The inaugural International Research in Corrections Conference (IRCC) will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, from March 2-5, 2026. Hosted by the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) and the Ara Poutama Aotearoa – Department of Corrections of New Zealand, this conference represents a significant step forward in connecting research to practice in correctional systems worldwide.
Conference Theme
IRCC 2026 theme What Works in Corrections: Research Driving Safe Environments, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration aims to bridge the gap between research and practical application in correctional settings. By bringing together researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and those with lived experience, we create a unique platform where evidence can inform action and where real-world challenges can shape research priorities.
Why Attend IRCC 2026?
- Connect with leading researchers and practitioners from across the globe, creating opportunities for cross-jurisdictional learning and collaboration.
- Discover the latest evidence-based approaches to creating safer correctional environments, effective rehabilitation programs, and successful reintegration pathways.
- Share your work and findings with an engaged, international audience committed to improving the corrections systems.
- Learn from diverse perspectives, including academic research, practitioner insights, and the crucial voices of those with lived experiences.
- Explore innovative solutions to persistent challenges in corrections, from institutional design to community transition.
- Contribute to shaping the future of corrections research, policy, and practice.
Registration
Public Sector, NGO, Academic: $450.00 USDStandard: $575.00 USDGroup Registration (10+ attendees): $450.00 USD per person
Registration Rates
- Public Sector, NGO, Academic: $550.00 USD
- Standard: $675.00 USD
- Group Registration (10+ attendees): $450.00 USD per person
To request the discount for Public Sector, NGO, or Academic institutions, please email Grail at [email protected].
Onsite Registration
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Public Sector, NGO, Academic: $600.00 USD
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Standard: $725.00 USD
*All prices include access to all conference sessions, materials, coffee breaks, and networking events.
Agenda Overview
IRCC 2026 offers four days of rich content - details concerning the programme and presentations will be published as they become available.
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Monday 2nd: Delegates Check-in / Welcome Reception
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Tuesday 3rd: Opening Session, Plenary, Workshops and Exhibtion / Private Sponsor Events
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Wednesday 4th: Plenary, Workshops, and Exhibition
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Thursday 5th: Facility Visits
Programme
Opening Keynote: What is a good enough prison? From ‘deserts’ to unlikely ‘oases’ and the lessons to be learned from these exceptional places
Alison Liebling
Dostoyevsky experienced a profound transformation in Omsk prison camp in Siberia where he spent four years. Life there was ‘morally unbearable’, he wrote. His faith was destroyed by fear, abuse and humiliation, but then restored as a result of kindnesses he received or witnessed. Savagery and humanity co-existed in this ‘house of the living dead’. Extreme contrast - the absence, and then occasional or fleeting presence, of goods that human beings need (e.g., humanity, relationships, respect, safety) – bring about powerful emotional responses, turning prisoners into sharp analysts of the human condition. In my new book, Aristotle’s Prison: A Search for Humanity in Tragic Places, I draw on data from some least and most survivable prisons, and a few exceptional outliers, to explain why prisoners are so adamant in their descriptions of the best prisons. They say things like: ‘I’ve been out in the desert. I was starving and now I am fed!’ They describe a ‘vibe’ – what I now call ‘a between’ – that supports their well-being, growth and development. Prisons at the highest end of a moral quality range (with significantly better than typical MQPL dimension scores) are not just a ‘bit different’ from prisons with lower scores on a linear scale, they are qualitatively distinctive. The life force is supported rather than extinguished. Outcomes are better. Staff in these prisons have different dispositions, practices and intentions from staff in lower threshold prisons, demonstrating a fundamentally ‘emergent-person centred’ approach to their work. They operate with clear attention to security, order, and the use of authority, but hold these values in tension with positive underlying assumptions about prisoners, punishment and rehabilitation. Aristotle called this kind of value-balancing ‘practical wisdom’. He was preoccupied by human potential, and by the relationship between the organisation of city states and the state of the human soul. In a striking parallel with his thinking, research shows us that only once prisons become ‘morally intelligible’ – fair, decent and humane enough – can they hope to become ‘morally enabling’. Most are not.
Culturally Responsive Corrections: First Nations and Indigenous Perspectives Panel
Mitchell Takiari
Irene Whitaker
Susannah Day
Crystal Sumner
Professor Michael Doyle
Flick Chafer
This plenary session brings together Māori and Australian Aboriginal leaders, practitioners, and researchers to share Indigenous perspectives on culturally responsive corrections. Grounded in lived experience, community-led practice, and culturally derived knowledge systems, the session will explore approaches that address the persistent overrepresentation of First Nations peoples in correctional settings across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
Each panellist will deliver a short presentation, which will be followed by a moderated panel discussion. The session is designed to foster an open and respectful exchange on culturally safe practices, healing-informed responses, and pathways for strengthening partnerships between corrections agencies and Indigenous communities. Attendees will gain insight into innovative models of practice, creative and cultural interventions, and emerging work that centres Indigenous leadership in justice reform.
