Cellmate Checkmate: New Program Pits Inmates Against Each Other
Can chess serve as rehabilitation for Cook County prisoners? Sheriff Tom Dart thinks so. What about you?
It takes time to master the strategic battle of chess—and Cook County prisoners have plenty of that to spare. Sheriff Tom Dart aims to help these crooks, with rooks. By turning their focus to the game of bishops and pawns, Dart hopes they will learn more than how to capture another's king. It's possible the game could promote important psychological and personality traits such as responsibility, patience, problem-solving and learning from past mistakes, Dart said. Joined by world champion chess player Anatoly Karpov, Dart recently introduced medium security inmates to the new chess program, pairing them up for intense competition. “We see it day-in and day-out that people want instant gratification and that often individuals do not think …
H. E. Kraeger
4:26 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Some years ago I read an article on this subject where a teacher used part of lunch hour to play chess with his failing students. As they improved on the game they also improved on their concentration and study habits for better grades. Many criminals were failures in school. If they learn to focus and gain self respect to become better citizens the cost is worth it. Personally, I think chess … more ›