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 | | Friday, 25 January, 2002, 23:29 GMT Brazil inmates catch wave to freedom  Thousands head for the waves off Florianopolis By the BBC's Jan Rocha in Sao Paulo Prison inmates in Florianopolis, Brazil's surfing capital, are repairing surfboards in return for shorter sentences. A workshop has been set up in the local prison and for every three days repairing surfboards, prisoners get one day off their sentences.
Eventually, the prison authorities hope to install a surfboard factory inside the prison. Besides reducing prisoners' sentences, it is hoped that the workshop will reduce tensions between the inmates. Most of Brazil's 337 prisons offer little in the way of rehabilitation through work or education schemes. Instead, they have become notorious for overcrowding, for violent rebellions and escape attempts. Florianopolis is the capital of Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina and every summer thousands of surfers invade the beaches with their boards. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Americas stories now:  Links to more Americas stories are at the foot of the page. | |
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