One of the things I enjoy most about speaking with colleagues internationally is the moment when someone describes a difficulty in their service and I think: “Oh yes, we know that one too!” The scale, resources, legislation and culture may be different, but there is often something very familiar in the challenge itself. Then comes the more useful question: how have they approached it, and what might we learn? Those are conversations I always appreciate. This IACFP Bulletin brings together contributions from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Reading them prompted me to think about the gap between what we think we see and the reality on the ground. A person may … [Read more...] about Learning Across Borders: Shared Principles, Local Practice
Foreword: When the Work Feels Closer to Home
There are times when working in criminal justice requires us to hold together things that do not always sit comfortably alongside one another. I have been thinking about that a lot while reading the contributions to this edition of the Bulletin, and particularly over this past week. As I write, Ireland is dealing with the aftermath of a horrific collision on the M9 motorway in Co. Kildare. At approximately 3.00 a.m. on Sunday, 16 August 2026, five teenage boys lost their lives when the car in which they were travelling, which was being driven the wrong way along the motorway, collided head-on with another vehicle. In the other vehicle were three sisters and a seven-year-old boy, traveling … [Read more...] about Foreword: When the Work Feels Closer to Home
Building Identity: What Happens When You Give Young People Space to Make Sense of Their Lives
If you work with young people in custody, you already appreciate how difficult they can find engagement with correctional services. Often chaotic, frequently mistrustful of services, they carry more history than they are able to articulate. Many have never sat in a room where someone asked “what happened.” The ‘Building Identity Programme’ in the Irish Prison Service (IPS) grew out of this gap. It is not a new “intervention model” in the traditional sense, but a structured way of slowing things down enough for young people to understand how they got here and what might come next. Background Young adults (18–24) are a distinct group in custody. High rates of impulsivity, peer … [Read more...] about Building Identity: What Happens When You Give Young People Space to Make Sense of Their Lives
Foreword for May/June 2026
As I reviewed the contributions for this edition of the IACFP Bulletin, one theme stood out clearly: the importance of understanding the unique person behind the behaviour. Across jurisdictions, cultures, and correctional systems, practitioners are increasingly moving beyond narrow risk-focused approaches to explore how identity, strengths, motivation, neurodevelopment, and human relationships shape desistance. We begin with innovative work from Hong Kong’s Correctional Services, where the MindSport programme combines character strengths and physical training to support positive identity development among young people in custody. We also feature the Irish Prison Service’s Building … [Read more...] about Foreword for May/June 2026
Report Summary – Reducing Reoffending: A Synthesis of Evidence on Effectiveness of Interventions
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
