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MoJ orders review of sport in youth justice system

1 min read
A review of the use of sport across the youth justice system in England and Wales will be conducted over the coming months, it has been announced.

The National Alliance of Sport for the Desistance of Crime (NASDC) said it has been asked by the Ministry of Justice to assess how sport can be used as a tool in the rehabilitation and resettlement of young offenders.

Youth justice minister Philip Lee announced in parliament that a report of the findings will be published in the new year.

NASDC said the review will also form an evidence base of best practice across the community, youth, young adult and the adult secure estate settings and make recommendations to maximise the impact of sport programmes in prisons and community sport partnerships.

It will conduct the review in partnership with Clinks, a charity supporting voluntary organisations that work with offenders and their families. Professor Rosie Meek of Royal Holloway, University of London, will be its lead academic.

One of the outcomes of the review will be a toolkit allowing prison sport programme leaders and community sports providers to apply best practice to their work, train staff, measure their impact and form a joined-up approach with partners on either side of the prison gate.

Among other areas, the report will analyse the impact sport programmes can have on specific issues that affect offenders, such as gang affiliation, violence, employment, and health and wellbeing.

James Mapstone, co-founder and chair of NASDC, said: "We are very excited to have been asked to carry out this extensive review, which is a significant step towards our vision of placing sport at the heart of the justice system.

"All members of our alliance believe in the power of sport to prevent offending and rehabilitate offenders. It would be the fulfilment of a lifetime's work for many of us to see an enhanced package of sport for development adopted as part of everyday support for offenders inside and outside of custody."

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