Beyond the Bars: Quantifying Criminology Students’ Attitudes Towards Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLS) and Former PDLS

Widespread societal bias against persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and former PDLs fuels a persistent stigma that hinders their journey to reintegration into the community. In light of the issue, this quantitative research aimed to assess the attitudes of 292 criminology students at UM Digos College towards Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) and former PDLs. The result revealed a moderate level of attitudes towards PDLs and former PDLs. Moreover, female students, older age groups, and upper-year level students demonstrated more favorable and empathetic attitudes, suggesting that social roles, maturity, and academic exposure may have an influence. Additionally, an awareness program was designed to provide criminology students with direct exposure to experiences of imprisonment and rehabilitation through the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Awareness Seminar and supervised prison visits, aiming to foster empathy and reduce stigma.

attitudes, criminology students, persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), former PDLs

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