IPS_Innovative Prison Systems

16/10/2026

📢 Join us at the Media & Learning Association's webinar on Digital & Media Literacy in Europe!

Our Researcher & Consultant Sofia Almeida will be speaking at the webinar "Media Literacy in closed environments: prisons, detention, and restricted information spaces".

The session will focus on the importance of media literacy when access to information is curated or closely monitored, and how it can help people in custody prepare for life after release.

Sofia will be joined by Bianca Reisdorf (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Max ter Beek (Click F1), and Maria José Brites and Teresa Sofia Castro (Lusófona University). The event will be moderated by Chloé Pété (Media & Learning Association).

The webinar is aimed at correctional professionals, media literacy educators, policymakers, researchers, digital inclusion practitioners, civil society organisations and human rights advocates, as well as anyone interested in this topic.

📅 21 October 2026
🕑 14:00 – 15:30
💻 Online | Free

✍️ Register to participate here: https://media-and-learning.eu/events/media-literacy-in-closed-environments-prisons-detention-and-restricted-information-spaces/

14/10/2026

📘 The FULL-PROOF project has published its Strategy Paper on Procedural Rights, bringing together the results developed over two years of work.

Based on 59 interviews, a 138-response survey, 7 national roundtables and international workshops in Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, the paper looks at how three key procedural rights work in practice: the right to information, access to a lawyer, and legal aid.

Here are some key takeaways:

⚖️ The directives have been transposed, but gaps remain at the earliest stages of criminal proceedings.
🔍 Legal aid is the most fragile safeguard. Foreign nationals, non-native speakers, children and socio-economically disadvantaged people are most exposed to breaches.
🤝 Closing the gap doesn’t require new laws, but rather better implementation through cross-professional training, independent monitoring, adequately resourced legal aid and the exchange of good practices.

As a partner of , we invite you to explore the Strategy Paper and its recommendations for strengthening procedural rights in practice.

🔗 Read the full paper here: https://full-proof.eu/full-proof-recommendations-strategy-paper-on-procedural-rights/

FULL-PROOF has published its Strategy Paper on Consolidating EU Action on Procedural Rights, bringing together project's conclusions.

13/10/2026

Tackling extremism and hate crimes in Europe requires building safer communities and strengthening social cohesion as part of a truly holistic approach.

✍️ In the latest digital feature for JUSTICE TRENDS, Vivian Gravenberch and Sara Houweling, (Dutch Institute for Safe & Secure Spaces – DISSS) are joined by Maida Ganević and Ivo Lisitzki (BAG RelEx) to explore:

🔹 The three pillars of a multi-actor approach: triangle management, evidence-based knowledge and CPTED;
🔹 Findings from an EU-wide survey conducted by the SHIELDed Project on the threats that religious communities face;
🔹 How Local Shielding Councils are bringing together faith communities, police, authorities, and civil society;
🔹 Why prevention is more cost-efficient than repression in the long run.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://justice-trends.press/community-safety-social-cohesion-hate-europe/

An article discussing how to tackle hate and extremism in Europe and the work done by the SHIELDed project to study the issue and protect soft targets.

12/10/2026

📢 Como mitigar tendências de ódio e extremismo seguindo uma abordagem centrada nas vítimas e num ecossistema restaurativo?

Este vai ser o foco no próximo dia 22 de outubro, durante a Conferência Final do VicTory Project, que a IPS tem o prazer de organizar.

A decorrer no Porto, a conferência reunirá todos os parceiros, assim como profissionais de toda a Europa, para discutir e trocar experiências sobre:

🔎 As maiores necessidades, desafios e boas práticas para estabelecer uma abordagem centrada na vítima para casos de ódio e extremismo
🔄 A importância da cooperação multi-agências, garantindo que todas as pessoas afetadas recebem o apoio necessário e acedem à justiça de forma simples e equitativa
💡 O impacto da profissionalização do setor judicial e cívico para melhor receber casos de ódio e extremismo, mitigando vitimização secundária
⭐ Como estruturar esforços restaurativos para o fenómeno, ultrapassando barreiras legais

Há ainda a possibilidade de providenciarmos um apoio para a deslocação até ao evento. Esperamos por si!

👉 Inscreva-se aqui: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=e0Gnjsdm6UmH7Bi33FRncg66zRqts4dIrQlFsEHkVHVUN0RFRFA3NE5KUjhGM0I4V1oxSFFVUzUyMy4u

09/10/2026

WE ARE FINALISTS — AND NOW THE PUBLIC VOTES
It is great to see our work recognized by the jury selecting the finalists. Now the public has a say: the winner will be decided by combining the jury’s score with the public vote. Every vote counts toward the final result.

𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗨𝗦 𝟯𝟲𝟬º 𝗶𝗢𝗠𝗦 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 — a recognition of the research and development, and of the evidence-based approaches, behind a solution built for correctional agencies worldwide.

HORUS 360º iOMS is a next-generation, AI-enabled offender and jail management system that supports decision-making, digitizes and automates manual processes, and strengthens security in correctional facilities (learn more at www.digitalcorrections.com).

