Campaigning Organisations

Catch 22 (previously Crime Concern) are a national crime reduction organisation and charity. They provide advice and help to a range of professional and voluntary agencies to support their work in reducing crime and the fear of crime in local communities. They run over 50 projects in England and Wales.

The Fawcett Society campaigns for equality between women and men. Their Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System aimed to bring a gender perspective to criminal justice policy-making and to allow women a voice in the current debates. Some excellent downloads are available here.

Human Writes is a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation which befriends and supports people on Death Row in the USA. Human Writes is not a campaigning or political group as such, but aims to non-judgementally respond to as many prisoners as they can.

The Howard League for Penal Reform is the UK's oldest penal reform charity. Independent of government, it works for humane and rational reform of the penal system.

The Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland is an independent organisation (and charity) whose members seek improvements to the criminal justice system in Scotland. 

Innocent is an independent UK organisation which supports and campaigns for innocent people in prison. INNOCENT is made up of families, friends and supporters of wrongly convicted prisoners who have come together in order to help each other.

INQUEST campaigns against deaths in custody and for changes in the Coroner's Court system. It is the only organisation in England and Wales exclusively concerned with deaths in custody and inquests.

Justice is an independent legal human rights organisation set up to promote the rule of law and to assist the fair administration of justice. Its reports helped establish the Ombudsman system and promoted legislation on the rehabilitation of offenders and compensation for victims.

Liberty is a leading UK human rights and civil liberties organisation. They  campaign and research on a wide range of issues - from deaths in custody to privacy intrusion.

NACRO, a crime reduction charity, aims to make society safer by finding practical solutions to reducing crime. They achieve this by assisting ex-offenders, disadvantaged people and deprived communities.

The Prison Reform Trust aims to create a just, humane and effective penal system, by inquiring into the workings of the system; informing prisoners, staff, and the public; and influencing  Government towards reform.

The Reform Remand campaign is calling for an improvement in the treatment of, and conditions for, people held in prison awaiting trial and a reduction in the needless use of custodial remand. It is organised by the Prison Reform Trust.

The Restorative Justice Consortium promotes the use of restorative justice in schools, the community, prisons, the criminal justice system, and any situation of conflict. It includes  organisations representing victims, offenders, young people and mediators.

Runnymede is a leading independent think tank on ethnicity and cultural diversity. They aim to challenge racial discrimination, to influence legislation and to promote a successful multi-ethnic Britain. Runnymede is  voluntary funded.

Searchlight aims to combat racism, neo-nazism, fascism and all forms of prejudice. It is a non-sectarian organisation in political, ethnic and religious terms.

Smart Justice is a crime reduction campaign, aiming to widen public debate on crime and punishment and increase confidence in community-based solutions to crime. Their website explains how alternatives to custody are cutting crime at a fraction of the cost of prison with case histories, successful projects, an overview of community punishments, and other resources.

Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) is a US human rights organization seeking to end sexual violence against men, women, and youth in all forms of detention. SPR supports policies to ensure institutional accountability. It aims to change society’s attitudes toward prisoner rape, and to promote access to resources for survivors. The website highlights that although rape in prison violates international, federal, and state laws, many institutions appear indifferent.

The Violence Against Women Online Resources site provides a wealth of information on interventions to stop violence against women. The site is a cooperative project of the Office on Violence Against Women and Minnesota Center Against Violence & Abuse.

Women in Prison provides welfare and education to women in prison. It believes that prison should be reserved for a small number of violent and serious offenders from whom the public should be protected.

Women's Aid Federation of England is a national charity working to end domestic violence against women and children. Their  mission is to advocate for abused women and children and to ensure their safety by working locally and nationally.

Campaigning Organisations: International

The International Commission of Jurists is dedicated to the primacy, coherence and implementation of international law and principles that advance human rights.

The Alberta- based John Howard Society is concerned with the problem of crime and its prevention, and sees crime control as much the responsibility of the community as it is of government.The Society has produced many  research and position papers on criminal justice topics; over 50 are available online.

The Justice Project works to increase the fairness and accuracy of the American criminal justice system. They run integrated national and state-based campaigns involving public education, litigation and legislation to reform the criminal justice system, with particular focus on capital punishment

LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) comprises current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities. They argue that by continuing to fight the "War on Drugs", the US government has worsened the problem instead of alleviating it. A system of government regulation and control of these substances, replacing the current system of control by the black market, would be a less harmful, less costly, more ethical and more effective public policy.

Statewatch monitors the state and civil liberties in the European Union. Statewatch is a voluntary group comprised of lawyers, academics, journalists, researchers and community activists, with a European network of contributors drawn from 13 countries.