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Centering lived experience: bridging drug policy and prison reform through peer‑led care

In this expert blog written for PRI, author Alexei Lakhov argues that the meaningful involvement of people with lived experience is essential to creating effective drug and prison policies. There is a fundamental need to move beyond tokenism toward genuine partnership in decision-making, ensuring diverse voices shape agendas and recommendations grounded in lived experience. The […]

Alexei Lakhov15th January 2026

Rethinking prison landscapes: Why green space must be central to penal reform

In this blog, the authors argue that green spaces are essential prison infrastructure, showing that biodiverse landscapes reduce violence, stress and self-harm, support rehabilitation and security, and improve climate resilience. Even small changes in older prisons can help, making nature-rich environments key to dignity and meaningful reform.

Dominique Moran and Emma Widdop2nd December 2025

Greening justice – The contribution of green probation

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.

Steve Pitts and Rob Allen29th April 2025

Coronavirus and women in detention: A gender-specific approach missing

En español. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a whole host of responses by prisons and wider justice systems, but the plight of women has been neglected or overtly disregarded. Without a gender-specific assessment and response to coronavirus, lives of women in criminal justice systems are at risk and human rights violations will continue.  This expert […]

Olivia Rope4th June 2020

We are 30: Looking forward to the next decade

“It all started with a meeting…” 30 years ago, Vivien Stern, Ahmed Othmani and Hans Tulkens created Penal Reform International. They had in common the belief we still cherish, as stated by Nelson Mandela: “No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails”. In other words, the health of criminal justice […]

Florian Irminger21st November 2019