A diverse group of policymakers, researchers, correctional leaders, and advocates gathered last week for a two-day symposium on correctional policy, research, and the role of data in shaping the future of incarceration and correctional policy. The event explored key challenges and innovations in correctional environments, including promoting safety and wellness, expanding opportunities for change, addressing barriers to reform, and reimagining policies to make prisons more humane and rehabilitative.
The symposium marks the culmination of the Urban Institute’s Prison Research and Innovation Initiative (PRII), a six-year effort launched in 2019 to build evidence and spur innovation to make prisons more humane, safe, and rehabilitative environments. Funded by Arnold Ventures, the initiative has helped redefine how research can be conducted in prisons by fostering partnerships between correctional agencies, local research organizations, incarcerated people, and community stakeholders. Through this work, Urban has developed and tested models for using research and data to drive policy, to make prisons safer and more rehabilitative environments for both incarcerated people and correctional staff.
"We've seen that real change in corrections is possible when research is part of the system and shaped by the voices of those directly impacted—incarcerated people, correctional staff, and community members," said David Pitts, vice president of justice and safety at the Urban Institute. "This symposium reinforced that while challenges remain, we have clear strategies to make prisons safer, more humane, and more transparent—making communities safer, too. Now, we need to build on what we've learned, expand research-driven reforms, and use data to keep the system accountable and moving forward."
During the symposium, participants examined real-world models of innovation emerging from PRII’s Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN), which has supported state-led research efforts in Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Missouri, and Vermont.
More information about the Urban Institute’s Prison Research and Innovation Initiative is available at https://www.urban.org/projects/prison-research-and-innovation-initiative-prii.
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About Urban’s Justice and Safety Division
The Urban Institute’s Justice and Safety Division works to inform solutions to crime and safety. By conducting rigorous research and policy analysis, we provide the best data, guidance, training, and technical assistance to our partners that share a mission to promote functional and fair justice systems. For more evidence on justice and safety, visit https://www.urban.org/research-and-evidence/justice-and-safety.
About the Urban Institute
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity. For over 50 years, the Urban Institute has delivered facts that inspire solutions, aiding changemakers in strengthening decisionmaking, creating inclusive economic growth, and improving the well-being of families and communities.
