Solutions Journalism: Prison of the mind

Around the world, prison populations are bursting at the seams, but in some European countries, they are closing and reoffending rates are down. The trend has been attributed to a novel approach to justice, one that places the mental health of offenders at its heart. Forensic psychologist Dr Jenny Okolo investigates whether prison systems around the world could benefit from a similar approach. Jenny speaks to Dr Marrit de Vries from the Dutch Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, to learn about a novel approach to mental health intervention pioneered in the Netherlands. And in Sweden, we hear from Dr Martin Lardén from Karolinska Institutet’s Center for violence prevention, who discusses the efficacy of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model, an approach which positions the offender at the heart of the strategies devised to address the causes of their crime. And Rivelino Rigters, who draws on lived experience from within the criminal justice system, reflects on how a kinder, community-focused approach could stop crime from happening in the first place.