Building Futures
Building Futures is our project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to explore the experiences of people who will spend 10 or more years in custody.
About the project
Building Futures focuses on how long sentences impact prisoners, their families and wider communities. Working collaboratively with prisoners, prison staff and others, the programme aims to provide solutions and shape a prison environment that is safe, humane, encourages accountability and fosters hope. It places a strong emphasis on promoting prisoner leadership and self-advocacy and the creation of inter-prisoner support networks.
What's the issue
In the last twenty years, the prison population has changed hugely.
- Sentences for more serious crimes have become longer.
- At least 11% of the prison population is now serving some type of indeterminate sentence.
- Far more people will now spend 10 or more years in prison.
- The average tariff length for murder has increased from 13 years in 2000 to 20 years in 2020.
- Meeting the challenges of this change will shape the prison landscape for the foreseeable future.
Latest news & updates: Building Futures
View all news and updatesGrowing numbers of long sentenced women struggling to progress through their sentence
The third briefing in our 'Invisible Women' series puts a spotlight on progression
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Prison Service Journal publishes article on women’s experiences of long-term imprisonment
The PSJ has published an article written by PRT on women's experiences of long-term imprisonment
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Event: The impact of crisis and scandal on achieving prison reform
Join us as we discuss how moments of political crisis and scandal shape our criminal justice system
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Locked in? Initiating a debate on crisis, scandal and criminal justice
New paper examines crisis and scandal, and the role they play in shaping justice policy and practice
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Health needs of women serving long prison sentences neglected
Women serving very long sentences feel their health needs are being overlooked, new briefing reveals
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New report led by prisoners at HMP Rye Hill published
Men at HMP Rye Hill share experiences of the impacts of long-term imprisonment in new report.
Building Futures publications
View all- April 2024 Invisible Women: Progression The third briefing in our ‘Invisible Women’ series puts a spotlight on progression. Invisible Women: Progression
- December 2023 The Very Long-Term Prison Population in Scotland: A scoping document The Building Futures programme has commissioned the Scottish Advocacy and Research Collective (SPARC... The Very Long-Term Prison Population in Scotland: A scoping document
- July 2023 Locked In? Achieving penal change in the context of crisis and scandal Moments of crisis and scandal are an ever-present feature of the political cycle and the decisions t... Locked In? Achieving penal change in the context of crisis and scandal
- February 2023 Invisible Women: Hope, health, and staff-prisoner relationships In the last thirty years, the number of women serving an indeterminate sentence has grown from 96 in... Invisible Women: Hope, health, and staff-prisoner relationships
Building Futures team
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David Maguire
Project Director
David has spent two decades working with, researching and managing projects for excluded and marginalised groups across a range of sectors, including housing, education, prison and the wider criminal ...
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Claudia Vince
Programme Coordinator
Claudia previously worked as Research Officer at HM Inspectorate of Prisons, planning and facilitating research in a variety of custodial settings to aid and inform the independent inspection process....
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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To make a positive difference to the lives of very long-sentenced prisoners, their families and the wider community.
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Long-term prisoners will set the priorities. It is crucial that the programme is built by people it represents. So we will:
- Facilitate listening forums.
- Create inter-prisoner support networks.
- Promote prisoner leadership.
- Bridge the gap between the people who make policy and the people affected by it.
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Working with our Prisoner Policy Network, we are putting together a network of prisoners serving long sentences who will be involved in consultations, research and advocacy work.
Our network members will be key contributors to the project. If you are serving 10+ years and would like to be part of our Building Futures Network then please get in touch.
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Write
Building Futures c/o
Prison Reform Trust FREEPOST ND 6125
London EC1B 1PNEmail
If you have access to email a prisoner, you can contact us at