This compendium summarises insights and key findings from our second criminal justice research symposium, held in May 2025 at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The event brought together over 100 practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and students to explore what constitutes a ‘safer’ criminal justice system, and how we can work towards this vision as a sector. Set against the backdrop of record-high prison populations, sentencing reforms and a growing recognition of systemic inequalities, the symposium provided a vital platform for examining evidence-based approaches to criminal justice reform.
Participants engaged in six workshops addressing key challenges across the system. The symposium re-emphasised both the depth of challenges facing the current system and the wealth of evidence-based solutions and passionate individuals ready to tackle them.