, after our workshop, showed us around the facility. So, very, well, normally, very good and very friendly.
Has your perception of the police changed? Has this experience changed your perspective? For example, in the U.S., the police have a lot of… I don’t want to say hatred, but…
A bad reputation.
Right, a bad reputation. I don’t know how it is here. If you can describe society’s perception and your own?
I was going to say two things, because the police also, like in every job, have good people and bad people. So, as happens in many places in the United States, you also find people who take advantage of their job or their authority. Then, let’s say, they don’t value or respect the person next to them, when the only thing that makes them different is a uniform––they’re the same as you. So, I think that, on the one hand, there are people who negatively shape the image of the police. And then, also, well, in prison, no one is going to have a positive view of the police, because they’re the ones who brought them there. But they aren’t aware that they’re the ones who made the mistakes. Many times I would tell them that, in the end, the police weren’t to blame; it’s just that they saw it that way because they’re the ones who got caught. So, if the police hadn’t been there, maybe they wouldn’t have ended up in prison, but I often told them that, in the end, thanks to the police, they stopped, and they could think––that if they continued down that path, they could still start a better one.
And I think that in Spain, it’s like two groups are forming: people who respect and appreciate the police, and people who don’t, because they see that, well, in Spain, politics is going really badly, honestly. So, the police are the ones closest to the citizens, and people put the blame on them for things they’re ordered to do. So, I think there are two sides: people who realize it’s not their fault, and people who think it is their fault, that they’re bad people, and they’re just there to cause problems. Politics is causing a lot of damage, because even politicians themselves don’t support the police. And I would say this a lot: people criticize so much, but then when something happens, who do they call? The police. So, now, like, if something happens to you, who’s going to help you? Even if you say you hate them, the police will be there. So, it’s complicated. And I also think there are police officers themselves who damage the image of the police by doing certain things very poorly.
Right, that was my question at the beginning because you’re one of the only students in your program doing that type of volunteer work. I’d like to hear a bit more about when you started doing it––why, and whether you had doubts at first.
Well, at the beginning, my idea was simply to start working with the children. But when I began, there were very few mothers in the unit. So, there were many volunteers and not many children. So, in a meeting with the foundation, they asked if I wanted to run a workshop inside, and I said that going into the prison felt like such a huge step, with many prejudices attached. Then, I became very good friends with a volunteer. We worked with the children together, and she loved going into the prison. She wanted to become a prison officer, although not by working inside. She told me I would honestly love it there, that they were respectful and very close. But I still had my concerns, because as I said earlier, I think about the people who have suffered because of those who are in prison, and it could be any of us. I think about that a lot, and I know I would wish harm on someone who harmed me. But I’ve had to learn to separate that––to not want to know the specific crime. I know they made mistakes, but I don’t want to know the details. And at the module where I work, the prisoners have mental health issues, often related to drugs, so they also have illnesses. So, even more so, for example, in my house, my family would say, “That’s so scary.” They didn’t understand it.
I was going to ask what your family thinks.
Yes, well, they don’t understand it. Because if you watch the news, everything looks so bad. They didn’t understand how I could go in there and help those people. And it’s true that I have strong opinions about certain crimes. For example, sexual crimes or crimes against children. For me, those people should go into prison and never come out. Because those are mistakes that are very hard to explain. It’s not like a robbery related to drugs. So, I have a very strong, very radical opinion about those things, but when I go there, I try not to know about the crime or anything. And my mom said she didn’t understand how I could think that way and still go in and help. And I told her, I love working with the children, but yes, it’s true. I was entering a module of 30 men with only one other volunteer.
And what do you tell them?
Well, at home, I just say I don’t want to talk about it. My friends are the same; they don’t really understand. For example, some friends from university want to work in the legal field, judges or prosecutors, and even they didn’t understand, because they had that image of “delinquent,” “bad person.” They value that I do this work, but at the same time, they wouldn’t do it.
When you talk about the idea of people being “good” or “bad”––I’d like to hear more about your opinion on that. How do you see it?
I think everyone, at some point in our lives, has been a good person and a bad person. Maybe we’ve treated a family member or a friend badly at some point, and deep down, we also have something good instilled in us by our parents, and each person develops that over time.
