Prisoners at Brazilian jail knit for pay, freedom

Source:Agencies Published: 2013-8-5 20:48:01

Poring over their fine-quality crochet, the prisoners of Brazil's Arisvaldo de Campos Pires maximum security penitentiary, about 160 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro, are a model of concentration.

And it's no wonder, when you consider what's at stake.

Thanks to a collaboration with Brazilian fashion designer Raquel Guimaraes, the inmates have one day taken off their sentence for every three days of knitting they perform.

The designer turned to the prison for help in 2009 when she had trouble finding knitters for her Doiselles label, which specializes in beautiful knitting and crochet work. She trained 18 prisoners sentenced for crimes ranging from robbery to murder, and their work is now exported globally, including to America, France and Japan.

The hand-made pieces, which are strictly quality-checked, are also sold in 70 stores in Brazil.

Named the Flor de Lotus ('Lotus Flower') Project, the initiative is also a chance for prisoners to earn money while serving their time. Participating inmates are paid a starting salary of 75 per cent of Brazil's minimum wage - a quarter of what they earn is put aside and paid on their release.

Former prison inmate Celio Tavares, who was jailed for armed robbery, said the project gives prisoners "skills and confidence they can use when they return to life on the outside."

Guimaraes sees the project as a way for inmates to be more than just criminals as "the remission of the sentence gives them the value of redeeming freedom, integrity and confidence."

dailymail.co.uk



Posted in: Odd News

blog comments powered by Disqus