Prison, physical activity and rehabilitation: role and pedagogic potential of ‘fair play’ promotion for sport activities in prison settings

Abstract

Sport is an integral part of the rehabilitation path that prison convicts follow during their detention, but the potential of this tool is probably not exploited the way it should be.
In this study, ‘fair play’ was promoted as an educational tool –a behaviour model socially rewarded– and its impact on unsporting conduct of 22 convicts was assessed monitoring the fouls committed in 20 5-a-side football matches.
The comparison of the fouls committed during the 10 matches played before and the 10 played after the educational activities showed a significant decrease in the total foul count and in voluntary fouls.
These results stress the positive potentiality sport has in fostering socially accepted conducts –aiming at the rehabilitation in society– of convicts who attended specific educational courses.