Featured Blog
In this expert blog for Penal Reform International, Sofie Arjon Schütte analyses the phenomenon of corruption in prisons, fuelled by severe power imbalances, limited oversight, and widespread overcrowding, creating conditions ripe for bribery, extortion, and abuse – particularly against vulnerable groups.
15th July 2025
Featured Blog
In this blog, PRI’s Executive Director Olivia Rope reflects on the urgent need for meaningful prison reform, drawing on her recent participation at the United Nations General Assembly session marking ten years of the Nelson Mandela Rules.
25th June 2025
Featured Blog
In this expert blog for Penal Reform International, Dr Marion Vannier and Dr Helen Gair from the University of Manchester explore how hope is imagined, experienced and transformed within the context of life imprisonment.
5th June 2025
How can probation services help build a greener future? In this blog, Rob Allen and Steve Pitts propose a “Green Probation Agenda” to align rehabilitation with environmental sustainability, showcasing global promising practices.
29th April 2025
Drawing on interviews with older people in California’s prisons, this blog explores end-of-life care in prison—revealing urgent challenges, patient perspectives, and lessons for humane, geriatric prison health reform.
12th April 2025
Violence in European prisons is rising, driven by overcrowding, staff shortages, and organised crime. This blog explores trends, data practices, and reforms needed for humane, rehabilitative and secure prison systems.
2nd April 2025
Discover how European prisons navigate overcrowding. This blog explores disparities, impacts, and innovative reforms, drawing on 2024 data and insights from PRI’s Global Prison Trends series.
11th December 2024
On 14th of June 2024, the 27 Justice Ministers of the EU adopted landmark Council Conclusions on ‘Small-scale Detention: focusing on social rehabilitation and reintegration into society’. In this blog, Noa Shoshan from RESCALED – a movement advocating for the use of detention houses instead of large prison institutions – explains their relevance for the […]
23rd October 2024
In this expert blog written for PRI, Louise Finer highlights the urgent need for human rights approaches that consider the unique experiences of neurodivergent individuals in prisons. She discusses the significant overrepresentation of neurodivergent people in the criminal justice system, the critical human rights issues they face and the positive impact of individualised, supportive approaches. […]
30th July 2024
Discover key insights from European probation service development in our latest blog. Learn how to build probation capacity and enhance justice systems globally.
16th May 2024
One week after International Women’s Day, a coalition of organisations and experts convened to address the rising trend of women’s criminalisation driven by poverty in a side event at the 68th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York on 15 March. The event highlighted the intersections of gender, […]
4th April 2024
Findings from a recent Prison Audit in Malawi highlight the critical need for open data to inform policies, reduce overcrowding, and advance justice reforms, focusing on SDG16.3.2.
21st March 2024
Figure 1: Principles of Growth Wheel In this blog written for PRI, the authors Makayla Agyemang and Dr Sarah Lewis from UK-based Penal Reform Solutions, present the “Growth Project” that they have implemented in English prisons to foster rehabilitative relationships between people detained and staff in prison facilities. The project is based on Dr […]
14th February 2024