The Impact of a Sports Initiative for Young Men in Prison

Abstract

This study presents the prisoner and prison staff ideographic experiences of an English initiative which aimed to use sport as a way of engaging young men in identifying and meeting their reentry (or "resettlement") needs in the transition from prison custody to the community. Young men aged between 18 to 21 years old (N = 79) participated in the prison-based sporting "academies" and the qualitative findings demonstrated how the initiative led to perceived benefits in terms of a positive impact on prison life and culture, preparation for release, improved attitudes, thinking and behavior, and in promoting desistance from crime. The results help to delineate how and why sports based interventions can motivate imprisoned young offenders in reentry programs, with the ultimate aim of reducing reoffending.

Consequences of mental and physical health for reentry and recidivism: Toward a health‐based model of desistance*

“…Furthermore, findings from studies of the general population point to the importance of alleviating depressive symptoms through exercise regimens (Cooney, Dwan, & Mead, ), and researchers also suggest that enhancing physical activity can improve both physical and mental quality of life among prisoners (Mannocci et al., ). As safety considerations are paramount to any policy changes in day‐to‐day prison administration, it should be noted that researchers find prisoners who are more involved in recreation tend to display better behavior (Martos‐Garcia, Devís‐Devís, & Sparkes, ; Meek & Lewis, ).…”

Recreation or rehabilitation? Managing sport for development programs with prison populations

“…In turn, these developments have prompted some investigation from academics and industry professionals alike (Calloway, 1981;Elger, 2009;Frey & Delaney, 1996;Gras, 2005;Hayburn, 2007;Leberman, 2007;Medve, 1961;Slater et al, 1992). Despite an increased research interest, there is still a lack of sound evidencebased studies documenting the nature and efficacy of sport and recreation activities within the prison setting (Calloway, 1981;Elger, 2009;Little, 1995;Meek & Lewis, 2014;Orton, 1977;Slater et al, 1992). The scarce research that has investigated sport and recreation in the prison setting has mainly been conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom.…”

“…It has been argued that research on sport and recreation in prisons has primarily focused on exploring physical and mental wellbeing outcomes for inmates (Meek & Lewis, 2014). According to Vaiciulis et al (2011), one explanation for the concentration in this area is that sport and recreation ''have become the main type of activity that has a significant impact on inmates' physical, mental and social health in modern imprisonment institutions'' (p. 680).…”

“…Among prison administrators, academics, and other industry professionals, sport and recreation are perceived to aid offender rehabilitation (Brayshaw, 1981;Gras, 2005;Hagan, 1989;Leberman, 2007;Little, 1995;Medve, 1961;Meek & Lewis, 2014;Nelson et al, 2006;Stumbo & Little, 1991;Williams, Walker, & Strean, 2005). Despite these widely accepted perceptions, there is limited empirical research to support the efficacy of sport and recreation in the rehabilitation of inmates .…”

Sport in Prison: Exploring the Role of Physical Activity in Correctional Settings by R. Meek. Abingdon: Routledge (2014) 214pp. £85.00hb ISBN 978-0-415-85761-1

“…Due to the extensive ground covered by this book, the chapters are relatively short and the reader should not expect an in‐depth qualitative analysis. More detailed analyses are presented in articles elsewhere (for example, Meek and Lewis , ).…”