Its assessment, classification and case-planning functions are grounded in evidence-based correctional practice and the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model. It is designed for sovereign deployment, with data residing in the customer’s own jurisdiction, and built to meet CJIS and SOC 2 compliance requirements.

It is at different stages of implementation in several jurisdictions and is currently available in North America, Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia – evidence that R&D can be turned into operational value for correctional agencies, while contributing to reduced recidivism and improved public safety.

HORUS is the result of public and private investment, promoted and developed by IPS_Innovative Prison Systems | ICJS Innovative Criminal Justice Solutions – a research and technology group headquartered in Europe and North America (USA and Canada), also operation in Latin America – with the support of the National Innovation Agency.

What began as a research and development project is today a mature, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product, configurable to each agency’s legal framework and operating model and ready for deployment. It shows that, with knowledge, research and evidence-based innovation, correctional technology can deliver measurable public value: safer facilities for staff and incarcerated persons, better-informed decisions on classification, treatment and release, lower recidivism, and stronger public safety for the communities that correctional agencies serve.

How to vote (open to everyone, in any country):

- Go to https://www.premiosdosfundoseuropeus.pt/2372-2/
- Select HORUS 360º iOMS (projects are listed alphabetically) and confirm with your email

Please share this with your network!

09/10/2026

💬 “Prison constitutes an opportunity to promote behavioural interventions related to healthcare, awareness-raising and health literacy.”

In this article for the 15th edition of JUSTICE TRENDS, IPS researcher Patrícia Bonato and IPS Compliance Analyst Gonçalo das Neves explore how AI can strengthen the right to health in prison, from telemedicine and electronic health records to predictive analytics and infectious disease monitoring.

Drawing on international standards, including the Nelson Mandela Rules and Bangkok Rules, the authors examine why data protection, transparency and purpose limitation need to be part of the conversation from the outset.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://justice-trends.press/between-bars-and-big-data-artificial-intelligence-and-the-digital-right-to-health-in-prisons/

An overview of the most pressing health needs in prison settings and the advantages that an intelligent health management system can offer to guarantee healthcare access to incarcerated persons.

09/10/2026

Technology can be an important ally in improving the management of prison systems, strengthening institutional cooperation, and supporting evidence-based decision-making.

These were some of the topics discussed in the “New Technologies in Detention” seminar, which was recently hosted by the International Criminal Court, in The Hague.

📍 IPS was represented at the event by our CEO, Pedro das Neves, and our Chief Technology and Information Officer, Álvaro García R..

The seminar provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore how tech innovations can contribute to more responsible and forward-looking detention management. 🤝

🔗 Read the full story to learn more about our participation: https://prisonsystems.eu/ips-joins-international-criminal-court-seminar-on-the-use-of-technology-in-detention-management/

08/10/2026

🌐 How can technology strengthen cross-border cooperation in justice?

Criminal activity does not stop at national borders and effective justice responses need to take international networks into account.

From improving information sharing to enabling better collaboration between jurisdictions, technology can play an important role in overcoming some of the challenges of cross-border cooperation.

In our newest JUSTICE TRENDS digital feature, IPS researcher Beatriz Martins explains the role tech plays in this evolving landscape and how initiatives such as the J-CAP Next project are contributing to the digital transformation of justice.

🔗 Read the full article: https://justice-trends.press/technology-cross-border-cooperation-j-cap-next/

An article presenting the J-CAP Next project and exploring how digital tools can strengthen cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters, particularly the transfer of probation measures and alternative sanctions between EU Member States.

07/10/2026

🌱 Building greener prisons goes beyond infrastructure and requires organisational capacity and trained staff.

A new assessment tool created by the GreenPP - Green Prison Pathways project is helping identify the gaps and develop the skills that prison staff need to turn sustainability goals into everyday practice.

Northern Ireland's prison system offers an example of how these challenges can be addressed, illustrating how sustainability can be integrated into daily prison operations and management.

These topics were discussed during a recent webinar with guest speaker Tony McDonnell, Head of Estate Management at the Northern Ireland Prison Service and Coordinator of the EuroPris Real Estate Network.

📖 Learn more about the GreenPP assessment tool and Northern Ireland's case here: https://prisonsystems.eu/bridging-estate-strategy-and-staff-capability-to-build-greener-prisons/

A recent IPS partnered webinar brought together participants from across Europe to explore how prison estate sustainability strategy connects with staff training needs. The session featured a guest keynote from the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the first findings from the GreenPP staff and man...

06/10/2026

Artificial intelligence is often discussed in corrections in terms of individual use cases: predicting risk, supporting rehabilitation, improving security or automating administrative tasks.

But what if AI is an opportunity to rethink how correctional organisations work?

💡 In an article for the 15th edition of JUSTICE TRENDS, IPS' CEO Pedro das Neves examines how LLMs, chatbots and AI agents are already beginning to reshape correctional operations, and how the increased automation brought forth with AI will require correctional services to rethink workflows, professional roles, governance, and accountability.

🔗 Read the full article: https://justice-trends.press/artificial-intelligence-in-prisons-from-concept-to-practice/

As AI enters correctional practice, this article by Pedro das Neves explores how it can support operations, rehabilitation and decision-making, and what responsible use requires in terms of data, governance and oversight.