Less crime
We want to build a more humane and effective response to crime in England and Wales, which provides justice to all and helps to reduce reoffending.
Read our strategy →Safer communities
We want to see sensible changes that make communities safer, and to move away from unjust punishments that are counter-productive.
Read about the work we do →Fewer people in prison
We want to reduce the prison population, because jails that are overcrowded and unsafe will never help people to turn their lives around and move on from crime.
Find out how you can help →The prison population in England and Wales is higher than in any other country in Western Europe, and the Ministry of Justice has projected that it could rise to 114,800 by March 2028. Thousands of people in prison are forced to share cells that are designed for one person. Staff shortages mean that many people are kept inside their cells for 23 hours a day, locked up with nothing to do. Click the link below to find out which prisons are overcrowded.
Find out more about our work
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Spotlights
Our series of online events aimed at lifting the lid on prisons.
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Our strategy
We want to build a more humane and effective response to crime that provides justice and helps to reduce reoffending.
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Briefings and submissions
We advise politicians, policy-makers and senior practitioners on prisons and the wider criminal justice system.
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Legal advice for children and young people in prison
The only dedicated advice line for children and young people in custody in England and Wales.
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Don't let PAVA spray be used on children
We will take whatever steps necessary, including legal action, to challenge this weapon's use in prisons holding children.
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Solitary confinement
Treatment of 15-year-old boy in prison breached Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
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Grasping the nettle
Our briefing offers the government a range of policy options for a lasting solution to the prison capacity crisis.
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Why are prisons overcrowded?
Explaining the problem, how it arose, and how we might solve it.