The Criminology of Boxing, Violence and Desistance

Can the boxing gym be recognised as an effective space for supporting desistance? Exploring the psychosocial manifestations of boxing, this enlightening study reviews conflicting evidence to determine boxing’s place in the criminal justice system. Drawing upon the empirical insights, with case studies of participants’ backgrounds and their motivations for taking up the sport, Jump measures the value of the discipline, as well as the respect and fraternity that some claim boxing provides for young men. This is a perceptive addition to the debate about sport’s role in criminal desistance that delves deep into themes of masculinity and violence.

Deborah Jump is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has over fifteen years’ experience of working in youth justice as both a practitioner and service manager. She is the Head of Youth Justice at the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies and was previously the recipient of a Winston Churchill Memorial Fund evaluating the impact of sporting programmes on communities in the USA.