A Year of Transformation, A Future of Possibility – ICPA 2025 Reflections
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As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I find myself reflecting on what has been a year marked by unprecedented collaboration, transformative conversations, and a renewed collective commitment to advancing corrections worldwide.
The story of 2025 is ultimately a story about people: the correctional professionals who showed up, shared their wisdom, and dared to imagine a better future for those in our care.
Istanbul 2025: Where Vision Met Reality
This past October, something extraordinary happened in Istanbul. Over 700 correctional professionals from 91 countries gathered to explore a question that has never been more relevant: How can modern corrections honor tradition while embracing innovation, respect local context while upholding universal standards?
The numbers tell part of the story - 120+ presentations across six concurrent streams, 45 sponsors and exhibitors from around the world, countless conversations that sparked new collaborations. But statistics alone cannot capture the electricity in the room when a young professional from Africa shared insights with a veteran administrator from Europe, or when a researcher's findings suddenly illuminated a practitioner's long-standing challenge.
Istanbul 2025 succeeded because every moment was designed with intention to inspire, to educate, to unite. Delegates left with more than new knowledge; they departed with renewed conviction that the work we do matters, armed with evidence-based strategies to advance humane and effective practices in their home jurisdictions. Istanbul 2025 redefined what an ICPA conference can achieve.
The Evidence That Drives Change
Every statistic tells a human story. Every research finding represents a potential turning point in someone's journey from incarceration to integration. The Fourth Correctional Research Symposium proved that when we combine rigorous research with compassionate practice, we don't just improve systems, but we restore hope.
The 250 participants who gathered in Belfast were architects of transformation, building bridges between data and dignity, between evidence and empathy. Studies on rehabilitation programs or innovative approaches in community reintegration, reinforced a powerful truth: correctional excellence demands both scientific rigor and humanity.
Celebrating Women's Leadership in Corrections
The Women in Corrections Conference (WICC 2025) was a powerful reckoning and a celebration. Fifteen years after the adoption of the Bangkok Rules, we gathered to honor the trailblazers who have championed gender-responsive reform, to honestly assess our progress, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that women in custody are treated with dignity and provided with genuine pathways to successful reintegration, and to remind us that behind every policy discussion and practice reform are real people, women whose lives can be fundamentally transformed by the decisions we make and the compassion we demonstrate.
Technology as a Tool for Transformation
Our second Correctional Technology Conference revealed something profound: technology, when deployed thoughtfully, doesn't replace human connection, it amplifies it. We witnessed virtual visitation programs that keep families connected across impossible distances. We explored telehealth services that bring mental health care to those who need it most. We examined digital tools that free correctional staff from administrative burden, giving them more time for what matters most—building relationships, supporting rehabilitation, and fostering hope. The future of corrections isn't about choosing between high-tech and high-touch. It's about harnessing innovation to make our human work more effective, more humane, and more transformative.
Celebrating Excellence: The Leaders Who Inspire Us All
During our annual conference, we paused to recognize the extraordinary among us. Individuals and organizations whose contributions exemplify everything ICPA stands for: innovation, commitment to human dignity, and dedication to advancing correctional practices.
Our 2025 award recipients represent the very best of our profession. They remind us that one person, one team, one innovative program can create ripples that reach far beyond prison walls, transforming lives and making communities safer.
To all our award winners: your work sets the standard for excellence. Thank you for your leadership, your courage, and your commitment to making corrections more humane, more effective, and more just. You inspire us all.
Knowledge Without Borders: Making Expertise Accessible to All
The completion of our comprehensive Founding Statements represents something rare and valuable. They accumulated wisdom of practitioners, researchers, and advocates from around the world, distilled into clear, actionable guidance.
The founding statements are a shared vision for what corrections can and should be, grounded in evidence, informed by experience, and anchored in respect for human rights and dignity.
By making these statements freely available to everyone, we're extending our reach and influence to correctional agencies in developing nations, policymakers seeking evidence-based guidance, advocates pushing for reform, and students preparing to enter this field. This openness reflects ICPA's fundamental belief: improving corrections anywhere improves corrections everywhere.
Strengthening Global Leadership: New Voices, Proven Excellence
The election of Dr. Moses Cyrial Ngawaite Chihobvu to our Board brings enhanced African representation and the perspective of someone leading one of the continent's most progressive correctional systems. Zimbabwe's commitment to reform, rehabilitation, and regional leadership will enrich our board discussions and strengthen our ability to support members across diverse contexts. The re-election of Dr. Marayca Lopez i Ferrer ensures continuity and sustained expertise. Her international experience and innovative approach to correctional design continue to challenge our assumptions and push our thinking forward.
I also want to recognize the exceptional leadership of Peter Severin, who guided ICPA as President during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Peter's vision and diplomatic skill were instrumental in achieving everything we celebrate today. His legacy will shape ICPA for years to come.
