Inequitable access to sport in juvenile justice across the USA: findings from a national survey

Abstract

Summary The USA incarcerates more young people than any other industrialized nation in the world, and black youth are much more likely to be incarcerated than white youth. Young people who interface with the criminal justice system are at higher risk for poor health upon release and the justice system is believed to be a contributor to racial health disparities. Sport participation during incarceration has the potential to improve health and health equity, but the evidence on the health benefits of youth sport participation has almost exclusively focused on school and community settings in the USA with little attention to non-traditional settings, such as the justice system. Given the poor health consequences of incarceration, the potential of sport to improve health, and the lack of research on this phenomenon in the USA, our objective was to describe the landscape of sport programming in juvenile correctional facilities and provide a baseline understanding upon which future research can build. Through a cross-sectional survey of all long-term secure juvenile correctional facilities in the USA (n = 211), we found 55.1% operate a sport program. Among facilities with programs, there was a range of sport program offerings. Gender disparities in access to various types of programs exist, with girls generally having less opportunity than boys. Most facilities reported a purpose of positive youth development in the operation of their programs. These findings have important implications for health promotion and the further integration of sport and juvenile justice as part of a public health agenda.