Tiago Espanhol, a fraudster who has been behind bars for a little over two years said, “We pass our time and it’s good for us,” as he gave the final touches to a chair at the prison’s carpentry workshop. “Working is better for us — at least to see if we can go home as soon as possible.”Espanhol, an evangelical Christian who is at Porto’s Prison Establishment (EP) in northern Portugal, hopes his children can visit the park to see his work.Organizers said involving the prisoners could help them reintegrate into society when they are released from jail.Portuguese Prisoners such as Espanhol also hope building the confessionals can reduce their jail time.Manuel Dias, who has been in jail for two months awaiting his final sentencing, said it was easier to spend the day working on the wooden confessionals than stuck in his cell.Paulo Teixeira, the coordinator of the prison’s carpentry workshop, said one of the benefits of working on the confessionals was the salary of 5 euros ($5.50) per day, above the average daily wage inmates receive doing other jobs.Jose Julio, director of Porto’s EP, said that most of the work done by inmates was related to the jail’s maintenance, such as cleaning or meal preparation.According to the European Prison Observatory, employment and vocational training opportunities for inmates are insufficient in Portugal, where it notes a “serious overcrowding problem” in the prisons.Investing in modernizing workshops and establishing further agreements with private companies willing to recruit inmates could be part of the solution for them to gain extra skills for life after prison and make more cash, said Julio, standing next to one of the built confessionals.The prison director said it was “important for people to know that positive things are also done inside prisons”.ALSO READ: Church Raises Funds Through Barbecue Contest