Inequitable access to sport in juvenile justice across the USA: findings from a national survey.

The article examines the landscape of sport programming in long-term, secure juvenile correctional facilities across the USA, highlighting inequities in access and program characteristics. A national survey of 211 facilities found that 55.1% offered sport programs, with notable gender disparities as girls generally had fewer opportunities and less variety in sports offered compared to boys. Most programs aimed to promote positive youth development (PYD) through constructs such as competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection. Barriers to offering sport included staffing, financial constraints, and safety concerns, though many facilities without programs expressed interest in starting them. These findings underscore the role of sport as a social determinant of health and suggest the need for further research on program participation, implementation, and health impacts within juvenile justice settings.