How soccer could address prison re-offending

Soccer may help incarcerated people to improve their in-prison behavior and reintegration into society after release, by fostering connections to positive group identities through learning coaching and transferrable skills from professional soccer staff. The findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, shed light on how social bonding could be used to help to reduce reoffending rates.

The Twinning Project is an initiative (launched in the UK, but now also running in the US, Italy, Australia and South Africa) that organizes soccer-based programs for incarcerated individuals to improve their mental and physical health. It also helps them to obtain skills (such as relationship building and self-control) and an accredited qualification with the aim of improving their in-prison behavior and reintegration into society after release.

The initiative pairs prisons with local professional soccer clubs—including Liverpool FC, Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC in the UK. However, whether this initiative improves the behavior of people in prison during their sentence, reduces crime after release or boosts the employment opportunities of formerly incarcerated individuals, remains unclear.

To investigate the success of The Twinning Project, Martha Newson and colleagues first analyzed the in-prison behavior of people serving sentences in 45 UK prisons. They compared the behavior of 676 individuals who participated in the project with 1,874 people who did not, and found that participation—through greater social bonding—generally improved behavior by reducing offenses committed in prison.

The authors also surveyed 1,797 people with hiring experience to see what factors would affect their willingness to hire a formerly incarcerated person. They found that people were more willing to hire formerly incarcerated persons who had completed an educational program such as The Twinning Project than those who had not.

The findings indicate that soccer may serve as an opportunity for fostering social connections, aiding rehabilitation and supporting the reintegration of incarcerated individuals into society. However, the authors note that the success of this program could be dependent on the optimism and attitude of the prison population.

Dr. Armon Tamatea, associate professor of psychology, University of Waikato, says, “In addition to containment, prisons are sites of rehabilitation for people who have histories of challenging and often dangerous behavior.

“Socialization (i.e., exposure to and influence by positive role models) is an important aspect of rehabilitation because it facilitates the internalization of prosocial behavior and expectations. However, socialization doesn’t happen without a ‘community,’ so activities (like sports, art, etc.) that promote community cohesion—particularly in prisons—help to reduce tensions that can precede violence.”