Sport, Crime, and Young People

Exploring how sport functions both as a crime prevention tool and as a vehicle through which young people become involved in crime, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the intersection between crime, sport, and young people.

Youth offending is a global issue, and sport is internationally recognised as a prevention tool through programmes such as the UNODC SC:ORE initiative. However, sport can also enable young people to become victims or perpetrators of crime. Part 1 of this edited collection examines how sport can generate crime among young people, using international examples across different sports. It explores football-related violence, drug use, violence against women and girls, and how vulnerabilities are exploited through doping, violence, abuse, and sexual offences. Part 2 explores how sport diverts young people from the criminal justice system and prevents crime, featuring insights from academic experts and youth justice practitioners. It presents research and projects from Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, and the United States.

This book is useful for students and scholars of criminology, and sociology particularly those interested in youth crime and justice, as well as practitioners in youth justice, youth work, sports coaching, policing, prisons, probation, and social care.