Our policy work in justice

We look at the pathways that can lead people towards crime, developing evidence-based policy solutions aimed at reducing involvement in crime and diverting people away from criminal behaviour and involvement with the criminal justice system.

We use evidence to call for effective solutions to reduce reoffending and protect the public. We advocate for community alternatives to prison for people sentenced to short sentences, which are proven to be more effective at reducing reoffending. We believe prisons must be places of rehabilitation. Using our experience of working in prisons, we highlight where there are systemic and practical barriers and develop solutions to address these.

We draw on our extensive experience in supporting people coming out of prison to put forward solutions to the barriers which hold people back from being able to turn their lives around. These include homelessness, unemployment, and access to support services.

We use the expertise from our criminal record advice service to put forward solutions to create a more effective and accessible criminal record disclosure system. We aim to reduce the barriers to employment faced by people with criminal records and help create a fair and safe system which individuals and employers can easily understand and navigate.

Over one quarter (27%) of people in prison are from a minority ethnic group despite making up 14% of the population. Black men and Black women are significantly more likely to be remanded to custody than White men and White women. We call for action to tackle the racial disproportionality so pronounced across our adult and youth justice system.

We also use evidence to call for action on women in the criminal justice system. Women are a minority in the criminal justice system making up approximately 4% of the prison population. However, they are often failed by a system designed for men. Many women are in prison on short sentences, the impact of which is significant, as many are primary carers for children. Many women in the system have suffered abuse, suffer from mental health and substance misuse problems.

We use our experience and evidence to call for a more effective youth justice system. Whilst the numbers of children and young people going into custody has significantly reduced, racial disparity has increased. Children in the system often have complex needs including the impact of previous trauma, and diagnosed as well as previously undiagnosed learning difficulties.

In June 2021, Forces in Mind Trust commissioned Nacro in partnership with the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice and the Institute for Social Innovation and Impact at the University of Northampton to undertake a project to improve the situation of ex-service personnel in the justice system and their families.

We are conducting research into the current processes, mechanisms and barriers in place to identify former service personnel in the criminal justice system and examining barriers to the uptake of support from ex-service personnel and their families.

The research is exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the current identification processes across England, Wales and Scotland, and identifying the current provision of statutory and voluntary support services available to ex-armed service personnel in the criminal justice system.

The project is supported by a Steering Group and an Advisory Board and will run until Summer 2023.

For more information about this project please contact Andrea Coady or Mallika Singh