Correctional Research Symposium 2025

ICPA and EuroPris share the belief that quality research can help direct both the design and delivery of correctional services. The tradition of our Correctional Research Symposiums (CRSs) is an expression of that belief and an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to come together and discuss the challenges of getting from research to practice. Our fourth CRS will highlight a related belief; the fact that our rehabilitative efforts with justice-involved Individuals are not enough. We need to also engage with, be able to rely on, and steadily work to expand, support from the broader Ecosystem. In emphasising the need for expansion of our approaches, we hope this conference can begin to move research and practitioner focus to an integration of traditionally opposing paradigms. How do we create environments where the Risk-Needs-Responsivity Model, Good Lives Model, Desistance and Recovery Models (and others) work together to complement each other for the benefit of institutional and community corrections?

Please submit your abstract by 23:59 (CET) on 14 February 2025!

Our CRS 2025 will focus on the theme From Individual to Ecosystem: Sharing Research that Matters for Corrections. We will examine aspects of the theme in four tracks:

Responding to Individual factors in pathways to crime, age, gender, ethnicity and cultural backgrounds, religion, experiences of trauma, neurodiversity, neurobiology, motivation and treatment resistance and other individual factors that can underpin rehabilitative responses.
Responding to Interpersonal factors, with a specific interest in family engagement, relationships with third-party or charitable organizations, and peer support both within and outside the prison.
Responding to Community obstacles and barriers in efforts to improve the transition from prison to community.
Adjusting Organisational and Policy responses, with a specific focus on the impact of prison environment and culture, including staff morale and well-being, as well as responding to/coping with the influence and pressures of political priorities.

What do we mean by ‘Research’ at CRS?

At CRS 2025, we welcome a range of research papers, adopting different kinds of methodologies, but especially those that can be relatively easily understood and appreciated by practitioners. The following dot points provide some guidance to the types of papers that would be well-received by the Programme Committee:

Quantitative and/or Qualitative Research: Papers presenting data-driven research, conducted either through systematic data collection and statistical analysis or in-depth qualitative exploration.
Program Evaluations: Research that evaluates the effectiveness of programs, interventions or services and that shows clear evidence of impact.
Lived Experience: Research that integrates or is informed by the experiences of those directly affected by the issues being studied.
Research Guidance: Papers discussing challenges in conducting research in your field; methodologies, ethical considerations, access to operational data, conducting research within prison environments …etc.
Prison Data: Presentations of descriptive data from public sector, academics, and third sector that share relevant information to inform policy and practice decisions.

Who Do We Want To Present?

We encourage presentations from the following fields:

Researchers and academics focusing on corrections/prisons and related fields that impact on correctional practice.
Public service practitioners and researchers.
Not-for-profit and third sector.
Private sector providers working in this field (private sector organisations are encouraged to co-present with the public or academic sectors).
Collaborative Research: presentations that will be delivered jointly by academics, practitioners, and lived experience experts may be given preference from the Programme Committee.

CRS 2025 Tracks

Track One: Individual Factors

People differ in their pathways into offending, experiences of imprisonment and their reaction to rehabilitative overtures. Understanding these individual factors and personal pathways (from pre to during and post prison) can help to improve criminal justice responses and reduce offending. It also can help to adapt our programming and management strategies to individuals and improve the articulation between collective and individual management and care.

For this track, research presentations exploring the range of these individual factors (such as age, gender, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds, experiences of trauma, neurodiversity, neurobiology, motivation and treatment resistance etc.) and how they be related to offending, experiences of imprisonment and engagement with rehabilitative programmes are especially welcomed at this conference.

Track Two: Interpersonal Factors

Time spent in prison as well as the process of resettlement, often in a new or unfamiliar setting, may breed feelings of displacement and isolation. The importance of a strong social network and support system during an otherwise-isolating experience cannot be overstated. Research has long demonstrated a correlation between one’s continuing criminality and their social context. This track invites us to reflect on the importance of interpersonal factors when studying imprisonment, offending, and the desistence from crime.

This track invites us to reflect on the importance of interpersonal factors when studying imprisonment, offending, and the desistence from crime. For this track, we invite research presentations exploring the influence of interpersonal factors, including the importance of family support, relationships with third-party or charitable organizations, and peer-support both within and outside the prison. This track also encourages research that considers the role of engagement with prison and probation staff as well as overcoming the challenges that exist when building and rebuilding relationships whilst negotiating belonging.

Track Three: Community Transition

A range of societal issues can influence an individual’s pathway into offending. These same issues can often present as obstacles to desistance on release from prison. Understanding how social and community factors can affect offending, responses to imprisonment and post release experiences is essential for improving people’s outcomes as they navigate their way through our criminal justice systems.

For this track, we want to encourage research presentations documenting how social and community factors can influence offending, as well as the implications for different strategies of managing incarcerated individuals and their transition from prison to the community. In creating safer communities, how do we achieve a proper balance in not over-incarcerating individuals, while at the same time not over-burdening our already under-resourced communities (e.g., housing, employment, healthcare etc.) by releasing too many justice-involved individuals, too early.

Track Four: Organizational and Policy Adjustments

As researchers have been reminding us for centuries, the definition and purpose of punishment has always been a discussion steeped with ideology, religion, political norms, and cultural values. Political priorities and practices undoubtedly have implications for correctional spaces, their staff, and all justice-involved individuals. While the design of correctional policies must be responsive to new challenges, it must also fulfil its institutional goals and remain anchored to evidence-based information.

This track encourages the submission of papers providing solid empirical evidence of the outcomes of best practices of correctional management with a specific focus on the impact of the prison environment and culture, including staff morale and well-being. This track also invites papers exploring how institutions respond to the influence and pressures of political priorities when designing and implementing correctional policy.

Submission Summary

Submissions can be presentations, suggestions for workshops, or panel discussions and will be selected based on their quality and relevance to the theme and sub-themes. The Committee will strive to have only one presentation per person/organization and to maximize the regional spread of speakers’ origin. Presentations should meet the following criteria:

Abstracts must align with at least one of the conference sub-themes.
Abstracts must include at least three questions for discussions.
Any references to research or outcomes must include sources.
All presentations will be non-commercial/non-product focused.

Should you need additional information, please email us: [email protected].

Presentation Formats:

Plenary presentations: keynote presentations to all attendees (45 - 60 minutes)
Workshop presentations: presentations during the conference breakout sessions (30 - 45 minutes).
Panels: multiple speakers/discussions with a range of speakers.
Roundtables: smaller workshop-style roundtables with active attendee participation.
Student spotlight and QA: five-minute elevator pitch presentations followed by Q&A, specifically for current students.

The CRS Call for Papers form requests applicants choose their presentation model. Please note that this is a preference; your paper may be assigned to a different mode of presentation at the discretion of the programme committee.

Submit your abstract online by 23:59 (CET) on 14 February, 2025!