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Rehabilitation and Preventing Crime

Covering sentencing, reoffending and desistance from crime across the UK and Europe, we offer detailed insights into the effectiveness of interventions seeking to support some of the most vulnerable members of society

Research, commentary, and events

Project
Tackling Drug Use in Prisons
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service jointly commissioned RAND Europe to conduct a research study to examine and evaluate how drug testing regimens and incentivised substance free living wings are implemented in prisons in England and Wales.
02 Oct 2023
Project
Feasibility Study for a What Works Centre for Safety
Achieving impact from evidence centres is feasible, but active engagement with stakeholders throughout the process is central, as is recognition that decisions on policy and practice are complex processes where evidence is important but not the sole factor.
11 Sep 2023
Project
A night-time lighting analysis of Tibet’s prisons and detention centres
This study builds on the scant available evidence and leverages an innovative method – night-time lighting data – to shed light on the prisons and detention facilities in Tibet.
27 Jul 2023
Project
Examining the use of Out of Court Disposals for adults with health vulnerabilities
RAND Europe, in partnership with Get the Data and Skills for Justice, has been commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to conduct a study on how police in England and Wales use Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs) to support adults with health-related vulnerabilities.
13 Feb 2023
Project
Comparing criminal history information systems in the United States and other nations
There is considerable variation among the criminal-history information systems of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States regarding how they approach the collection, management, and uses of criminal-history information through their national information systems.
24 Sep 2021
Project
Liaison and Diversion services save money through reduced sentencing
An evaluation of NHS England's Liaison and Diversion programme found that it successfully engages people with a broad range of vulnerabilities and halves their likelihood of receiving a custodial sentence.
12 Apr 2021
Project
Examining COVID-19 and intimate partner violence
Researchers identified 27 practices that—to varying degrees—have ensured the continuity, accessibility and sustainability of support to women victims during the COVID-19 pandemic.
08 Mar 2021
Commentary
How Better Support Can Be Provided to Ex–Service Personnel in the Criminal Justice System
Former armed forces personnel make up the UK's largest group of male prisoners by occupation. What can police and government do to provide targeted support in the criminal justice system to those from a military background?
30 Nov 2020
Sarah Grand-Clement
Project
Evaluating a programme to support ex-Service personnel in the criminal justice system
Researchers identified several improvements that could increase the efficacy of a programme that helps to fund projects aimed at reducing reoffending and supporting ex-Service personnel who have come into contact with the criminal justice system.
22 Oct 2020
Project
Assessing the impacts of digital government transformation in the EU
A case study on the use of body worn cameras by police forces in the UK offers an example of how governments can potentially take advantage of emerging digital technologies to address systemic challenges.
26 Jun 2020
Commentary
Measures to Help Domestic Abuse Victims During COVID-19 Are Welcome but Not Enough
One of the most worrying and consistent trends during the COVID-19 lockdown is an increase in domestic violence. Governments are taking different approaches in how they act to stop the violence and help victims to be heard during the lockdown. Securing adequate resources for support services is vital.
12 May 2020
Madeline Nightingale, Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman, et al.
Project
Youth justice practitioners' experiences and perceptions of AssetPlus
An evaluation of the Youth Justice Board's AssetPlus programme found that practitioners liked the ideas underpinning the programme but felt that not all potential benefits were fully being realised. The evaluators suggested several areas for improvement.
19 Dec 2019
Project
Evaluating Sentencing Council guidelines for drug and theft offences
At the request of the Sentencing Council, researchers assessed whether sentencing guidelines for specific drug and theft offences in England and Wales have an impact on sentencing outcomes and whether there are any issues with their implementation.
28 Jun 2019
Project
Toolkit measures intermediate outcomes to reduce reoffending
For most people, desistance from crime is a process, rather an event. Researchers produced a user-friendly questionnaire that can be used by those working with offenders to capture ‘intermediate outcomes’ — indicators of positive changes which may signal progress towards an offence-free future.
27 Mar 2019
Commentary
What Strategies Are the Best Defence Against Antisocial Behaviour at Football Events?
Football-related violence is not going away. It is therefore more important than ever that police and football authorities have evidence on what strategies work and that they share best practices with each other.
19 Mar 2019
Lucy Strang
Project
Violent Extremism Evaluation Measurement (VEEM) Framework
A key challenge in counter violent extremism evaluation is the lack of commonly agreed metrics to measure behavioural changes in people. RAND Europe researchers developed a web-based framework that lists behavioural categories, attributes, and suggested measurement tools.
14 Jan 2019
Project
Reducing violent and antisocial behaviour at football events
To help Qatar prepare for upcoming sporting events, researchers examined the nature of, and the factors associated with, antisocial and violent behaviour at football matches and how effective existing approaches are in preventing and responding to these behaviours.
11 Dec 2018
Commentary
The Rules of the Game: Reducing Antisocial Behavior and Violence at Football Events
Violent behavior at football matches has garnered international media attention for decades even though the vast majority of matches pass without any significant violent incidents. Despite the widespread attention toward harmful behaviors, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of current practices targeting negative fan behavior.
14 Aug 2018
Lucy Strang, Christian Van Stolk
Project
Linking hate speech online and hate crime
RAND and Cardiff University are analysing online hate speech data to see if it can be used to identify areas where offline hate crimes are most likely to occur. The research aims to inform strategies to prevent and address hate crimes.
06 Jul 2018
Commentary
The Problem of Prosecuting International Jihadists
The International Criminal Court may be the most ideal institution to try accused terrorists. The court would take into account the legal status of terrorists, the nationalities of their victims, and the location of the crimes — while upholding the core values of Western democracies.
09 Mar 2018
Antonia Ward
Commentary
Siren Song: How Ambulance Data Could Help Police Forces in England and Wales
Ambulance data is a new form of intelligence which may have value for violence prevention or reduction activities. Police forces can use this data to help identify violent crime that goes unreported to police, and aid problem-solving activities to reduce and prevent violence.
29 Jan 2018
Alex Sutherland, Lucy Strang
Commentary
The Perils of Setting Police Targets: First Time Entrants to the Youth Justice System
The police play a critical role in determining whether young people are either directed towards or diverted away from the justice system. Introducing policing targets can create perverse incentives and raises particular concerns because of the potential damaging effects that criminalization can have on young people.
18 Jan 2018
Alex Sutherland, Matthew Davies