The UK Ministry of Justice’s latest evidence synthesis (Cordle & Gale, 2025) on reducing reoffending brings together a large, useful body of research which points to where the strongest evidence resides. We encourage you to read the 2025 report in full, but for those working day-to-day in prisons, forensic services, or community settings who want a sense of what the report outlines, this summary focuses on what the evidence says in practical terms. The Relationship between Instability and Reoffending One of the clearest messages running through the report is that reoffending is strongly linked to a set of very concrete, everyday problems including: Housing instability … [Read more...] about Report Summary – Reducing Reoffending: A Synthesis of Evidence on Effectiveness of Interventions
Foreword for Mar/Apr 2026 Bulletin
This edition of the IACFP Bulletin focuses broadly on one of the main challenges facing modern correctional systems: translating knowledge and evidence-based rehabilitation principles into the realities of frontline practice. Across jurisdictions, there is increasing recognition that effective correctional work cannot sit solely within specialist programmes or services. Instead, rehabilitation depends on knowledge being translated into the daily interactions between all staff, including peer to peer supporters, and those in custody. One of the strengths of the IACFP community is its international reach, and this issue reflects that clearly. Contributions from Finland, New Zealand, … [Read more...] about Foreword for Mar/Apr 2026 Bulletin
Foreword: Beyond Recidivism – The Practice and Purpose of Psychological Work in Corrections
Dear colleagues around the world, This edition of the IACFP Bulletin marks a small but deliberate shift in focus. Alongside international news, conference and research information, we are creating a space for practitioners to write directly about psychological work happening in prisons and community corrections. Anyone who works in prisons or community justice settings knows how hard it is to capture psychological work in neat, “gold standard” research designs. That’s not a criticism of research. It’s just the reality of the places we work in. Prisons are busy, under-resourced, and unpredictable. Psychological work isn’t tidy. It’s relational, often slow, and usually happens in small … [Read more...] about Foreword: Beyond Recidivism – The Practice and Purpose of Psychological Work in Corrections
National Commission on Correctional Healthcare: Report on Spring Conference Louisville Kentucky April 5th-8th 2025
In April of this year, I was lucky enough to travel to Louisville, Kentucky, USA with two healthcare colleagues to attend the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC) Spring Conference 2025. This was on foot of Caron McCaffrey (Director General of the Irish Prison Service) challenging me and my team to seek out more solutions to the healthcare challenges we face in corrections, with a particular emphasis on reviewing what is happening in other jurisdictions. Scrolling LinkedIn one evening in Dublin, I came across the NCCHC Spring Conference in Kentucky. The itinerary was broad, relevant, and looked really interesting. Our Director General agreed to three of us travelling, … [Read more...] about National Commission on Correctional Healthcare: Report on Spring Conference Louisville Kentucky April 5th-8th 2025
Foreword from Dr Emma Regan, Newly Elected IACFP President
