Fundación Espartanos: reducing crime and reintegrating people into society through sport, spirituality and education

Global Prison Trends 2022 highlighted a shift in international consensus to rehabilitative-based prisons, but a significant disparity between countries in the resourcing and availability of rehabilitation programming. In the third blog of our series examining trends identified in the report, Eduardo “Coco” Oderigo presents Fundación Espartanos – a programme providing sport, spirituality and education to promote rehabilitation and reintegration.

I am a criminal lawyer in Argentina, who has worked in the judicial system for 15 years. In March 2009, I visited the San Martín Maximum Security Prison, located in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, for the first time. It was a sad experience for me: I saw hopelessness, overcrowded cells, and many people with nothing to do.

I wanted to contribute somehow to the daily activities and decided to play rugby inside the prison. Why rugby? Because I had played rugby myself for the San Isidro Club for over 25 years, and had realized the benefits it had given me, so I thought it would be good for them too.

Since then, I started going every Tuesday and quickly realized that the values of rugby began to come to life inside of the prison: inclusivity (rugby is suitable for every body type), teamwork and integration. “Espartanos Rugby Club” was formed inside the prison, achieving bonds of trust and a sense of belonging and fellowship between the team and the trainers.

In 2013, activities expanded to include spirituality and education within the prison and support for social reintegration and employment outside the prison walls. This was how the holistic model of intervention of the “Espartanos” was born. Fundación Espartanos was formally launched in 2016 with the mission of transforming the lives of people in prison for their social reintegration and employment, through the practice of rugby, spirituality, and education.

Through the program, people have an option to enhance their time in prison from just a time to serve their sentence to an opportunity to transform their lives through tools and values that allow them to choose a different path. It promotes positive social reintegration practices and has, to date, been successful in reducing recidivism rates among participants from 65% to 5%. This has significant benefits not only to the individuals, their families and communities, but also contributes to decongesting overcrowded prisons and easing pressure on the criminal justice system.

Today, Fundación Espartanos has grown in Argentina to more than 3,000 ‘Espartanos’ (Spartans) inside of prison, including 200 women, and 600 volunteers, and is expanding to 6 more countries: Uruguay, Chile, Perú, El Salvador, Spain and Kenya.

Objective #1: Sport and its values

The program aims to transmit the values ​​of sports to help develop teamwork, solidarity, and respectful, humble, responsible, honest, and persevering individuals. All the people who belong to the club live in Espartanos’ pavilions, with their captain, their own rules, and the same values. The tranquility they enjoy at their own pavilion gives them time to think and learn. The most important lesson of all is the realization that they could transform their own reality.

Fundación Espartanos organizes with other regular rugby clubs, matches outside the prison, with the authorization of the Judiciary so they can be temporarily released from prison. The Espartanos have to earn their place on the team. This is a great incentive for them to behave correctly, live the values ​​of the sport on and off the field and train hard. In those matches, they meet their families in a pleasant atmosphere.

Objective #2: Spiritual journey

It seeks to support people in prison in their personal and spiritual journey, providing them with the necessary tools to improve their social reintegration once released from prison. In 2013, Fundación Espartanos started praying the Rosary (a Catholic prayer) inside the prison with volunteers, once a week. In Argentina, 76% of the total population identify as Catholics. For many, praying, singing together, and sharing the things dear to their hearts is the beginning of a real transformation.

These moments are a time of introspection and reflection, focused on forgiveness towards oneself, their families, and society. As a result, a strong bond, and a real kind of friendship was born among themselves and with the volunteers of the foundation.

Objective #3: Education to promote employment

Regarding this goal, this program comprises two processes.

First, engagement in formal education (under the State of Buenos Aires), in which the foundation provides support for all, and special help for those with learning difficulties. Our goal is for everyone to be literate and attain the highest level of schooling that they can.

Second, the teaching of courses and workshops, financed by the foundation and delivered by partner organizations. For that, Fundación Espartanos built 4 educational classrooms inside prisons.

Some of the courses and workshops that are currently being taught include:

• Rugby rules.
• Mechanics and air conditioning repairing workshop.
• Literacy, reading and writing workshop.
• Storytelling: learning to tell their own stories of transformation, acquiring new tools related to communication.
• Emotional management workshop.
• Ontological coaching course: a training program to find the best version of themselves.
• Healthy family ties workshop and addictions.
• Yoga teaching program: includes yoga practice, communication and a focus on compassion and empathy.
• Digital literacy course, beginning in September 2022.

Objective #4: Reduce recidivism through the socio-labor integration process

Once out of prison, the Espartanos have two opportunities:

1. Play rugby at the Espartanos Rugby Club in liberty. This allows them to meet again with other Espartanos and continue on their new path:

• Weekly rugby training.
• Participation in a rugby tournament.
• Follow-up and accompaniment by tutors.

2. “Entretiempo” (Half-time) Program:

• This is a 3-month paid internship in a business accompanied by tutors and a weekly training in labor insertion. This program is an opportunity to put into practice the training and teachings they received in prison. It provides experience in a new environment which broadens their horizon of expectations and opportunities for a more successful job placement.
• They are given a scholarship for personal expenses that they must account for, so they learn to be financially organized.
• After this program the Espartanos are qualified for job placement in one of the 110 business which make up the “Empresas Espartanas” (Spartan Businesses).

Fundación Espartanos works towards peace, transforming lives, restoring hope and purpose, and through its work disrupts the intergenerational cycle of crime.

But we cannot do it working alone. We need the help of volunteers, donors, businesses, Judiciary, and the whole community.

Working all together, we can escalate the model of intervention, overcoming fear and judgment, solving the challenge of insecurity, and creating integrated and inclusive communities where all have the possibility to thrive.