The prison overcrowding crisis in the UK has shown the public what researchers and those working in criminal justice have known for years: prisons are unsafe for those serving time and working there.

With high rates of violence, drug abuse and self-harm, it is unsurprising that people in prison often suffer from poor mental and physical health. In the UK, 82% of women and 58% of men in prison report mental health issues. In turn, people are more likely to end up back in prison after release. This contradicts the whole point of prison: that punishment will deter people from crime.

One way to improve wellbeing in prison is through sport. As with those of us outside of prison, sport benefits body and mind, offers a distraction from harmful influences and connects us to others. Feeling that you “belong” has a huge impact on health, a mechanism commonly referred to in psychology and psychiatry as the “social cure”.

Prisons are environments where people are, by design, isolated from society and surrounded by strangers. Sports programmes have the potential to improve lives by offering, among other things, positive social connection.

We have recently studied the effect of sport on improving wellbeing in prisons. We found that participating in an organised football programme had positive, statistically significant effects on social connections for people in prison, with knock-on effects for their wellbeing.

The Twinning Project is a UK-founded football charity. It partners with over 70 prisons and professional football clubs to provide coaching, refereeing and stewarding qualifications to men and women in prison or serving community sentences.

In the UK, most participants complete a Football Association accredited qualification. As part of this training they also play football and participate in other physical activity.

We surveyed 164 male participants to understand how the programme influenced their wellbeing and sense of belonging. We measured their life satisfaction, optimism about the future and belief in their self before and after the programme. We also tracked the extent to which their psychological needs, such as feeling useful and close to other people, were satisfied.

The percentage of prisoners who thought they could achieve their goals rose from 29% before the programme to 41% after. The rate of those who reported feeling satisfied with their life increased from 74% to 89%.

We also found evidence for the social cure mechanism of improving wellbeing. Tellingly, the share of participants who said they identified with, or felt a connection to the Twinning Project significantly increased from 76% to 86%.

Participants who identified more strongly with the programme also showed increased satisfaction with critical psychological needs, which helped explain improvements in life satisfaction, personal efficacy and higher levels of optimism and happiness after the programme. A stronger sense of connection was clearly linked to better wellbeing.

These results support our previous findings from interviews with participants completing community sentences. The interviews revealed that the camaraderie within cohorts and the mentoring from coaches helped to fill gaps in social support that many people experience in the criminal justice system. Participants told us:

My probation officer used to be on my case, she told me I should be in prison. Now she only calls me once a month because I’m doing so well since [the programme started].

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’ll carry that with me for the rest of my life … Just because I’m 32, doesn’t mean my dreams all just disappear.

Life after prison

The vicious reoffending cycle costs the UK alone £18 billion a year (more than the government spends on the environment or housing). Improving prisoner wellbeing is therefore not just about making prisons safer, it has benefits for society as a whole.

While the data to assess participants’ behaviour after release won’t be available for this particular project until 2026, other research has shown that vocational programmes are linked to lower reoffending rates, and that sports programmes are effective at reducing crime and improving wellbeing.

The project currently focuses on prisoners within a year of release, helping them apply new skills, with recruitment favouring those on good behaviour.

Football, the most popular sport on the planet, works well because of its accessibility and minimal equipment needs. But the core idea of this programme – engaging prisoners in healthy, educational activities together that develop soft skills and boost confidence – can be applied to any organised sport. There are trials in the UK and US involving rugby and basketball.

While sport alone cannot address the prison overcrowding crisis, programmes that provide a sense of belonging and purpose are crucial to improving the situation. The social benefits of these activities should be a key consideration when designing content for people in prison.

Ultimately, prisons should be places where people can participate in meaningful activities, fostering growth and rehabilitation rather than simply serving as places of confinement.