The inmates can do this by pedaling stationary bikes that charges a battery. This battery is used to power 10 street lamps along the town's riverside promenade. For every three eight hour days spent pedaling a stationary bike, one day is shaved off the sentence. The program is run on a voluntary basis and prisoners can choose whether they want to participate, or not.
"We used to spend all day locked up in our cells, only seeing the sun for two hours a day," said 38-year-old inmate Silva, "Now we're out in the fresh air, generating electricity for the town and at the same time we're winning our freedom." The only thing he has lost is 9 pounds and twenty days of prison time.
Inmates start pedaling at nine in the morning until five in the afternoon with breaks for lunch and an afternoon snack. It keeps them occupied and away from prison violence. The newly lit promenade now attracts dog walkers, joggers, kids on bikes and couples going for romantic strolls after dark.
