It is no secret that the benefit of playing sports goes beyond the physical. It can change people’s mentality, shape the personality of a nation and make connections between people that border on the level of spiritual.

All of those aspects have been experienced by Cayman’s residents for years. Now with the country in a state of transition and crime reaching alarming levels the question now is why not have prisoners get involved in sports?

To be clear the current state of Cayman’s prison system is not good. There is no corporal punishment in these islands and the heaviest judgement is life in prison. According to an independent report commissioned by the Governor’s office last year about 40 per cent of Northward prisoners do not participate in any sentence management programmes, which try to have inmates reach goals like sustained improvement in mental health and better long-term relationships with family members and the community at large. Prisoners not in those programmes are essentially left without a support network when they are released and have a high likelihood of being a repeat offender.

Sports can help in the rehabilitation of all inmates as witnessed by the handful of prisoners at Her Majesty’s Prison already playing football. The prison has had a team of male guards and prisoners playing indoor football at Kings Sports Centre the last six years. The squad goes under the name Transformers and has consistently finished in the top five and nabbed awards for being the most disciplined team.

Sharon Lexa Lamb serves as the team manager and states the inmates develop character on the team.

“Having played several seasons the team now knows what is expected of them. I can only say that I am very pleased with the performance of my team to date. The players have done everything required of them and demonstrated that they have the ability and the dedication.

“Football is a mental game as much as a physical one and sports have always been a means of educating people. The concept works with both kids and adults and our guys have developed as a team both on and off the pitch. They have the most to prove and they do an excellent job each game.”

The impact of the Transformers football team has been positive. Staff at Kings have praised the side’s demeanour, including Athletic Director Ray Singh.

“Their discipline on the pitch is far above the norm,” Singh said. “It’s almost comical when these are the guys setting the bar for the other teams to meet. The work done with this group has echoed through the team’s conduct and performance at each outing.”

Ultimately the Transformers are an example that inmates can peacefully and successfully be incorporated in sports. If a version of the national sport can host those members of society then surely there is a real possibility of extending their involvement to other disciplines. Cayman’s prison system has to rehabilitate its residents better and sports can help.