Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #20 - Scholarly Reflections on Core Considerations for Correctional Practice | Article 18 (ACJ20-A018)

Article 18: Beyond Efficiency: Public Value Maximisation and the Ethics of Digital Rehabilitation (ACJ20-A018) by Victoria Knight & Stuart Ross

https://doi.org/10.65264/BGKG8801

Abstract

This article is a culmination of our scholarship and engagements that intersects with practitioners and policy makers from across the world. Our recent work with the United Nations’ Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) culminated in a report focusing on digital rehabilitation (UNICRI, 2024). We evaluated current practice and policy that focused on the intersection of rehabilitation and digital. Fundamental to this were important rights-focused and ethical principles to ensure digital creates no harm and is a key tool to adapt, enhance, and transform rehabilitation and human flourishing. The goal of the report was to provide practical advice and guidance about the ethical principles that should guide the use of digital rehabilitation in prisons, and how to plan for the development, implementation, and continuing provision of digital resources to support rehabilitation. The digitalization of justice-led rehabilitation has been incremental and has proceeded faster in some jurisdictions and in some rehabilitation domains than in others, but it is undeniable that digital technologies are becoming a viable core element in justice-led rehabilitation. What is being created here is a form of digital public infrastructure that is part of the wider process of the digitalization of government, sometimes referred to as the e-government (Homburg, 2018). In this article we want to reflect on some of the implications of this from a public value perspective, and propose a model to ensure digital reform maximises the public value in this sector.

Keywords: digital rehabilitation, public value, ethics

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Authors

Victoria Knight

Associate Professor, De Montfort University, United Kingdom

Dr Victoria Knight is an Associate Professor in Research within the Community and Criminal Justice Division at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University. Her research explores the evolving relationship between digital technology and penal settings, with a particular focus on how digital systems are developed, implemented, and experienced by people living and working in prisons.

Victoria’s work examines key issues such as digital readiness in prisons, the role of technology in supporting rehabilitation and desistance, and the ethical challenges that arise when prisons move toward digital transformation. She is recognised internationally for her expertise in this area and contributes regularly to discussions about the future of digital justice systems.

She has provided research and consultancy for a range of organisations, including the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and Penal Reform International. Her current projects include collaborations with penal institutions in Thailand and Namibia, supporting the design and evaluation of prisoner-facing digital tools.

Victoria co-authored the influential Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons report, which sets out principles for ensuring that digital resources in prisons are accessible, ethical, and purposeful. Her wider research portfolio also includes studies on digital communication technologies, such as the use of SMS text messaging in prisons, and how these tools can support wellbeing, connection, and reintegration.

Alongside her research, Victoria works closely with prison services and NGOs to inform policy and practice on digital innovation. Her work aims to ensure that technology in prisons serves not only organisational efficiency but also human connection, learning, and fairness.

Stuart Ross

Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia

Professor Stuart Ross is Enterprise Professor in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and serves as Director of the Melbourne Centre for Criminological Research and Evaluation. His work spans sentencing, corrections, community justice, and the intersections of law, policy and practice.

Stuart’s research portfolio covers a broad spectrum of criminal justice issues, including forensic mental health, sentencing policy, rehabilitation, and the implementation of digital technologies in corrections. He has published on topics such as the use of smartphone and app-based tools in forensic populations, corrections agencies’ adoption of digital service delivery (including during the COVID-19 pandemic), and how institutional culture and values shape technology design in justice systems.

Stuart also co-authored the UNICRI / partner report on Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons, bringing his expertise to guide global standards on making digital tools in custodial settings more equitable, meaningful, and ethically framed. (As a coauthor, he contributed to the report’s conceptual foundations and recommendations for practice.)

In his role at Melbourne, Stuart leads and supervises empirical and evaluative projects that bridge academic findings and operational reforms in justice and correctional settings. He collaborates with governments, NGOs, and justice agencies to transform policy insights into practical improvements. His work is committed to ensuring that innovation in the justice system is guided by sound evidence, social equity, and respect for human dignity.