No one should be defined by
the worst moment of their life.
What we do
Everything we do flows from a single conviction: that hope is not a luxury — whether someone is in a secure unit or rebuilding life after release. It is a necessity.
Rigorous, co-produced research that builds the evidence base for hope-centred practice. We study what works, publish openly, and advocate for change based on what we find.
Transformative training for professionals working in forensic settings and reintegration services — grounded in evidence, informed by lived experience, and designed to shift culture from the inside.
We place the knowledge of people who have lived through forensic settings or incarceration at the heart of everything we do — as researchers, educators, advisors, and leaders.
Improving lives in forensic settings and for formerly incarcerated people through the advancement of hope.
Voices from the community
"For the first time, someone asked me what I wanted from my recovery — not just what I needed to do to get out."
"The training changed how I see my role entirely. I came away genuinely believing that every person I work with can build a meaningful life."
"The research gave us the language and the evidence to push back on a culture that had normalised hopelessness. That matters enormously."
Latest from the Institute
Our latest co-produced research examines how hope is measured, experienced, and fostered within medium secure units across England.
May 2026
Applications are now open for our flagship professional development programme, co-facilitated by people with lived experience.
April 2026
We contributed a detailed evidence submission calling for hope to be embedded as a measurable outcome across all forensic care pathways.
March 2026
About Us
The Institute for Forensic Hope is an independent organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people in forensic settings and formerly incarcerated people — through research, education, and the lived experience of those we serve.
We exist because people in forensic settings — and those rebuilding their lives after incarceration — deserve more than containment or exclusion. They deserve the conditions in which genuine recovery becomes possible.
Our values
In forensic settings and post-release life where pessimism can become institutionalised, we actively resist hopelessness. We model, promote, and protect hope as a professional responsibility.
We do not do research about people in forensic settings or those who have been incarcerated — we do it with them. Lived experience is central to our work, not supplementary to it.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of intellectual honesty, and we are equally committed to translating findings into practice and policy.
We see the full humanity of every person in a forensic setting and every person who has been incarcerated. Dignity is unconditional — it is not something that has to be earned.
We name what we see in the evidence, in the system, in ourselves. Kindness and candour are not opposites.
We are building an Institute where people from forensic settings and the post-release community help design the work — not merely attend it.
Our people
The Institute is built by people who bring scholarship, practice, and lived experience together. We are researchers, clinicians, advocates, and people who have been in forensic settings themselves.
David is a Doctoral Researcher at Durham University and one of the UK's leading figures in the application of hope theory to forensic and criminal justice settings. His research — among the first of its kind in the UK — explores how hope can be cultivated and sustained in custody and post-release, with a focus on lived experience, crime desistance, and reintegration. He is supervised by Professor Tammi Walker and was previously guided by Professor Graham Towl, former Chief Psychologist at the Ministry of Justice. David is an Associate Lecturer in Forensic Psychology and Hope and Resilience at Buckinghamshire New University, and the author of Freedom is in the Mind, a self-help book held in prison libraries across the UK including Broadmoor Hospital. He has contributed to the Prison Service Journal and The Probation Institute, and is a Full Member of the British Psychological Society.
Research & Evidence
All our research is co-produced with people who have lived experience of forensic settings or incarceration. We publish openly, translate rigorously, and advocate relentlessly for findings to change practice.
Current projects
A co-produced qualitative study examining how hope is experienced, communicated, and measured within medium secure units across England and Wales. Led by a team including four researchers with lived experience.
Exploring how the language professionals use to describe risk in forensic settings and criminal justice contexts affects how people experience themselves and their prospects for recovery. Implications for clinical documentation and ward culture.
A comprehensive systematic review of interventions designed to foster hope in forensic populations, examining effectiveness, mechanisms of change, and gaps in the evidence base.
Working with NHS England, forensic commissioners, and probation services to develop practical frameworks for embedding hope as a measurable outcome across inpatient, community, prison, and post-release settings.
Training & Education
Our training programmes are designed to shift culture, not just skills. Co-facilitated by people with lived experience, they are grounded in evidence and built for the realities of forensic settings and reintegration work.
Programmes
Our signature training programme for professionals working in forensic mental health and reintegration services. Explores the theory and practice of hope-informed care, including working with risk, supporting recovery, and using language that builds rather than diminishes hope. Co-facilitated by people with forensic and post-release lived experience.
For ward managers, team leaders, and service leads. Examines how organisational culture shapes individual hope — and how leaders can actively build environments in which recovery is genuinely expected. Includes case study work and peer reflection.
A one-day introductory programme for staff new to forensic settings, prisons, or reintegration services, or seeking a grounding in the evidence and practice of hope-focused care. Available in-house or as open cohorts.
We design and deliver bespoke training programmes for individual organisations — tailored to your service, your team, and the specific cultural or clinical challenges you are facing. Contact us to discuss.
Lived Experience
We believe the expertise of people who have been in forensic settings or who have been incarcerated is foundational — not supplementary. Here is how you can be part of what we do.
Lived experience researchers, advisors, and educators are paid, credited, and central to everything we produce. We are committed to genuine co-production — which means involving people from the very beginning, not consulting at the end.
Get involvedJoin one of our research teams as a co-researcher. Full training and support provided. All roles are paid. You bring the expertise that cannot be learned in a classroom.
Work alongside our professional trainers to deliver Hope-Informed Practice and other programmes. Your voice and experience changes how professionals think about the people they work with.
Our LEAG shapes the strategic direction of the Institute. Members advise on research priorities, training content, policy positions, and organisational culture. Paid, flexible, and genuinely influential.
Our network of people with forensic lived experience spans researchers, advocates, peers, and practitioners. Join our community to connect, share, and shape the movement for forensic hope.
News & Insights
Research updates, policy commentary, programme news, and perspectives from our community.
Our latest co-produced research examines how hope is measured, experienced, and fostered within medium secure units across England.
May 2026
Applications are now open for our flagship professional development programme, co-facilitated by people with lived experience.
April 2026
We contributed a detailed evidence submission calling for hope to be embedded as a measurable outcome across all forensic care pathways.
March 2026
We are delighted to welcome seven new members to LEAG, bringing a wealth of direct experience of forensic settings and incarceration to the strategic heart of the Institute.
February 2026
A perspective piece from our research director on the language of forensic care, and why the words we use matter more than we think.
January 2026
Our annual gathering of researchers, practitioners, and people with lived experience. This year's theme: "Beyond Risk — Building Futures."
December 2025
Membership
Membership of the Institute connects you with a community of researchers, practitioners, and people with lived experience who share a commitment to transforming life in forensic settings and beyond.
Membership tiers
per year · students
per year · individuals
per year · individuals
per year · organisations
Lived experience membership is always free. Find out more →
Contact
Whether you are interested in research, training, membership, or getting involved through lived experience — we would love to hear from you.
Send a message
General enquiries
hello@forensichope.org.uk
Research
research@forensichope.org.uk
Training
training@forensichope.org.uk
Lived experience
livedexperience@forensichope.org.uk
Address
The Institute for Forensic Hope
c/o [Registered address]
United Kingdom
Registered charity
No. [XXXXXXX]
England & Wales