Research

We are a national hub for practitioners, policymakers and researchers, promoting, developing and disseminating best practice in education and training in criminal justice settings. We work with national networks including the Prisoner Learning Alliance, Education and Training Foundation - Offender Learning, and the Open University Educating Criminals Centre.  

Our centre hosts a biennial international conference at IOE, highlighting research and best practice, and identifying areas for future research, development and policy. 

We also provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) materials for practitioners working with prisoners and offenders in the community.

In addition, we conduct primary research, secondary data analysis and reviews of evidence. Our remit includes children and young people at-risk of offending, and people in prison, serving community sentences or who are re-settling in the community after serving a prison sentence.

Ongoing projects 

• COPE-Well Study (CWS)
• EMPOWER-Islington
• COVID-19: Global social trust and mental health

Publications

• Lenoir, R., & Wong, K. K. Y. (2023). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people from black and mixed ethnic groups’ mental health in West London: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 13(5), e071903
• Maguire, D. 2021. Male, Failed, Jailed. Palgrave McMillan.  
• Wong, K. K. Y., Francesconi, M., & Flouri, E. (2021). Internalizing and externalizing problems across childhood and psychotic-like experiences in young-adulthood: The role of developmental period. Schizophrenia Research, 231, 108-114. 
• Portnoy, J., Bedoya, A., & Wong, K. K. Y. (2021). Child Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior and Parental Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic. UCL Open: Environment Preprint. 
• Wong, K. K. Y. (2020). Schizophrenia and Crime. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, 4575-4580. 
• Vorhaus, J. (2021). Bringing People Down: Degrading Treatment and Punishment. New Criminal Law Review. 24.3: 433-466.   
• Intensive English and maths provision in prisons: pilot evaluation in 6 prisons, with NIACE, for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) 
• Hurry, J., Lawrence, P., Wilson, A., & Plant, J. (2013). Evaluation of 'Write to be Heard", a project on writing in prison, commissioned by National Offender management Service (NOMS), led by the Arts Alliance 
• Rogers, L., Simonot, M., & Nartey, A. (2014). Prison Educators: Professionalism Against the Odds (PDF). London: UCU. 
• Analysis of youth offenders' occupational identities and its relationship to subsequent offending patterns 
• An assessment of the English and maths skills levels of prisoners in England 
• Martin Luther King "Now is the time" - His Dream to Influence Education Today by Angela Herbert 
• Vorhaus, J. (2014). Prisoners’ right to education. London Review of Education. 12.2: 162-174. 
• Rogers, L. (2016) Disengagement from Education. London: Trentham Books IOE Press. 
• Hurry, J. and Rogers, L. Eds (2014) Education, training and employment in prison and post-release. Special Edition, London Review of Education, 12(2).  
• Rogers, L., Hurry, J., Simonot, M., & Wilson, A. (2014) The aspirations and realities of prison education for under-25s in the London area, London Review of Education, 12(2), 184–196.