下一代领导人：通过监狱领导进行改革的案例

Sophie Ellis and Felicity Kersting Prison Reform Trust (PRT) is an independent UK charity working to create a just, humane and effective penalsystem. It was founded in 1981 to inform and influence public debate on prison conditions and the treatmentof prisoners, amidst concerns about a projected prison population of 48,000 by 1984. With the prisonpopulation in England and Wales approaching 88,000 and projected to rise to at least 95,700 by 2029. PRT We are one of the few organisations willing and equipped to hold the state to account for its treatment ofpeople in prison. Our reputation, built over four decades of knowledgeable, reliable analysis and presentationof the facts, gives us influence behind the scenes that few organisations can match. PRT’s main objectives •Reducing unnecessary imprisonment and promoting community solutions to crime.•Improving treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families.•Promoting equality and human rights in the justice system. We do this by inquiring into the workings of the system, informing prisoners, staff and the wider public, andby influencing Parliament, government and officials towards reform. Whilst often working alongside theprison service and maintaining close links with government departments including the Ministry of Justice(MoJ), His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT), and the Home Office, to retain its independence, PRT does not seek Our biggest thanks go to our truly inspiring first group of Next Gen Leaders, for their continual dedicationand effort to improve prisoners’ lives. We have been very privileged to work with them and we look forwardto being their critical friends for many years to come as they rise further in the Prison Service. Next Gen was founded by PRT CEO Pia Sinha and co-facilitated by Erika Clegg, values-based leadershipconsultant. The Next Gen Leaders were very clear that their energy, passion, inspiration, support, and beliefin the next generation is what made all the difference. The in-house process evaluation was led by Sophie Ellis but delivered by a trained team of PRT colleagueswho were not involved in Next Gen’s frontline delivery: Zoe Burton; Emily Evison; Alex Guthrie; EllaHumphreys; and Alice Stevens. It could not have been delivered without their commitment, enthusiasm and The project reviews were led by Sophie Ellis with assistance from Felicity Kersting in sifting, compiling,summarising and early drafting of key themes and evidence. We are very grateful to Porticus, J Leon and the Hadley Trust whose funding makes Next Generation Leaderspossible. ©2026 Prison Reform TrustCover image: Jonathan Sapsford Photography Putting aspiring prison leaders in contextThe Next Generation Leaders programme Overview of the cohortKey characteristicsEstablishment representationMeasures of key programme targetsChanges over the course of the programmeThemes in leaders’ experiences of the programmeMotivations for applyingPositive environment for reflection/growth HMP and YOI BrinsfordHMP BristolWomen’s EstateHMP Guys MarshHMP WaylandHMP BureHMP Coldingley Next Generation Leaders is a programme—and network—that aims to put aspiring prison leaders at theheart of reform. PRT wants to create an effective alliance of reformers on the inside and the outside, tomore effectively drive forward changes that benefit prisoners. Next Gen’s core purpose is to: If prison reform is to be meaningful and lasting, it must happen not only through national policy andexternal scrutiny, but through the daily decisions, values and relationships shaped by leaders insideprisons. For 45 years, thePrison Reform Trusthas used multiple levers to pursue change: evidence,advocacy, challenge, coalition-building and critical friendship. Next Gen represents a further step inthat work. It reflects a conviction that prison practitioners—especially aspiring governors—are not only Such efforts are not straightforward. Reformist leaders face operational pressures, isolation, bureaucracy,limited autonomy, and the difficulty of trying to change an institution while remaining accountable to it. Butthose constraints make investment in reform-minded leaders more important, not less. Too often, humane Next Gen was designed to help change that. It focuses on experienced senior leaders—primarilyDeputyGovernors—whose next likely step is governing their own prison. Its purpose is not to teach themechanics of leadership, but to equip them with theconfidence, values, relationships and practical Prisons can be highly insular institutions. Next Gen therefore set out to build aspiring leaders’ connections:between themselves, with PRT as an independent and trusted NGO, and with the wider world of criminaljustice reform and civil society. It consisted of a structured phase of four sessions, followed by a projectphase, with Teams calls and a coaching offer from Spark Inside running throughout both phases. Thestrongest lesson from the first cohort of 19 leaders was that independence and con