Benefits of Selected Physical Exercise Programs in Detention: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine which kind of physical activity could be useful to inmate populations to improve their health status and fitness levels. A repeated measure design was used to evaluate the effects of two different training protocols on subjects in a state of detention, tested pre- and post-experimental protocol.Seventy-five male subjects were enrolled in the studyand randomly allocated to three groups: the cardiovascular plus resistance training protocol group (CRT) (n = 25; mean age 30.9 ± 8.9 years),the high-intensity strength training protocol group (HIST) (n = 25; mean age 33.9 ± 6.8 years), and a control group (C) (n = 25; mean age 32.9 ± 8.9 years) receiving no treatment. All subjects underwent a clinical assessmentandfitness tests. MANOVA revealed significant multivariate effects on group (p < 0.01) and group-training interaction (p < 0.05). CRT protocol resulted the most effective protocol to reach the best outcome in fitness tests. Both CRT and HIST protocols produced significant gains in the functional capacity (cardio-respiratory capacity and cardiovascular disease risk decrease) of incarcerated males. The significant gains obtained in functional capacity reflect the great potential of supervised exercise interventions for improving the health status of incarcerated people.

Rugby as a rehabilitation program in a United Kingdom Male Young Offenders’ Institution: key findings and implications from mixed methods research

“…One explanation for these differences is that the team setting of rugby provided a sense of belonging and team membership for the intervention participants, whilst the no intervention participants found this sense of belonging in gang membership. This is consistent with research that has studied the potential for team sports to bring people together (Thorpe et al, 2014), especially those who are at risk of gang-affiliation (Spruit et al, 2018) with the positive relationship between a good support system and wellbeing well documented (Battaglia et al, 2013).…”

“…In line with the increasing number of interventions being provided in prisons to meet rehabilitation needs, recent research has examined the social, psychological and health benefits of prisonbased programs which include those focusing on arts, horticulture and vocational activities (Farrier et al, 2019;Wilkinson and Caulfield, 2017). The majority of these studies have demonstrated benefits in quality of life and reduced anxiety, depression and stress (Battaglia et al, 2013) as well as reduced rates of recidivism (Proctor et al, 2012).…”

“…Team sport in particular has been demonstrated to develop social cohesion and enjoyment (Elbe et al, 2017) and the potential for using this in the rehabilitation of offenders in a custodial setting has been explored in recent literature. Sport in prison has been seen to have a positive effect on the psychological, social and physical wellbeing of offenders (Amtmann and Kukay, 2016;Battaglia et al, 2013). A small amount of studies have investigated the use of contact sport with youths, for example the effect of martial arts on improving wellbeing outcomes including resilience and self-efficacy (Moore et al, 2018).…”

Development of Strength in the Classes of Physical Education From Students in Prison

“…The motor skills formed at previous stages are consolidated and even improved, being integrated in various types of educational, motor, leisure and competitive activities etc. [3,5,6].…”

Female Prisoners’ Views and Satisfaction on Incarceration Conditions: Findings of a Cross-Sectional Survey in Greece

“…Recent study results suggest that physical activity seems to improve prisoners' fitness and health status by reducing their health care needs and associated public spending [7]. Moreover, physical activity and continuous vocational training during incarceration are considered very useful for leisure time activities and for social reintegration encouragement after release [7][8][9].…”