Can early release and alternatives to prison be safe?

30 March 2026

Portrait of Professor Seena Fazel

with Professor Seena Fazel
 Professor of Forensic Psychiatry and Director of the Centre for Suicide Research

Seena Fazel is a Professor of Forensic Psychiatry and Director of the Centre for Suicide Research at the University of Oxford.His main research interests are risk assessment in criminal justice and mental health, and the prevention of suicide, violen...

Portrait of Professor Rachel Condry

with Professor Rachel Condry
 Professor of Criminology

Rachel Condry is Professor of Criminology, Director of the Centre for Criminology, and Fellow of St Hilda's College. She is also a Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Decarceration.Professor Condry's work focuses broadly on the intersections b...

Portrait of Professor Alex Sutherland

with Professor Alex Sutherland
 Professor in Practice of Criminology & Public Policy

Alex is currently Professor in Practice of Criminology & Public Policy at the University of Oxford. Alongside his academic role he is a senior consultant to the Metropolitan Police Service, advisor to the Ministry of Justice and Department for Ed...

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

What is Decarceration? Decarceration is the effort to limit the number of people who are imprisoned, either by limiting who is sent to prison in the first place or by creating avenues to release people already in custody.

Find out more: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/decarceration