On Sunday December 29, 2024, during the USAP-La Rochelle match (21-13), four inmates from Perpignan prison had the opportunity to attend the match at the Aimé-Giral stadium. This gesture is part of an original initiative entitled “From Bars to Poles”, launched by USAP Training officials with the aim of promoting the reintegration of these detainees, who will be released in the coming months.
“We want to help these people from Perpignan, who have paid their debt to society, to reintegrate after their detention“, explain Régis Peyronnet and Tom Brunel, head of the USAP Training program. This approach saw the light of day two years ago, when the two managers decided to get involved with people on the fringes of society: the inmates of the Perpignan prison.
The initiative took shape after a meeting with the French rugby team, during a touch match organized within the prison establishment. “The guards told us about the difficulties encountered in diversifying indoor sports activities and the impact that these initiatives can have on the reintegration of prisoners“, say Peyronnet and Brunel. This discussion was the starting point for their project, supported by several partners: the Perpignan prison center, France Travail, the local Youth Employment Mission, the USAP foundation in the heart of the territory, the Face Pays Catalan association and the municipality of Perpignan.
Concretely, every Wednesday for two months, reintegration sessions were organized within the prison. In the morning, the BPJEPS (Professional Certificate for Youth, Popular Education and Sport) trainees led sporting activities while providing advice on expected behavior in the professional environment. In the afternoon, the prisoners received support in creating their CVs and improving their interview techniques.
Nine inmates, mainly Perpignan residents from working-class neighborhoods, were able to benefit from this program. “In the next three months, eight of them will be released, the last one will be released in July”specifies Régis Peyronnet, who calls himself a “referent” for these future liberated people.
On December 29, during the USAP-La Rochelle meeting, the project was presented to business leaders, in the hope of encouraging vocations and offering employment opportunities to prisoners. Four of them were invited to attend the match, accompanied by supervisors, as well as Sadek Deghmache, scrum half of the Toulouse club. An initiative that embodies the club's commitment to reintegration and solidarity towards those who will soon return to society.
