Knowledge Exchange
Regular readers will know that for the last five years the Butler Trust has been running a new resource aimed at everyone who works in a criminal justice setting. The Knowledge Exchange is an online library of guidance and examples of best practice. The resource encourages users to suggest examples of best practice and guidance and allows users to search content by both source and sector. There are now over 600 resources instantly available for download. The resource is continuously curated and updated with any items which have now been superseded removed. I am lucky enough to work in partnership with the Butler Trust to manage and update the site.
How to use the site
The site has been designed to be simple to use. The front page includes both featured entries and recent additions but the two most useful ways of finding what you are looking for are the search box at the top of the page or the ability to browse by source, sector (custodial, probation or youth justice) or a wide range of themes (e.g. women, neurodiversity, knife crime, mental health…).
Recent additions
To give you a flavour of the resources are on offer, I am including links to some of the more recent additions on a wide range of topics.
Prisons
A refreshingly positive report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons highlights the importance of reading in prison. It reveals how some jails have created vibrant reading cultures that are helping to transform prisoners’ experience and support their rehabilitation.
Inspectors visited nine prisons where governors had focused on reading, and found that leaders were central to an effective strategy, with the best playing a vital role in establishing and sustaining a strong reading culture. They understood that prisoners with low literacy levels were much more likely to struggle in jail and less likely to succeed after prison. Visibly championing reading, they made it a core part of the regime, with well-used, active libraries encouraging participation, and prisoners benefitting from interventions that placed reading at the heart of their rehabilitation.
Probation
A new spotlight on effective practice from the Probation Inspectorate gives an interesting summary of the Human Factors Model which s a model designed to support a shift towards an inclusive, open learning culture and improve safety. Built on an evidence base called Human Factors, it introduces new tools and ways of working to help mitigate bias and disproportionality in decision-making, improve communication and collaboration across teams, create time and space for reflection and learning, and support staff autonomy while maintaining accountability.
Youth justice
The Youth Justice Board has recently launched a really helpful video explainer of the new prevention and diversion assessment tool.
Overall
Finally, for this first update of 2026, Clinks have published two new pieces of work which will be of interest to practitioners wherever they work in the CJS.
The first one, A ‘Whole Systems Approach’ for women in contact with the criminal justice system sets out how to develop a women-focused local justice system.
The second is perhaps of more interest if you have a comms role at your organisation and is the latest publication in Clinks Evidence Library and focuses on How voluntary sector organisations can influence Public Opinion on Crime; detailing approaches that are proven to work, as well as those which don’t.
