The need for transformative change

Our justice systems are at breaking point …

We see that our current responses to crime and justice are not effective or sustainable. Inherent tensions underpin these complex issues which can be overlooked or seen as ‘too difficult’ to address. Quick-fix, surface-level solutions can neglect underlying causes, making things no better and, sometimes, even worse.  

We think that silos between and within systems, sectors, disciplines and countries prevent the effective sharing and scaling of ideas and solutions. Other sectors, such as health, climate, and finance understand the power of transformative approaches and use them to build capacity and help people have greater individual and collective impact. 

What we do, as people striving for change, is plant seeds of ideas, implement new initiatives, and make well-evidenced recommendations. But too often they fail to take root and grow. Our individual and collective energies and resources go into tweaking justice systems, tinkering at their edges and propping them up, rather than imagining and building justice systems for fit for the future.  

But there is real enthusiasm to achieve transformative change …

We see transformative approaches as bringing to life our constantly evolving justice systems and the interconnections between people involved in and impacted by them. We see opportunities for envisioning future possibilities for our justice systems that we have not yet explored, through enabling diverse perspectives from across the globe to be heard.

We think that having space to make sense of the systems we are trying to change and explore deeply the underlying dynamics that help and hinder systemic change, will provide energising and engaging ways to generate new understanding and ideas.

What we do is use transformative approaches to grow people’s capacity and confidence to explore, understand and address the complex issues in our criminal, civil, and social justice systems, creating the conditions to build tomorrow’s justice systems today.

  • "Many of the challenges governments face are the sorts of problems to which there is no clear answer - from reducing crime to better educating our children - and so an understanding of how complex systems function is key to improving the way we address these challenges."

    Jeffrey Allen, Ministry of Justice, Systems Designer

  • "Transactional changes reform or eliminate a single barrier within a structure. Transformative changes restructure the system itself."

    The Othering and Belonging Institute

  • "Transformational change is not merely about changing how a service operates, but also about shifting mindsets, changing relationships and re-distributing power."

    The Kings Fund