Frequently asked questions

By Michael Dobie | Staff Writer

July 11, 2004

What is a prison?

A prison is a correctional facility for convicted felons typically serving more than one year. State and federal prisons hold about 1.4 million of the nation's 2.2 million inmates. Men, women and youths usually are kept in separate prisons. Supermax prisons, also called security housing units or special housing units (SHUs), house the most dangerous criminals in near-complete isolation. At least 30 states have free-standing SHUs, which together might house as many as 20,000 inmates. In other states, SHUs are buildings or wings located inside maximum-security prisons. Inmates in SHUs are confined in their cells as many as 23 hours a day.

What is a jail?

A jail is a county or city facility for detainees awaiting trial or inmates serving short sentences, typically a year or less. Inmates who receive long sentences are transferred from jail to prison. About 665,000 inmates nationwide are held in jails. The nation's largest correctional facilities are jails -- New York's Rikers Island (about 14,500 inmates) and Chicago's Cook County jail (10,000-11,000 inmates).

Do prisons and jails have different kinds of sports programs?

Yes. Prisons have more expansive sports and recreation programs, including daily periods for both open and structured recreation. Open rec is a first-come, first-served session open to all inmates who have that time slot available. Structured rec includes organized activities such as intramural leagues, tournaments and fitness classes. Jails usually have only open recreation; organized sports are rare because people come and go too quickly to form leagues or stage tournaments. In supermax prisons, recreation consists of an inmate walking alone in a small cage nearly always enclosed on all sides with some kind of fencing on top. There might be a pull-up bar at one end.

In prison, are sports the same as recreation?

No. Sports are part of a recreation program. Recreation includes such activities as calisthenics, jogging, walking, playing cards, crafts, watching television and movies, taking music lessons, or simply talking. Sports include such activities as competitive team and individual sports in organized leagues or pickup games, and serious weightlifting and running.

What are the most popular sports in prison?

Weightlifting and basketball. Others include softball, flag football, handball and soccer. In jails, weightlifting and pickup basketball are popular.

How many inmates play?

As many as half of the nation's 1.4 million prison inmates play sports. In some prisons, the percentage is even higher. About 25 percent of Louisiana inmates play in intramural leagues; add pickup sports, holiday tournaments and field days and the figure rises to 90 percent. In Nebraska, nearly 60 percent of the inmates at the Omaha Correctional Center compete in the prison's Olympic-style Winter Games.

How often do they play?

All inmates are entitled to one hour of open recreation per day, five days a week, but many get much more. An inmate who is not working and not in school or another program can choose to play sports during any or all of that time. Structured recreation can be taken away if an inmate misbehaves.

What is the cost of prison sports and recreation?

Budgets are modest and vary from state to state. New York's state prisons spend about $10 per inmate per year on equipment and supplies. Many prisons in other states run their sports programs entirely on profits from their inmate commissaries; no tax dollars are used.

Are there economic benefits from having sports in prison?

Yes. Corrections officials believe sports can reduce medical expenses by improving inmate health. "Prevention is important to us," said Louisiana corrections commissioner Richard Stalder, whose state has 36,000 inmates and close to $100 million in annual medical bills. "One of the things for prevention is exercise. A lot of these athletic programs promote that." Dan Dunne, spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and a former recreation supervisor, said sports programs "promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle ... and decrease medical treatment." Balanced against potential savings are the costs of injuries sustained in contact sports or by inmates attempting to exercise beyond their capabilities. "I don't think that equation is easy to calculate," said Anne Spaulding, past president of the Society of Correctional Physicians. "It depends on what injuries are sustained."

Do women in prison play sports?

Yes. Competitive sports such as volleyball are offered in some prisons but sports and recreation programs for women usually are oriented more toward fitness and health. Aerobics and exercise classes are popular. Women held in jails usually have separate wings inside mostly male jails and often receive fewer recreational opportunities because priority is given to men.