Institute of Sports eyes prison leagues

Andre Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

All-female penal facility, Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre, is set to serve as the pilot project for a new partnership between the Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) and the Department of Correctional Services, as both parties finalise plans to engage inmates with organised sporting competition.

Netball, volleyball, basketball, and football are the sports being discussed at this moment and while all the final details have not been completed, competition is expected to start at the St Catherine-based facility in approximately one month's time.

The state-run INSPORTS will also provide technical assistance for the girls, with several field officers being assigned to assist with coaching duties.

Ian Andrews, administrative director at INSPORTS, believes the initiative fits perfectly with his agency's mandate to unearth and develop talent and is convinced that this project will have a positive impact on the lives of the inmates.

Said Andrews: "We have decided to partner with the correctional services because we think there is a plethora of talent coming from the inner city as we have seen coming from our own local competitions, so why can't we go inside the correctional services and give them a chance as well?

"From an INSPORTS stand-point, this was basically part of our thrust to get into the communities, not to say that the way we have been doing before is not meaningful, but we needed to take it to another level," Andrews continued.

Superintendent of Corrections, Reuben Kelly, welcomed the initiative with open arms and underlined that it will go a long way in keeping the inmates motivated and meaningfully engaged.

"This project will engage the inmates in a meaningful way and will also help to keep them motivated," Kelly said. "It will also help them to remain in good physical condition and you just never know, we may find someone for the national teams from this programme."

"They are delighted about this because they now feel a part of the society. Quite a bit of our inmates are re-offenders and I expect this initiative to help in curbing that trend as well," Kelly added, before pointing out that the project has the full backing of the acting Commissioner of Corrections Lieutenant Colonel Sean Prendergast.

Partnership

"I consider this a great opportunity and privilege for INSPORTS to see the need to partner with us. We know that they have been helping the wider communities and we are happy that they have decided to assist a community like ours which is somewhat confined and we are hoping and trusting that we will get the requisite support that will help our girls," Kelly closed.

Andrews chipped in, "Our mandate is basically to unearth and develop talent but what is the development all about? The unearthing is one thing where you can have the competitions and have participants but the other aspect of nurturing and developing was not being paid attention to. This is the area that we need to go into in a more meaningful way and no individual, bar none, will be exempted."

"That institution is really aimed at rehabilitation, not total condemnation and who is to tell, we may get our next superstar coming from there," Andrews added.

Andrews further noted that, "We are quite mindful of the paucity of funds from the government's coffers and so what we have decided to do is go to corporate Jamaica and ask them for assistance, so we are confident that we will get some support for this project as well.

"It is hoped that the Fort Augusta model will be a successful one and will develop and spread to other penal facilities across the island."