Bologna jail rugby team rehabilitates inmates

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 18 - A rugby team made up of inmates of Bologna's main prison has succeeded in rehabilitating offenders to such a degree that their re-offending rate is just 5% compared to the national average of 62%.
    The team, Giallo Dozza, based at Dozza Prison, competes in the third tier of Italian rugby, Serie C.
    Some 300 inmates have won its strip in the last 10 years.
    The team has now won funding from Sports Minister Andrea Abodi entitled Sport For All-Prisons.
    "This funding is essential for us to keep doing what we do so well," said team president Matteo Carassiti.
    "Over the years we've had some great players, the majority of whom had never even seen an ovall ball, let alone played with one," he told a press conference. (ANSA).