Social cohesion may be antidote to global prison crisis

Journal article

As incarceration rates continue to rise globally, the need to reduce rates of reoffending grows ever more urgent. We consider whether positive group bonds can improve behaviours among prisoners via a unique soccer-based prison intervention, the Twinning Project. We analyse effects of participation compared to a control group (S1, N = 676, N = 1874 control cases), longitudinal patterns of social cohesion underlying these effects (S2, N = 388), and explore desistance from crime after release (S3, N = 249). As law-abiding behaviour also requires a supportive receiving community, we investigated the factors influencing willingness to employ formerly incarcerated people in online samples (S4-9, N = 1,797). Results indicate that the ability to bond with stigmatised groups (e.g., formerly incarcerated people) is crucial to willingness to support reintegration efforts. To help address the global prison crisis, interventions must focus on improved behaviour plus both employment and positive group alignments on release, thus reducing costs of incarceration, while improving opportunities to integrate.

Authors: Whitehouse, H; Newson, M; Peitz, L; Cunliffe, J

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Journal: Nature Human Behaviour
• Acceptance date: 2024-06-07
• EISSN: 2397-3374
• Language: English