A team of four male inmates at the Bordelais Correctional Facility participated in the Online Intercontinental Prison Chess Championship on the 13th October 2022 placing third in group 7, against teams Argentina, El Salvador, Uruguay, Ecuador and Trinidad and Tobago.
The St. Lucia Chess federation started their Chess in Prisons programme in May of this year, which was well received by the inmates and administrator at Bordelais.
Officer Yasmin Peters from the Bordelais Correctional Facility stated, “The inmates are very enthusiastic about chess and I was impressed by their level of discipline. We plan to continue using chess in our rehabilitation efforts and we are grateful to the Saint Lucia Chess Federation (SLCF) for remembering Bordelais.”
She has been working with the SLCF and the inmates on this programme and is very proud of the efforts of the inmates, especially in such a short space of time.
The inmates were very grateful for the opportunity to represent their country and were grateful as well to the SLCF initiating the programme.
The president of the St. Lucia Chess Federation Tris-Ann Richards congratulated the inmates and applauded them for their dedication. She stressed the importance of chess in society and rehabilitation. Noting that studies have shown that chess decreases the rate of recidivism. She also made a special appeal to corporate St. Lucia to support their Chess in prisons programme.
The St Lucia Chess Federation plans to continue their efforts in hopes that the programme will help to lower the crime rate in St. Lucia and to establish a chess programme at the Boys Training Center.