Prisons and the use of imprisonment

ICPR undertakes a wide-ranging programme of research on prisons and the use of imprisonment. This includes UK-based studies on such topics as the use of restorative approaches to tackling conflict in prisons. ICPR also conducts international, comparative research through its World Prison Research Programme, which aims to inform and promote debate and policy reform in collaboration with a wide network of stakeholders and research partners. The Programme encompasses compiling and hosting the World Prison Brief: an online database holding statistics and other information on prison systems worldwide. See www.prisonstudies.org for further information.

Current projects

Language Barriers in the Criminal Justice System

The criminalization of poverty and status: its implications for prison systems and penal reform in Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia and the Pacific

World Prison Brief

Completed projects include:

Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in ten countries

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management: Handbook for Prison Staff

Restorative Prisons

Publications

Fair, H. and Walmsley, R. (2021) World Prison Population List (13th edition). London, ICPR

Heard, Catherine. (2021) Locked in and locked down – prison life in a pandemic: Evidence from ten countries London: ICPR

Fair, Helen and Jacobson, Jessica (2021) Keeping COVID out of prisons: Approaches in ten countries London: ICPR

Heard, Catherine and Jacobson, Jessica (2021) Sentencing Burglary, Drug Importation and Murder: Evidence from Ten Countries. Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research, London

Heard, Catherine (2020) 'Commentary: Assessing the Global Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Prison Populations.' Victims and Offenders, Volume 15, Issue 6.

Walmsley, Roy (2020) World Pre-trial/Remand Imprisonment List (4th edition) Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research, London