IACFP Distinguished Scholar: Offender Rehabilitation Approaches in Asian Jurisdictions
Dr Chi Meng Chu
Across Asia, rehabilitation within correctional systems has been shaped by diverse histories, cultures, and resources. Yet, little has been shared about how these unique contexts influence the way rehabilitation is conceptualised and delivered. Much of the global discourse continues to be driven by Western-derived frameworks, and the extent to which these models have been adopted, adapted, or reimagined in Asian settings remains underexplored. By examining developments across multiple Asian jurisdictions, this presentation will highlight both the challenges and innovations in developing rehabilitation approaches that are not only evidence-based but also culturally and contextually responsive. These insights are vital for policymakers designing strategies and practitioners working directly with individuals with offending histories.
Building on this broader regional perspective, this presentation will also discuss Singapore's evidence-based approach to youth offender rehabilitation by examining historical context, current trends and data from Singapore's youth offending landscape. Central to this discussion are findings from multiple comprehensive studies conducted over the past two decades, that involves diverse methodologies including longitudinal tracking, quasi experimental and birth cohort designs. Beyond documenting risk and protective factors, the studies highlight rehabilitation trajectories and underscore the vital roles of families and communities in supporting reintegration.
* This presentation is sponsored by the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology.
Reimagining prisons as safe institutions: Asking new questions, posing new challenges, making new demands (PID170)
Dr Armon Tamatea
Prof Devon Polaschek
Prisons, like hospitals and schools, are institutions of care that are subject to high expectations of public confidence, yet prisons remain one of the least transparent institutions in our communities. Feeling and - actually being - safe are fundamental to any model of care, and failures to maintain safety in carceral settings yield significant human costs with regard to the health of individual prisoners and staff, and the health of their communities. Promoting and ensuring safety (e.g., from violence), then, is not just the concern of people who work and live in prisons, it is everyone's concern. Drawing on research, experiences and insights across jurisdictions, we argue (1) that there are no simple universal answers to addressing compromises to safety in prisons nor to making prisons safer, but that (2) reframing prisons’ prioritisation of containment and rehabilitation toward also developing people who become thriving contributors to the community is called for, and (3) that inviting community into prison facilitates thriving. Thriving, as a conceptual frame, is used here to open up new areas of inquiry, think beyond the traditional role of prisons as places of containment, and meet urgency with hope.
Sing Sing: Art, Creativityand Justice - A special screening + panel discussion
Join Arts Access Aotearoa for a powerful evening of film and conversation exploring the transformative role of creativity in places of confinement. This is a one-night-only fundraiser supporting Arts Access Aotearoa’s work advancing creative opportunity, dignity and inclusion across Aotearoa, including in justice settings. Featuring voices with lived experience of incarceration, leading researchers, and arts-in-corrections educators, this focused panel will offer real-world perspectives on the measurable and human impact of creative practice in justice contexts.
Sing Sing tells the true story of incarcerated men who find hope and humanity through a prison theatre programme. It reflects the values Arts Access Aotearoa upholds: that the arts can break down walls, build confidence and create change, inside and out. It is a moving, human story about creativity, redemption and the profound impact of the arts in spaces not designed for hope.
Arts Access Aotearoa works nationally to support inclusive, accessible arts practice. Through our Arts in Justice network, we connect artists, educators and organisations working in correctional and community justice settings. Creativity builds confidence, strengthens identity, and supports rehabilitation and reintegration. This evening is an opportunity to experience that impact through film and conversation, and to help sustain this work in Aotearoa.
Venue and Accommodation
The International Research in Corrections Conference (IRCC) will take place at the Pullman Auckland Hotel. We are delighted to offer exclusive rates for the delegates:
- Rate: NZD 299 per night for Superior Rooms at Pullman Auckland
- Valid Dates: March 1-5, 2026 (conference period)
Facility Visits
The Ara Poutama Aotearoa – Department of Corrections of New Zealand has arranged three facility visits that participants can choose from. For those staying on after the conference, you can indicate which facility you would like to visit when registering online for this event. Please note that this is not a booking - you can only sign up at the venue. Please note that spaces are limited.
Sponsorship Opportunities
There is a range of opportunities for sponsorship at the inaugural International Research in Corrections Conference (IRCC). Sponsors will be recognised according to the level of the package purchased and will receive the benefits and opportunities detailed in the table below.
Stay Connected
For inquiries about the conference, please get in touch with [email protected].
Follow us on social media for conference updates, speaker announcements, and more:
- LinkedIn: International Corrections and Prisons Association
- Instagram and Facebook: @icpaadvancing
- Subscribe to our mailing list for regular updates
We look forward to welcoming you to Auckland in March 2026 for what promises to be an enriching exchange of research, ideas, and practical solutions to advance the field of corrections worldwide.
