The Reform Prisons Pilot: Research Report on Lessons Learnt

This document describes an evaluation of the UK Ministry of Justice's reform prison pilot, which aimed to give prison governors more control over management aspects like budgeting and staffing. The evaluation used interviews, case studies, and surveys to assess the impact on six prisons, revealing improvements in flexibility, resources, and morale, despite challenges such as understaffing and substance misuse. The program also sought to enhance community engagement, but faced skepticism due to funding and autonomy issues. The evaluation, which included feedback from staff, partners, and prisoners, identified key factors for success and outlined seven learning points for future initiatives. Although the pilot encountered obstacles, it offered insights into the complexities of implementing reforms in the prison system. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Case studies; Individual interviews; Surveys and polling
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: July 2020

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes