Brazil inmates seek World Cup redemption
Anella Reta
Football is like a religion in Brazil and the 2014 World Cup is
offering inmates in the South American host nation a shot at redemption.
"My life has changed direction," said sun-beaten Thiago Ferreira, a
26-year-old convicted drug trafficker who is helping renovate the Belo
Horizonte soccer stadium, which will host a number of World Cup games.
Ferreira, who joined a state reintegration program, told AFP he
regretted his drug-dealing days and regarded his new job he looks after
the tools on the site as "a great second chance" to rebuild his life.
Under an agreement between the Brazilian government and local
authorities in the 12 cities hosting 2014 World Cup games, at least five
percent of the workers building or renovating the stadiums must be
prisoners.
Inmates
The inmates are selected after a rigorous evaluation process by a
group of social workers, lawyers and psychologists.
In Belo Horizonte, capital of the southeastern state of Minas Gerais,
Ferreira is one of 16 inmates from a local prison selected to work on
the stadium alongside almost 1,500 other workers.
Every morning, he wakes up at 4:00 am to help complete the renovation
of the the 67,000-seat Mineirao stadium by the late 2012 deadline.
Once finished, the stadium will host the FIFA Confederations Cup in
2013 and the World Cup the following year. For three days of work, each
inmate earns one day off his sentence.
Regime
"For us who are in the semi-open prison regime, this is a great
opportunity that we must seize. Because a life of crime has only two
possible outcomes: the wheelchair or six-feet under," said Ferreira.
After two years and five months in jail, he cannot wait to walk free
in February and continue working at the Mineirao arena, where he is paid
around 250 euros ($320) a month, slightly above the minimum wage.
With that pay, he can support his wife, his one-month-old son and his
mother.
"I hope to show my son all that I went through so that he does not
make the same mistakes, and to give him all the things I did not have in
my life," said Ferreira, who was entitled to conjugal visits, proudly
showing pictures of his baby boy on his cellphone.
At 11:00 am workers leave the rubble of the Mineirao and drop their
tools in the shed run by Ferreira, turning the area into a makeshift
cafeteria.
Francisco das Chagas Queiroz, who spent 17 years in jail for a bank
robbery, is one of this month's model employees and has been rewarded
for his efficiency and devotion to duty by being put in charge of
logistics.
The 52-year-old Queiroz sees the recognition from his supervisors as
"a great honor" and hopes to continue working on the site when he
completes his sentence in January.
"It is clear I came here to make a difference. And with God's help, I
succeeded and they appreciate my work. I was promoted after 12 days to
help coordinate things," Queiroz told AFP.
Reconstruction
"Work on the (stadium) reconstruction is an honor. To be valued in a
big company is something that makes you feel good."
Queiroz expressed no remorse over his past crimes, saying: "I am what
I am because of the difficulties I went through." The former shopkeeper
has a punishing daily schedule, starting work at the stadium at 5:00 am,
going to nursing school at 6:00 pm, before returning to his cell close
to midnight. AFP |
