The effect of a sport-based intervention to prevent juvenile delinquency in at-risk adolescents

Abstract

Despite the wide implementation of sport-based crime prevention programs, there is a lack of empirical knowledge on the effectiveness of these interventions. This study evaluated a Dutch sport-based program in N = 368 youth at risk for juvenile delinquency. Intervention effects were tested in a quasi-experimental study, comparing the intervention group with a comparison group using multiple sources of information. The study was conducted under conditions that resemble real-life implementation, thereby enhancing the relevance of this contribution to practitioners. The primary outcome was juvenile delinquency, measured by official police data. The secondary outcomes were risk and protective factors for delinquency, assessed with self- and teacher reports. A significant effect was found on one delinquency measure. The intervention group consisted of fewer youth with police registrations as a suspect than the comparison group (d = −0.34). We did not find an intervention effect on the number of registrations as a suspect in each group. In addition, no significant intervention effects were found on the secondary outcomes. Implications for theory and practice concerning the use of sport-based crime prevention programs are discussed.