The Founder and Centre Director of the Centre for Forensic Hope, David Adlington-Rivers, has written to the newly appointed Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP, to congratulate him on taking office and to highlight the importance of hope in prison, probation and rehabilitation reform.

Andy Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July 2026. In his first address from Downing Street, he spoke about restoring hope and investing in people's success rather than continuing to pay for failure — messages that closely reflect the mission and values of the Centre for Forensic Hope.

In his letter, David introduced the Centre as a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving lives across forensic and criminal justice communities through hope-informed research, education and practice. He also explained how lived experience sits at the heart of the Centre's work.

David outlined his doctoral research in forensic psychology at Durham University, which explores how people experience hope following release from prison and how hope can support rehabilitation, desistance and successful reintegration into the community.

The letter also recognised that successive governments have struggled to resolve the long-standing pressures affecting prisons and probation. These include overcrowding, rising demand, limited resources and the complex practical and social barriers faced by people leaving prison.

Council of Europe figures recorded approximately 141 prisoners per 100,000 people in England and Wales in January 2025, compared with a European median of 110. England and Wales therefore continues to imprison substantially more people proportionately than many comparable Western European countries.

David said:

"Hope must be more than a political message. It can become a practical and evidence-informed foundation for helping people move beyond offending, develop meaningful goals and build realistic pathways towards a different future.

"A renewed approach to rehabilitation could reduce reoffending, create safer communities and ease pressure on an overcrowded prison system. This is not about being softer on crime — it is about being more effective at supporting lasting change."

The Centre believes that hope-informed practice can complement accountability and public protection by helping people develop agency, purpose, supportive relationships and an identity beyond their previous offending.

However, hope cannot be created through words alone. It must be supported by credible opportunities, including access to suitable housing, employment, education, treatment, positive relationships and consistent professional support.

David invited the Prime Minister, his advisers and the relevant ministerial teams to discuss the ideas emerging from his research and the developing work of the Centre.

The Centre for Forensic Hope welcomes the Government's emphasis on restoring hope and believes this creates an important opportunity to consider how hope can be embedded within prisons, probation, rehabilitation and resettlement.

By adopting a new, hope-informed approach, the Government has an opportunity to improve individual outcomes, reduce reoffending and help create a more sustainable and effective criminal justice system.

We're delighted to announce the appointment of Caroline Cook to the Centre for Forensic Hope Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG).

Caroline was involved in the criminal justice system as a result of the interconnected experiences of trauma, mental health difficulties, addiction and homelessness. Her experiences have shaped her understanding of recovery, rehabilitation and the importance of meaningful support. Having rebuilt her life, she is now completing an MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology at Buckinghamshire New University. She contributes to lived-experience teams and advisory panels across the homelessness, addiction, and criminal justice sectors.

Caroline has gained insight into how multiple disadvantages can contribute to offending and how language and stigma influence the way people are understood and responded to. She believes that recovery is possible when people are offered hope, understanding and opportunities to rebuild their lives. She is passionate about ensuring that people are seen as more than their past, recognising the complex experiences and root causes that can contribute to offending.

Working alongside researchers, practitioners and organisations, Caroline contributes to research, policy and practice aimed at improving outcomes for people involved in the criminal justice system. She combines lived experience with academic knowledge to help shape more compassionate, effective and evidence-informed responses that support lasting positive change.

Welcome, Caroline.

We're delighted to announce the first appointment to the Centre for Forensic Hope Advisory Board: Ron Forte.

Ron brings more than 25 years of experience in the Canadian federal correctional system, having spent the majority of his career focused on offender rehabilitation, programme delivery, and mental health with Correctional Service Canada. He is now completing a Master of Science in Applied Positive Psychology, with academic and professional interests in the therapeutic alliance in correctional settings, hope theory, offender engagement, and strengths-based approaches to reducing recidivism.

Ron's appointment reflects exactly the kind of scrutiny and expertise the Advisory Board exists to provide: independent oversight grounded in real, sustained experience of forensic practice. His belief that rehabilitation is built on trust, hope, and authentic human connection sits at the heart of why we asked him to join us.

We'll be introducing more Advisory Board members in the coming weeks as we build toward our public launch on 6 July 2026.

Welcome, Ron.

The Centre for Forensic Hope exists because hope is not a luxury. For people in forensic settings and those rebuilding their lives after release, hope is too often absent, dismissed, or actively undermined — and the consequences are serious. For recovery. For desistance. For lives.

We are a new, independent organisation dedicated to changing that — through research, training, and lived experience work that takes hope seriously as a clinical, moral, and practical force for change.

The Centre was founded by David Adlington-Rivers, a doctoral researcher at Durham University whose work on hope and reintegration is central to our research programme — alongside a growing body of evidence on hope in forensic settings, desistance, and post-release recovery. We launch with a clear mission, a principled set of values, a growing membership, and the determination to build something that has not properly existed in the UK before.

We are new. We are honest about what we have and what we are still building. And we believe that an organised, committed community of researchers, practitioners, and people with lived experience — working together — can genuinely change things for people who most need it.

No one should be defined by the worst moment of their life.