Sports interventions not only foster more positive group alignments and healthier lifestyles but also help with mood regulation and sustained concentration – all factors crucial for desistance from crime.

Professor Harvey Whitehouse (Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion, University of Oxford)

The research, published this week in Nature Human Behaviour, highlights the significant positive impact of the Twinning Project on behaviour within the England and Wales prison system, shedding light on the critical role of social bonding in improving behaviour and attitudes in prisons.

The Twinning Project, a football-based initiative aimed at reducing reoffending rates in England and Wales and around the world, provides regular sessions with football coaches from Premier League and EFL football clubs co-delivered with prison Physical Education Instructors. The programme empowers people in prison to earn FA-accredited qualifications and improve their chances of rehabilitation while in prison and ultimately their prospects for employment upon release. The Oxford University study was conducted in 45 of over 70 UK prisons where the Twinning Project has been delivered.

Key findings from the study include:

• 50% Reduction in adjudications: Participation in the Twinning Project significantly predicted fewer proven adjudications (hearings for offences against prison discipline), compared to a matched control group, demonstrating a clear effect of the intervention on behaviour in prison.

• Enhanced social bonding: Participants showed increased identification with the Twinning Project over the course of the programme, which in turn was associated with behavioural improvements.

• Optimism and reintegration support: The study found that increased optimism about the future, including employability and chances of staying out of prison, were linked to bonding to the Twinning Project, indicating the prominent role social identities play in successful reintegration.

• Social bonding post-release: An additional online survey among formerly incarcerated people in the UK and the US showed that social bonds to positive groups (e.g., one’s country) were linked to less criminal behaviour and weaker pro-criminal attitudes, and stronger optimism about the future.

• Receiving communities’ attitudes: Six online studies in the UK and USA demonstrate that interventions like the Twinning Project are perceived positively among receiving communities. Awareness of such programmes and feeling a social bond with formerly incarcerated people consistently predicted willingness to hire them in employment and optimism that they can succeed after prison.

Dr Martha Newson and Professor Harvey Whitehouse describe the transformational impact of the Twinning Project

Our study highlights the transformative potential of shared experiences in fostering pro-social identities among incarcerated individuals. By leveraging the power of social bonding, we can work towards reducing recidivism rates and building safer communities.

Dr Martha Newson (Changing Lives Lab Group, University of Oxford)

Dr Martha Newson (Changing Lives Lab Group, University of Oxford) explained, ‘Our findings underscore the importance of investing in interventions that foster group identities among people in prison. The positive impact of the Twinning Project on adjudications, compared to a control group, emphasises the need for innovative approaches to prison rehabilitation.’

The results suggest that interventions combining strong social elements and educational appeal can help combat stigma and facilitate the successful reintegration of individuals into the community upon their release, with the aim of breaking the cycle of reoffending.

I’ve seen first-hand the transformative role sport can play in helping offenders lead more positive lives away from crime. Partnership programmes like the Twinning Project also give offenders vital skills which help improve their behaviour in custody and enhance their employment prospects on release.

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson

The findings, which are the first of their kind at such a scale, have significant implications for prison policy and practice at a time when incarceration rates are climbing globally and the England and Wales prison system faces challenges such as overcrowding, self-harm, and other behaviour issues. The findings demonstrate the need for investment in interventions that promote positive societal norms and values to reduce crime and pressure on prisons.

David Dein, MBE and Founder of the Twinning Project, commented, ‘We started the Twinning Project with the belief that football has the power to connect people, to give them hope and to provide them ways to change their lives for the better once they leave prison. The study by Oxford University proves that even while in prison, sport has the power to transform attitudes and behaviour when people are offered an opportunity like the Twinning Project. We are very grateful to Oxford University for their partnership and are proud to have worked closely on this important research. We hope these findings will unlock more support for initiatives that address the serious challenges the UK prison system faces and help to reduce reoffending rates and improve communities across the country.’

The paper ‘A soccer-based intervention improves incarcerated individuals’ behaviour and public acceptance through group bonding’ has been published in Nature Human Behaviour. The research team acknowledges the support of UKRI and the ERC for their contribution to this study.