Over 11 million people are imprisoned worldwide, with incarceration rates continuing to rise. In England and Wales, more than half of prisons are operating over capacity, and projections suggest prisoner numbers could reach over 100,000 by 2029.

While prison is widely used to manage crime, research shows it often fails to reduce reoffending and can cause significant harms, including poor health, economic costs, and negative impacts on families and communities.

The Oxford Martin Programme on Decarceration will provide the evidence needed to guide safe and effective ways to reduce reliance on imprisonment. 

The programme will bring together experts in psychiatry, criminology, law, philosophy, economics and data science to:

• examine the ethical principles underpinning decarceration;
• improve decision-making tools for sentencing and parole;
• review and evaluate alternatives to prison such as community sentences and treatment orders;
• develop a broader outcomes framework that includes health, employment, family and community wellbeing;
• model the economic impacts of different strategies.

By working with policymakers, practitioners and the people with lived experience of the prison system, the programme aims to influence sentencing policy, build confidence in alternatives, and support safer, more effective approaches to justice and public safety.