Archived

What explains public confidence in criminal sentences? How can public confidence be improved?

Background

We want to build confidence and trust in a system that upholds public protection and creates the conditions for individual rehabilitation. We want to better support the probation service in using evidence-based decision-making.

Next steps

We can be contacted at the following email address: [email protected].

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

Areas of research interest

Related UKRI funded projects

  • Make Time Count Today - Reducing criminal reoffending on probation through data analytics, predictive behaviour recognition and optimised interventions

    **Problem Addressed** Crime costs UK economy over £58bn pa, with 1.2mn people convicted annually. Of these, 87% have previous convictions, 60% of released prisoners and 30% on probation reoffend within 12 months. ...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: MAKE TIME COUNT TODAY LTD

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project addresses the issue of public confidence in criminal sentences through data analytics and evidence-based interventions.

  • Understanding Offender Rehabilitation and Supervision

    Offender rehabilitation in England and Wales is in crisis. 57% of adults released from short custodial sentences re-offend within just 1 year of their release. Lack of rehabilitation is a key driver of record-high prison...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Strathclyde

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on understanding offender rehabilitation and supervision, which is directly related to improving public confidence in criminal sentences.

  • Regulating Justice: The Dynamics of Compliance and Breach in Criminal Justice Social Work in Scotland

    Not only does Scotland imprison more people than most European countries, but our prison numbers are also rising despite a fall in crime levels. The Scottish Government is attempting to reduce imprisonment through increa...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Strathclyde

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question as it focuses on compliance and breach in the criminal justice system, which is related to public confidence in criminal sentences. The authors have the necessary expertise to answer the question.

  • Plymouth Community Justice Court: A Case Study of Problem Solving Interventions, Reducing Re-offending and Public Confidence

    The criminal justice system has over many years introduced a range of initiatives designed to reduce crime and support offenders in their efforts to desist from crime. One recent initiative, originating in the U.S.A and ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Plymouth

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question as it examines the effectiveness of a community justice court and its impact on public confidence. The authors have the necessary expertise to answer the question.

  • ADR UK Data First Evaluation Fellowship

    Until recently, the large amounts of administrative data routinely collected about offenders as they are moved through the Criminal Justice System have been inaccessible to research. Instead, our understanding has largel...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Surrey

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project does not directly answer the question, but it explores the potential of using linked data to understand the criminal justice system. The authors have the necessary expertise to answer the question.

  • Imagining Possible Futures: Activating Lived Experience in Criminal Justice

    This Fellowship is urgent given the growing numbers of people cycling through systems of punishment. 10.74 million people are now imprisoned globally (Walmsley 2018). Reoffending rates are high in most Western countries ...

    Funded by: UKRI FLF

    Lead research organisation: University of Chester

  • A multi-cultural comparative study into the influence national level variations have on desistance from crime

    NERC: Jessica Cleary: ES/P000681/1 Using qualitative interviews with participants involved in criminal justice interventions, collected in Québec (Canada) and Scotland prior to the exchange, this project will expl...

    Funded by: FIC

    Lead research organisation: University of Stirling

  • Psychological changes expected and experienced by victims who communicate with offenders

    There is evidence that some victims of crime benefit from communication with offenders, at least some of the time, but little is known about how these benefits occur. Many have theorised about the mechanisms by which res...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Oxford

Similar ARIs from other organisations

Whole Justice System Analysis - Justice as a System How effective are different sentence types at improving community safety, reducing reoffending, promoting rehabilitation, and limiting the churn of people through the prison system? Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services, 2025
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