Changing Policy

Changing Policy

We propose creative, practical, and evidence-based solutions.

By combining our robust evidence with lived experience insight, we influence and improve policy and services that makes the revolving door avoidable and escapable. Our ambition is to achieve positive and large-scale change, so we think big and look for bold new approaches.

Making change happen for over 25 years

Revolving Doors Agency has a rich history of advocating and achieving real world changes though our policy work. We aim to create bold change that builds a smarter criminal justice system and makes the revolving avoidable and escapable. We work alongside people with lived experience to make change happen. Our work focusses on priority areas set out below.

Policy Submissions

Our policy team works with partners from many sectors to influence and improve policy, services and, ultimately, outcomes

Policing

We are working with police services and Police and Crime Commissioners to develop mainstreamed responses for young adults (18-25) from first contact to prosecution. Young adulthood is the critical opportunity to identify those who are not “growing out” of crime, those just entering the revolving door. The criminal justice system can embed the disadvantages of poverty, trauma and racism, – or it can respond intelligently to the needs of those young adults likely to already be self-medicating, sofa surfing, surviving.

Courts

Courts are going under a major reform through the Transforming Justice Programme and will be different years to come. The challenge – and the opportunity – is achieving equitable access to justice that supports fair and effective sentencing. This must include a court system that recognises and responds to multiple vulnerabilities. We are engaging with the reform programme, providing evidence and lived experience insight, to improve the design of the court and tribunal systems.

Probation

Probation must be designed for the needs of those in it. To do this, we need to know what those needs are. There is a mismatch between the exceptional level of needs and the ability of services to respond. Services continue to ignore the assets people with lived experience have and can bring to the system. We are pioneering a new lived experience inquiry that puts people who have been in the system in a position of power to identify solutions.

Sentencing

Every year 30,000 people who commit minor and non-violent offences are sent to prison for 6 months or less. These prison sentences simply do not work. We are campaigning for a presumption against short prison sentences, replacing them with more effective community sentences.

Pledge your support

Short sentences are short-sighted

We’re calling on the Government to introduce a presumption against the use of short custodial sentences of less than six months.

Health inequalities in the criminal justice system

Far too many people in the criminal justice system with mental ill-health or a learning disability are left without their needs properly identified. Too many end up in prison when they could have been safely diverted and cared for in the community. Too many are processed through the justice system without adequate care and support. We bring together robust research evidence and lived experience to address health inequalities people in the revolving door face.