Prisoners help build World Cup stadiums

• AFP, Wednesday, January 4, 2012 12:50 PM

Under an agreement between the Brazilian government and local authorities in the 12 cities hosting 2014 World Cup games, at least five percent of the workers building or renovating the stadiums must be prisoners.

"My life has changed direction," said sun-beaten Thiago Ferreira, a 26-year-old convicted drug trafficker who is helping renovate the Belo Horizonte soccer stadium, which will host a number of World Cup games.

The inmates are selected after a rigorous evaluation process by a group of social workers, lawyers and psychologists.

For three days of work, each inmate earns one day off his sentence.

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