The role and meaning of sport and physical activity in the participation and harmony model of a prison

Abstract

This article aims to understand the role of sport and physical activity (SPA) in the development of a participation and harmony model (PHM)—an innovative work methodology in Catalonian prisons. With this objective and thanks to the collaboration of practitioners and academics, a 2.5-year ethnographic study was carried out. The results show, on the one hand, the importance and need for SPA in men's prisons, given how it enables inmates to become involved in the PHM. On the other hand, the findings confirm that the PHM allows the establishment of a suitable context that encourages physical activity as a developmental tool. This study shows that physical activity and sports, when combined with an appropriate socio-pedagogical approach, have the potential to engage inmates in their own reintegration process and the programs developed within prisons.