So, I think that for the people who are in prison, the bad part grew while the good part shrank. Because if your environment is full of harmful people, drugs, or people who treat you terribly, in the end, if we have a bad day and someone talks to us badly, at work or at university, we end up angry or fearful and talk badly. So, if we react like that after one bad day, imagine people who have been abused, laughed at, disrespected their whole lives. I can understand how fear or anger grows, and the good part gets buried. So, as I said, crimes against minors––that’s something I will never understand because of my upbringing. A child is untouchable. I will never comprehend it. That aside, there are people who have suffered so much that when terrible things happen to you repeatedly, it’s very hard to be good, especially in such a harsh environment.
When you work with the children, what are you trying to do with them?
Above all, to stimulate them: to play, laugh, enjoy themselves. When we go outside to the park, we try to help them interact with other children, to see that they’re the same, that they’re not different, that they can have friends. And especially, to help them enjoy themselves and laugh.
There’s one boy I’m very fond of. When I met him, he was about two and a half. I entered the unit and met him, and he didn’t speak at all. He hid behind his mother. Which is normal for a small child, but his mother told me that when he started walking, he stopped speaking. So, I wondered what that child must have gone through to stop talking, to not trust anyone, not laugh. He came from Valencia or Alicante and was living in a regular prison unit with his mother. So, I thought: what must he have seen? His mother had mental health problems, so what had he witnessed? So, from that day on, I focused on helping him run around, play, enjoy himself, speak. And I’ve seen a lot of progress. He laughs now, speaks more, opens up.
With the children there’s a bit of everything. But above all, we try to make them feel comfortable and happy, so that at least during the time they’re there, they don’t grow up remembering, “When I was little, I lived in a prison,” in a traumatic way. We try to make the experience as positive as possible.
After these experiences, have you thought about your future goals?
I’ve always been very clear about my goals regarding the police. The only thing that has changed is how I think about treating people and understanding people’s circumstances. I think you can’t treat everyone the same way. You need respect and kindness, as long as the person in front of you respects you. But I have learned that if, in the future, someone comes to me asking for help, I need to understand their circumstances. I’ve seen many sides of people in difficult environments, and now, I think I have a much broader perspective.
In my opinion, I think that when you judge someone, it’s very important to consider their environment and everything surrounding them. You can’t define a person solely by a few things they did at a certain moment, because as I said earlier, everyone makes mistakes and regrets them, or not, but they’re mistakes anyone could make. I think nowadays people love judging and criticizing, but they don’t work on themselves. So, look at yourself first, work on your values and who you are, and once you’re grounded, instead of judging others, see what they’re lacking and try to help. So, for me, social justice would be helping others, promoting good values, and remembering that if mistakes are made, that’s what prison is for. I would give prison a different focus––with workshops, education, and support. When someone gets out, they should have the possibility to start again. But thinking that people in prison are “very far away” from us isn’t true. Anyone can end up there. One mistake can land you in prison; it’s not as far away as we imagine.
About reform––do you think the system works well now? Or would you change something?
I don’t think prison itself reforms people. I think it’s more the foundations and volunteer programs that help. Because realistically, there are so many people in prison, and if the person doesn’t want to change, you can’t force them to do workshops or activities. I would change the education and the respect shown toward them, because some staff treat them very poorly. I think if you create an environment of respect and opportunities, it could help a lot. At least, in Seville, they work closely with the foundation, but in other places, maybe not.
In women’s prisons, for example, they’re often forgotten. I visited one in Huelva, Morón de la Frontera, and they were so grateful because no one ever visited them. They had no one to talk to except the doctor. They even asked us how much we were paid to be there. And we told them we weren’t paid, we were young students who came because we wanted to help. And they were so grateful. Inside, yes, they have workshops, but unless someone gives them that push, that confidence, many of them lack someone who tells them, “I believe in you.” Of course, there are very violent people in other modules. You probably have that in the U.S., too. But in the module where I worked, if you give them an environment of respect and trust, they get motivated to try to leave with a different mindset.
And regarding people who aren’t involved in helping the system, how do you think you could motivate them to join these programs? For example, in your degree program at Loyola?
