Eighteen troubled teens from South Auckland were given a chance to take a look into prisoners’ lives. This peek into life in prison showed them exactly what might be their fate if they continued on the track they’ve been on. The teens who were taken to Auckland’s remand prison are actually students of Mangere College.

At times, all it may take to open someone’s eyes is a peek at reality at its worst. It can seem fun playing the game of naughty boy, but once these teens get a glimpse of the ultimate consequence of their misbehaviors they start to realize that life isn’t just a game. They need to take some things seriously as well, if they don’t want to end up in a cell. A teenager may abuse the fact that he has choices at times when he’s acting up. But in a place like prison where those choices are taken away, he should realize how carefully he should make his every choice.

Good or bad? A little too many choices on the bad side may just end up putting him in jail. These lessons are just some of the ideas that may enter a teen’s head after a reality-awaking field trip to prison. At the very least, by just being able to get his mind thinking about his future, these kinds of field trips may prove useful and effective for troubled teens. Normally, these defiant teenagers try and keep their minds as far away as possible from the consequences of their misbehaviors but through trips like this, it is put directly in their faces. Is prison something they are willing to face if they continue on their misdirected paths? Deep inside they can probably feel that the answer is no. Sometimes, a shock of reality is all a troubled teenager needs to wake up.

The manager of the prison Mack Herewini commented that the students weren’t worried at all about the idea of prison as they arrived. But talks with uniformed guards and Herewini himself brought prison’s reality to their senses. After the experience, Herewini said that about five students told him that they would be turning their lives around. This left him with an extremely rewarding feeling.

After the experience, Herewini realized that this concept of teen “field trips” to prison should be expanded so that other troubled teens could come to a similar realization as well.