Bringing Rival Gangs Together: How Pickleball Has Transformed US Prison

The US Prison is using the sport to help prisoners rehabilitate | Courtesy- NBC News (Screengrab)

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Pickleball is making huge waves in the USA
The sport is gaining popularity across the globe
A US prison is using the sport to help prisoners rehabilite

From the United States of America (USA) to India, pickleball is quickly becoming a favourite in every corner of the world. Since the launch of the Pickleball World Ranking (PWR) this year, it has grown by leaps and bounds at a professional level with increased participation from people of all age groups.

Such is the widespread love for the sport that it is now being used to transform lives in a prison in the USA. A report by NBC News has revealed that the prisoners in San Quentin prison in California have been allowed to build a community through pickleball. The San Quentin prison is considered the ‘worst of the worst’ and houses criminals incarcerated for crimes such as murder, drug dealing and rape.

The report reveals that 95% of those inside the prison will eventually be released but 65% of them will be rearrested. In order to break the cycle, the prison has identified the importance of rehabilitation inside the prison with various activities like filmmaking, podcasting, and pickleball.

“These guys will eventually be your neighbours. Do you want to lock them up for 10 years, treat them poorly, and then one day let them out? You know they were burglars and robbers. What are they going to do after 10 years of being stuck in their cell,” a prison official explained to NBC.

The sport is completely changing the lives of prisoners and their outlook towards each other with rival gangs as well as wardens coming together to play the sport.

“My whole incarceration, I avoided sports because that’s a potential point of conflict that leads to violence,” said one prisoner.

Another prisoner revealed that he sees fellow inmates differently and the sport has allowed him to see their human side.

Pickleball coach Roger Belair has taken the onus to teach prisoners across the country since 2017 and visited 40 prisons across 11 states in the US. “Here is a sport you can learn after breakfast, and by lunchtime, you are pretty good,” said Belair.

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