Exciting Horizons: 2026 and Beyond
As we turn the page to 2026, the momentum continues with more opportunities to learn, connect, and advance our shared mission in ways that will inspire and challenge us.
Strengthening the Evidence Base: New Zealand, March 2026
The inaugural International Research in Corrections Conference represents a crucial step forward in bridging the gap between research and practice, a divide that has held our field back for too long.
Too often, brilliant research remains locked in academic journals while practitioners make critical decisions without access to the latest evidence. Meanwhile, researchers pursue questions that may not address the urgent challenges frontline staff face every day.
This conference will change that. By bringing researchers and practitioners together in meaningful dialogue, we'll ensure that research addresses real-world questions and that practice is informed by the best available evidence. The result? Better outcomes for those in our care and stronger, more effective correctional systems.
Where Design Meets Purpose: Rabat, Morocco
The Prison Design and Technology Conference in Rabat will explore a truth we sometimes overlook: the physical environment profoundly shapes correctional outcomes.
We'll examine how thoughtful technology and design can actively support rehabilitation goals, enhance safety for both staff and prisoners, incorporate cultural sensitivity, and prepare facilities for the challenges and opportunities of the future.
Belfast 2026: Partnerships for the Future
As we count down to ICPA 2026 in Belfast this October, anticipation is building. Northern Ireland's remarkable journey from conflict to peace, and the pivotal role that correctional reform has played in that transformation, provides a powerful and poignant backdrop for our theme: "Partnerships in a Modern Corrections Landscape: Responding to Increasing Growth and Complexity."
The challenges facing corrections today are too complex for any one organization to solve alone. We'll explore how to manage growing prisoner populations without compromising service quality or institutional safety. We'll examine how partnerships with community organizations, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and employers can create seamless pathways from custody to community. We'll share strategies for building international collaborations that allow us to learn from each other's successes and challenges.
From its stunning waterfront and world-class hospitality to its fascinating history and vibrant cultural scene, the city welcomes visitors with genuine warmth. Whether you're walking streets where history was made, enjoying traditional Irish music, or exploring the dramatic landscapes of the Antrim coast, Belfast will leave its mark on you.
Zimbabwe 2027: A Historic Partnership
The signing of our Memorandum of Understanding with Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services marks the beginning of an exciting and historic partnership. Bringing ICPA's Annual Conference to Zimbabwe in October 2027 represents an opportunity to showcase the innovations and progress being made in African corrections, to learn from Zimbabwe's experiences in balancing traditional values with modern correctional approaches, and to strengthen connections within the African corrections community.
Your Year-Round Connection to Excellence
Between these signature events, ICPA will continue providing value through our webinar series, bringing expert presenters and timely topics directly to your desktop, wherever you are in the world.
The 20th anniversary edition of Advancing Corrections Journal will be a milestone worth celebrating, showcasing two decades of scholarly contribution to the field, reminding us of how far we've come while pointing toward the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
More Than Membership: Your Global Family in Corrections
What makes ICPA truly special isn't just our events or publications, it's the community we've built together. A global network of professionals committed to doing this difficult, demanding work with humanity, integrity, and excellence.
When you attend an ICPA conference, you're not just sitting in sessions, you're building relationships with colleagues from every corner of the world. You're finding mentors and becoming mentors. You're discovering that the challenges you face are shared by others thousands of miles away, and that together, we can find solutions.
To our new members who joined ICPA in 2025: welcome to this global family. Whether you're early in your career or bringing decades of experience, whether you work in a small rural facility or a large urban complex, whether you're a practitioner, researcher, policymaker, or advocate - you have a place here.
Gratitude and Hope: Looking Forward Together
As I reflect on this remarkable year and look ahead to the next, I am filled with two emotions: gratitude and optimism.
Gratitude for the privilege of serving this extraordinary organization and working alongside such dedicated professionals. Gratitude for every member who chooses to invest their time, expertise, and passion in advancing our shared mission.
Optimism because I see every day the positive impact that correctional professionals are making in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Optimism because I know that when we work together, we can achieve things that would be impossible alone.
To those of you working in facilities during the holiday season, managing operations while others celebrate with family, responding to crises, providing care, maintaining safety - thank you! Your dedication during these challenging times exemplifies the commitment that defines our profession. You are the reason this work matters.
As 2025 draws to a close, I wish you all a restorative break, precious time with loved ones, and renewal of the spirit that drives you to do this important work. May 2026 bring you personal fulfillment, professional growth, and continued opportunities to make a positive difference in the world.
Here's to another year of collaboration, innovation, and progress in advancing humane, safe, and effective correctional practices worldwide.
With deep appreciation and warm wishes for the year ahead,
David Brown
Acting President
International Corrections and Prisons Association