Four global justice experts join Penal Reform International’s Membership Council to support us driving reform
Penal Reform International is proud to welcome four distinguished experts to our Membership Council, strengthening our collective efforts to build fairer, more effective justice systems worldwide: Professor Fergus McNeill, Dr Josephine Ndagire, Ambika Satkunanathan and Professor Maiko Tagusari.
Drawing on exceptional expertise, our new Council members are leaders in fields critical to PRI’s mission: advancing criminal justice reform across diverse regions, human rights-based prison reform, advocating for the abolition of the death penalty, pioneering desistance theory and rehabilitation strategies, decriminalising poverty and status and championing innovative legal reform.
Their appointment reflects PRI’s truly global vision, with new voices from across East and South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Together, they embody deep professional knowledge, leadership, and a shared commitment to justice reform grounded in human rights.
PRI’s Membership Council provides strategic guidance, ensuring that our work remains bold, evidence-led and rooted in the realities of justice systems around the world.
We are inspired by the expertise and energy they bring, and look forward to working alongside them to realise criminal justice systems that are fair, humane, and human rights based.
👉 Meet the new Council members here.
Professor Fergus McNeill
Professor Fergus McNeill is Professor of Criminology and Social Work at the University of Glasgow, with over 35 years of experience spanning academic research, policy advisory roles and front-line social work. His earlier career includes ten years working in residential drug rehabilitation and criminal justice social work, which laid the foundation for his academic focus on rehabilitation, desistance from crime and reintegration.
Fergus is widely published and known for pioneering research on community sanctions, supervision and penal reform. His 2018 book Pervasive Punishment was awarded the European Society of Criminology Book Prize and is considered a landmark in modern penology. He is currently leading and collaborating on major research projects exploring penal supervision and reintegration across Europe and internationally.
He has served in leadership roles across academic and civil society organisations, including as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Howard League for Penal Reform, and as a co-opted Board member of the Confederation for European Probation. Fergus has advised national and international bodies including the Scottish Parliament, UN agencies, and the EU.
He brings to PRI his deep commitment to reducing imprisonment and criminalisation, particularly through decarbonising and decolonising penal reform efforts. Fergus joined the Membership Council to contribute his expertise and learn from PRI’s global partnerships and people-centred approach to reform.
Dr Josephine Ndagire
Dr Josephine Ndagire is a Ugandan lawyer and academic with over 18 years of experience in criminal law, international human rights law, and transitional justice. She currently lectures at the School of Law, Makerere University, where she teaches courses in criminal justice and legal reform. She holds a Doctor of Juridical Sciences from Emory University (USA), a Master of Laws from the University of Notre Dame (USA), and a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University (Uganda).
Dr Ndagire has held senior roles in academic and legal institutions across Uganda, Germany and the United States and also worked with the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative and served as Programme Officer at the International Association of Women Judges in Washington, DC.
A prolific author, she has published widely on issues such as conflict-related sexual violence, transitional justice and the criminal justice system in Africa. Her book National Redress for Gendered International Crimes has contributed significantly to global scholarship on gender and justice.
Through her work with regional and international organisations—including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Society for Human Rights, and Penal Reform International—she brings extensive expertise in legal reform and advocacy for rights-based justice systems.
Ambika Satkunanathan
Ambika Satkunanathan is a Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and researcher with over two decades of experience working on justice reform, penal policy, and the rights of marginalised groups. She currently serves as a global consultant and advisor on human rights, drug policy and penal reform and has held roles with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Stanford and Berkeley Universities, and Harm Reduction International. She served as a Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2020, where she led a national prison study and oversaw monitoring of detention sites.
Ambika holds degrees in Law and Politics from Monash University and a Master of Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham. Her publications span human rights, transitional justice, and criminal justice reform. She has long engaged in regional and global coalitions on drug policy, counter-terrorism and poverty decriminalisation and has worked extensively across South and Southeast Asia.
Ambika’s values and work closely align with PRI’s mission, especially regarding the holistic, intersectional and community-centred approach to reform. She has previously collaborated with PRI through the Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status and brings strategic and technical expertise as well as strong regional and international networks.
Professor Maiko Tagusari
Professor Maiko Tagusari is a Japanese lawyer and academic specialising in criminal justice, human rights and the abolition of the death penalty. She currently serves as a Professor at Tokyo Keizai University and has over 30 years of experience as a legal practitioner and human rights advocate in Japan and internationally.
Maiko has held numerous prominent roles including Secretary-General of the Center for Prisoners’ Rights, Human Rights Advisor to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and expert member of key committees at the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, including the Penal System Reform Committee and the Committee on Abolition of the Death Penalty.
She has contributed extensively to policy development in Japan through her work with the Ministry of Justice and civil society, and has been actively involved in litigation and advocacy promoting prisoners’ rights, effective legal defence and criminal justice reform.
An accomplished author and translator, Maiko’s work includes major publications on the Japanese criminal justice system, death penalty policy, and international human rights standards. She has lectured globally and engaged in cross-border advocacy on penal reform, including presentations before international bodies such as the UN and Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Professor Tagusari brings to PRI deep legal expertise and strategic insight on working with both civil society and governments in conservative contexts. A long-time user and supporter of PRI’s resources, she now contributes her knowledge and experience to further the organisation’s mission as a member of its global Membership Council.