Do you dare imagine a criminal justice system that is truly transformational, resilient and empowering?

If you do, join us on this journey…

Think System: Think Effectiveness
“… we found more than two-thirds of prisoners were spending most of their days in their cells with little to occupy them.”
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons - Purposeful prisons: time out of cell. (September 2024)

Welcome to Reimagining Criminal Justice

All members of society are stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Crime imposes significant social costs in our communities and businesses, with economic impacts that far exceed published estimates.

This system is in a perpetual state of crises, overwhelmed by the numbers of repeat offenders who do not respond to punishment alone, however harsh, and who are responsible for 80% of crime, victims and costs.

The situation is shameful, the trends unstainable. We must reconsider and develop a criminal justice system that is transformative, resilient, and effective in protecting the public, meeting the needs of society both now and in the future.

Why we exist

The Criminal Justice System is not working as it should. For decades, its focus has narrowed to punishment, while real rehabilitation and prevention are sidelined. Services are overstretched, centralised, and often disconnected from the communities they serve.

There is broad agreement on what the system should do—protect the public, prevent harm, and reduce reoffending by tackling its root causes. But this vision remains out of reach.

Reimagining Criminal Justice exists to help make that vision real. We support those working in and around the system to think differently—together. We don’t campaign for specific reforms. Instead, we guide the process of systems change: helping people co-create a better, more human-centred justice system from the ground up.

Change needs to be inclusive, evidence-led, and grounded in local realities. It must be supported across political lines and shaped by the people most affected.

We believe in a Criminal Justice System that is devolved, dynamic, and democratic—one that listens to communities, trusts local expertise, and evolves with the world around it. A system that truly keeps people safe, reduces harm, and helps build stronger futures.

Think System: Think Responsibilities
“… the work to manage risk of harm and keep others safe... (was) … consistently insufficient across all our inspections …”
Martin Jones CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Probation - HMIP 2024 Annual Report

Our Mission

We facilitate the transformation of the criminal justice system (CJS) through our Relational Practice Coaching and Learning Eco-system Grid:

Enabling the devolution and sharing of power

with those who possess relevant contextual knowledge and are closest to affected individuals and communities. This approach empowers local decision-making and ensures that victims, communities, and individuals with lived experience have an influential role.

Prioritising outcomes for individuals

by fostering leadership that is interactive, enabling, and collaborative across boundaries to achieve measurable results. Our Systems Leadership Academy provides the necessary skills and support for such inclusive, cross-systems, relational leadership, which is essential to effectively address the complexities of crime, offending, and rehabilitation.

Supporting the redesign of the criminal justice system

through initiatives including leadership development, international knowledge exchange, and local Justice Co-creation Hubs. We connect practitioners and ideas to design and implement impactful change, utilising Area Pathfinding Programmes to evaluate innovative approaches and scale successful practices—always with community safety and wellbeing as central priorities.

We work on five levels:

Individually

Locally

Thematically

Nationally

Globally

How we work

Reimagining Criminal Justice combines deep senior leadership experience in criminal justice with specialist skills in transforming whole systems.

We know how to work across complex organisations and bring people together to find better ways of reducing crime and harm.

We do this at five connected levels:

  • Individuals — People Investment
    We help current and future leaders grow: access to learning resources, networks, mentoring, coaching, and training.
  • Local — Democratic Engagement
    We enable communities and those most affected by crime to have a real voice in shaping local strategies and services.
  • Themes — Co-created Development
    We guide inclusive redesign of parts of the system, support pilots, and help successful ideas scale.
  • National — Social Impact
    We measure the social and economic value of new approaches and feed evidence into national policy and public debate.
  • Global — Learning Ecosystem
    We link local insight with international knowledge so practice and policy can keep improving.

Our approach is practical, inclusive, and results-driven—helping everyone involved in criminal justice create change that lasts.

Working Together

Transforming criminal justice is bigger than any single reform or organisation.

It demands sustained leadership from the Ministry of Justice, a well-supported His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, and serious, long-term investment after decades of under-resourcing. Quick wins are rare—but the long-term social and economic returns are profound.

Real change depends on shared purpose and full engagement: employees, community voices, voluntary sector providers, victims, local and national government, political leaders, penal reform advocates, and those with lived experience. Only by working together can the system truly become safer, fairer, and more effective.

We have guided complex transformations before and know how to turn ambition into action. But success needs many perspectives, determination, and hope.

If you dare to hope for a better criminal justice system, register your interest.
Join us to connect, learn, and help drive the change.

Do you dare to dream about a better criminal justice system?

If you’d like to learn about our work or if you want to get involved on our journey, you can register with us, or contact us directly:

Think System: Think Cross-boundaries
Our findings – “Siloed working, with a lack of effective cross-agency collaboration within HMPPS and with external partners.”
HOUSE OF LORDS, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, 1st Report of Session 2024–25 - Better prisons: less crime (July 2025)