ABSTRACT
There is an inherent paradox in the study of physical activity in prisons, which are institutions built to physically contain certain individuals, yet are also sites for the development and expression of vibrant physical cultures. There are over 10.3 million individuals incarcerated in penal institutions worldwide, a figure that has increased almost 20 per cent since 2000 and that continues to climb as rates of incarceration surpass global population growth (Walmsley, 2016). Prisons are a prime example of what Goffman (1961) labels total institutions – that is, physically and socially isolated places in which groups of people are housed together under the management of a bureaucratic disciplinary regime. This chapter reviews this literature and explores key issues relating to prison physical activity.
