Conversations around crime and incarceration often focus on arrests and offences, while stories of re-habilitation take a back seat.
Challenging that narrative is the Prison Service Football Club (PSFC), an organization harnessing the transformative power of sport to rebuild lives, instilling discipline, fostering teamwork, and providing mentorship to guide players toward a better future, one step at a time.
In recent years, there has been growing policy interest in the role of sport and physical activity in the lives of young people involved in the justice system or at risk of criminal behaviour.
Scoring second chances is first resident of the Youth Training Camp to play in the Football Premier League and now a midfielder for the Prison Service Football Club, Ainsley Grazette, who is serving as a beacon to other young men and women.
“I would say its not just a sport its also a motivation an inspiration to positive life you know to help you to stay focus and to achieve your goal and to always have your mind stable to where you want to achieve.”
Head Coach Dexter Cyrus explained that the Prison Service Football Club serves as a rehabilitation program, helping young offenders reintegrate into society.
“We see that over time their participation has really aided in addressing some of the issues that they might have dealt with coming into the institution. Sport being one of the main, one of the major vehicles of that because not only does it create discipline but create pathways for them upon leaving the institution. That they could get involved in clubs, even look at opportunities for entrepreneurship.”
He noted that participating in sporting activities has also helped these young men and women build confidence in themselves and their abilities.
“They tend to underestimate their potential and when we place them in spaces in terms of competing with outside schools or clubs that stuff, they tend to shine. They tend to shine and we who work with them, we know what they are capable of so we are always motivating, giving those words of encouragement. We are always there with them.”
Mr. Grazette closed with inspiring words for young people determined to turn their lives around, urging them “not to make failure an option”.
“I will like to tell them that just find something that could benefit you because the sky is the limit because if i could do it behind the fence you could do it and you out here”