TO BE PUBLISHED January 2027
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This conference will examine next steps for prison and probation services in England and Wales, in the context of the Government’s wider programme of sentencing, rehabilitation and system reform. Planned areas for discussion include phased implementation of the Sentencing Act 2026 and the introduction and early implementation of the progression model, the balance between custody and community supervision, the implications of changing release and recall arrangements for prison and probation capacity, development and resilience of services, rehabilitation and resettlement, and the role of technology and electronic monitoring in service delivery and public protection.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to assess how the different strands of reform can be delivered as a coherent and practical operating model. With the Independent Review of the Prison System due to report by the end of the year, the consultation on independent statutory regulation of probation practitioners closing in October, and the HMPPS Business Strategy 2026-2029 having been published in July, delegates will consider implications for capacity, sequencing and accountability across custody and community provision, and what may be required to maintain confidence among sentencers, victims and the wider public.
The planned agenda will examine practical implementation of sentencing and probation reform, including the capacity and professional framework for probation required to support increased use of community supervision, effective public protection practice and service improvement.
Further discussion will consider priorities for sustaining safe prison environments and strengthening their role in rehabilitation, and continuity of support through release and resettlement, while responding to pressures on the estate and workforce. Sessions will also examine the role of data, digital services and AI-supported tools in supporting delivery, and how national reform can accommodate local arrangements, including coordination between the justice system and devolved provision in Wales.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- sentencing reform & community provision:
- implementation and sequencing of the Sentencing Act 2026 - community sentence progression - suspended sentences
- release and recall arrangements and implications of the recall population for prison and probation capacity
- evidence on outcomes and reoffending from the Intensive Supervision Courts programme - the balance between custody and community supervision
- probation capacity & public protection:
- workloads, recruitment and retention - the balance between experienced and newly qualified practitioners
- risk assessment and information-sharing - suitable interventions - proportionate enforcement and reliable electronic monitoring
- professional standards & service improvement:
- consultation on independent statutory regulation of probation practitioners - professional identity and continuing development
- quality assurance and organisational improvement - professional judgement and time for effective assessment and supervision
- prison safety, performance & rehabilitation:
- pressures on capacity, the estate and workforce - prison leadership and operational autonomy
- security, illicit drugs and drug-recovery provision - education, employment and purposeful activity - support for remand prisoners, women and people with complex needs
- release, resettlement & continuity of support:
- custodial sentence progression and preparation for release - continuity of healthcare, accommodation, employment and supervision
- coordination between custodial and community services - roles of health, housing, local government and voluntary-sector partners
- cross-cutting delivery:
- data, digital systems and AI-supported tools - information governance and evaluation of their effect on practitioner capacity
- delivery across national, local and devolved arrangements
