Policy Impact

Commissioned Policy Reports

Prisoner Leadership - Report and Policy Recommendations (in press). University of Manchester Co-written with Paula Harriott, Olga Sánchez de Ribera, Nicolás Trajtenberg Pareja, Morwenna Bennallick, Femi Laryea-Adekimi, Vlad-George Zaha, Stephen Riley, Emily Turner, Mundill Mahil, Donna Arrondelle, Michael McCusker. 

The recommendations are based on chapters co-written by the authors of Prisoner Leaders: Leadership as Institution and Experience (Palgrave, 2025) and include, in addition to the authors of this report, Usman Ahmed, Caragh Kyle, Ben Okoli, and Kimmett Edgar.

Finding Meaning Behind Bars - Activities for Older Prisoners in England and Wales (in press). Commissioned by Recoop. Co-written with Helen Gair and Vlad-George Zaha

Hope as a prison practice, commissioned by Clinks. Co-written with Helen Gair (work in progress – due fall 2026).

Policy presentations

Invitation to Prison Governors’ Association Conference (Oct. 2026)

Invited to present work on older prisoners by the CEP Probation and the European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services at the workshop on Transition from Prison to Probation: Continuity of Care and Control, Barcelona, with Daniel Danglades (MOJ France) (Dec. 2025).

Invited by MoJ Areas of Research Interest (ARI) Academic Seminars ‘From Research to Reform: Hope, Meaningful Activities and the Future of Older Prisoners in a Time of Prison Crisis’, with Dr Helen Gair, University of Manchester, (Nov. 2025).

Invited by Clinks to present policy report ‘Meaningful Activities for older prisoners’, with Dr Helen Gair, (Nov. 2025).

Invited by Clinks to analyse the Independent Sentencing Review, with Dr Helen Gair, (July. 2025).

Invited by Naushabah Khan MP to present in Parliament policy recommendations on leadership in prison, ‘Prisoner Leadership: Meaning, Value, and Role in Justice Reform — a panel and dialogue on transformative approaches to penal policy’, co-organised with Mandy Mahil (Clinks); Paula Harriott (Unlock), 16 June 2025.

Invited by Justice Committee, House of Commons ‘Early Findings on Hope amongst older prisoners’ (Nov. 2024)

Invited by HMPPS – Evidence Team ‘Measuring Hope in prison’ (Nov. 2024)

Invited by Ministry of Justice research lead team ‘Early findings on meaningful activities’ (Dec. 2024)

Peer-Reviewed Blog Posts

Gair, Helen and Vannier M (5th June 2025) Penal reform international, Carceral hope: Life sentences, ageing, and the ethics of possibility https://www.penalreform.org/blog/carceral-hope-life-sentences-ageing-and-the-ethics/