I try often. When someone from the foundation came to my class, she saw me and asked me to share my experience. And what I tried to explain was that it really changes your mindset. In my program, we are people who will have very important jobs: police officers, prison workers, judges, prosecutors. We will have to make big decisions about people’s lives. If you don’t work on your values, on this mentality, you could make bad decisions. And you might not understand others. Many prisoners say they’ve been mistreated not just by police officers but also judges, lawyers, and they see everything as unjust. So, if professionals don’t empathize and don’t treat them well, they will come out with the same resentment and repeat the cycle. My classmates often don’t see this. They only look inward. But in the future, they’ll meet people like this.
I think the values I’ve worked on through volunteering will help me a lot in the future.
Do you think empathy is relevant here?
Yes, definitely.
How would you define it?
Putting yourself in someone else’s place, like I said, the only thing separating us is our circumstances. That’s what happened to me thinking about the mother I mentioned earlier. If I had grown up in her family, if I had been abandoned, used, abused, maybe my life would have gone the same way. People say, “No, because I’m strong, it wouldn’t happen to me,” but that’s from a place of privilege. Having a car, being able to study, being able to go freely somewhere and eat––that's a privilege. Many of the men there had lived on the streets. Some had lost their families. So, empathy is essential in this work. Without empathy, you couldn’t do this. And I had to work on it a lot to get rid of prejudices and see that they are people like us.
Is there anything you would change about the SED program or Loyola’s volunteer program?
I think I would put more emphasis on going into the classes themselves. They do a kind of fair with tables, but people walk by quickly; they’re tired, they don’t stop. If, instead, the foundation was invited into specific classes related to certain volunteer areas, and it were part of the curriculum, I think more people would join. For example, when the woman came to my class, two girls signed up that same day. But when you put a table in the hallway, people have 10 minutes to rest and they don’t want to stop to talk. If you could show what the program is really like, photos, safe contexts, trust, affection, people would be more open. Right now, it’s too much like, “Whoever wants to come, come,” but most people won’t take that step unless it is brought to them.
Have you done other parts of SED, or only volunteering?
Only the volunteering.
So, not the faith groups or anything like that.
No.
Okay, that’s really all I have. I really enjoyed this. Thank you so much. Is there anything you’d like to add?
I think we covered everything.
What is your final project about? You mentioned it briefly.
Well, it’s about a person, like I told you, I’ve always had a lot of distrust toward the Church because of all the cases that have come out. So, seeing someone from the Church who fought for people’s rights caught my attention. There’s a well-known phrase about him: “A person who worked for peace but never received a Nobel Peace Prize.” He passed away already, but he dedicated his life to defending people’s rights, even with many against him. So, I’m working on that, and I’m finding very interesting things. I never imagined doing my final degree project on something like this.
Do you think after graduating you’ll continue entering prisons, given your plan to join the police?
Well, you have to take several exams, a competitive exam. So, you have to do a good written exam. They’re multiple-choice tests, but based on theory. Then, you have physical tests. Then, you have an interview. That’s where you can, well, they can evaluate you. Before that, you have to fill out something like a data form, that’s what they call it, but it’s really a questionnaire about your personality, your background, your reasons for wanting to join the police. Then, they ask you about that in the interview. And once you pass all those tests, you have to spend a few months in Ávila, there at the academy. And there you do your training, take more exams and so on, and then, after that, you do a period of practical training where you choose your assignment. And once you finish the assignment, they can send you anywhere in Spain where there are available posts, usually people go to Madrid or Barcelona.
And where do you want to go?
I prefer Madrid because it’s true that in Barcelona I think, well, I’ve never been to Barcelona. That’s true. But from what we talked about before, your opinion of the police, I think things are even worse in Barcelona. So, it seems that crime in Barcelona is much more connected to foreigners, and it’s true that it has become much more complicated. For my mother too, being a woman, but that’s just the reality. So, I think that, well, Madrid has a lot of Latin gangs, there’s a lot of that stuff, but I think for living peacefully, I see, at least from what people say, that in Barcelona there’s a lot of insecurity regarding crime. I think Madrid is a bit more central, closer to Sevilla. So, if I had to choose, yes, I think I would choose Madrid. I also have some friends and relatives who live in Madrid, so I think I would feel a bit more settled there.
Well, thank you very much for everything, and congratulations on finishing your degree.
