The recent ICPA conference in Belfast reinforced something I’ve been sensing for some time: there’s growing international interest in rethinking how we approach accountability, rehabilitation, and public safety. In a December 2025 SAW Project article, Compassionate Justice: The Smartest Investment We Can Make in Public Safety, I wrote about a belief that has guided much of my career: we can hold people accountable for their behavior while also creating opportunities for them to change.
After decades working in criminal justice, I’ve seen tremendous progress in our understanding of what works. Yet many systems still operate within structures that emphasize punishment and control. Rather than simply asking, “What does this person deserve for what they did?” shouldn’t we also ask, “What response creates accountability and leads to positive change?” That’s at the heart of Compassionate Justice.
Taking the Conversation to Belfast
One of the things I value most about the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) is its ability to bring together people from different countries and disciplines who genuinely want to learn from one another. The 28th Annual ICPA Conference in Belfast was another wonderful example.
Our presentation, Advancing Compassionate Justice: A Research-Informed Discussion on Community Partnerships and Reintegration, introduced Compassionate Justice as an emerging approach that brings together accountability, dignity, evidence-informed practices, and community partnerships. We weren’t there to present a finished model or suggest we had all the answers. Quite the opposite. We wanted to introduce the concept and invite others to help shape what it might become.
I was especially pleased to have the involvement of Dr. Fergus McNeill of the University of Glasgow and Patricia O’Hagan, MBE, a Belfast-based justice technologist. Fergus brought his extensive knowledge of desistance and the conditions that support change, while Patricia challenged us to consider how technology can strengthen justice systems without losing sight of the people they serve.
The Conversation Gets Interesting
Following the presentation, we invited interested colleagues to a smaller discussion. This was the conversation I’d really been looking forward to. We explored what Compassionate Justice might look like as a guiding principle of justice system design, what accountability with dignity means in practice, and what research and partnerships could help move the concept forward.
We had far too little time, but the exchange was thoughtful, lively, and encouraging. What particularly interested me was the willingness of participants to look beyond improving individual programs and consider whether the systems themselves need to change. We can have wonderfully compassionate professionals working within systems that unintentionally undermine the outcomes we’re trying to achieve. For example, we encourage someone to find employment while imposing supervision requirements that make keeping a job unnecessarily difficult. The challenge isn’t simply encouraging more compassionate practices. We also need to examine the policies and structures within which those practices occur.
An International Opportunity
Through the SAW Project, I’ve had the privilege of learning from people working in justice systems around the world. Although cultures and resources vary considerably, many face similar challenges: reducing reoffending, supporting reintegration, protecting the public, and moving beyond practices simply because they’ve always been done that way.
Compassionate Justice isn’t about eliminating consequences or replacing the excellent evidence-informed practices already being used. It’s about building on what we’ve learned and considering how our systems can better support both accountability and positive change. Belfast reinforced my belief that there’s tremendous value in exploring these questions internationally. We have much to learn from one another.
Bringing Research into the Discussion
Of course, enthusiasm and good intentions aren’t enough. If Compassionate Justice is going to contribute to meaningful reform, we need a sound research foundation. That’s why I’m particularly pleased that the SAW Project is partnering with the Corrections Lab at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY), on an international Delphi Study.
The Delphi method brings together different perspectives through multiple rounds of consultation to identify areas of agreement and disagreement. Our goal is to develop a clearer understanding of the principles, competencies, and practices that should underpin Compassionate Justice. We want to hear from people with different professional experiences, cultural perspectives, and ideas about what needs to change. This research is an important step toward developing an approach that can be defined, examined, and ultimately applied.
We’d Like You to Join Us
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that good ideas become better when we invite others into the conversation. We’re inviting justice professionals, researchers, policymakers, community organizations, people with lived experience, and others interested in improving justice systems to express their interest in participating in the Delphi Study. You don’t need to be an expert in Compassionate Justice. In fact, we’re especially interested in perspectives that challenge our thinking. Visit the Compassionate Justice section of the SAW Project website to learn more about the study and how to express your interest. Please share the invitation with others in your networks.
A Thank You and What’s Next
My sincere appreciation to ICPA for another outstanding conference and its continuing commitment to bringing people together to improve justice systems worldwide. I’m especially grateful to Fergus McNeill and Patricia O’Hagan for sharing their expertise and supporting our presentation and follow-up discussion. And thank you to everyone who joined us in Belfast. Your ideas have given us plenty to think about.
I’ve spent much of my professional life looking for better ways of doing things in criminal justice. Compassionate Justice feels like a natural continuation of that work, but with an important difference: we’re now bringing together people from around the world to help shape what comes next. There’s already a great deal we can draw on from research and experience. What interests me most is the opportunity to build on that knowledge through conversations with people who bring different perspectives to the table. I don’t know exactly where this will lead, but I’m looking forward to finding out what we can accomplish together.