Prison Leavers Project
Ministry of Justice
February 2021 - March 2023
Location • United Kingdom
About
The Prison Leavers Project is a cross-government project that works with prison leavers and stakeholders to test innovative ways to improve social inclusion of people leaving prison, and reduce reoffending.
The project has a cross-sector component formed by multidisciplinary teams with policy and front-line experience, third-sector subject matter experts, user researchers, people with lived experience in prison, and service designers.
The project also aimed to look at how design methods can be used in policy contexts. Testing and iterating ideas that could support informed policy changes and allowing policy teams to collaborate with each other towards a common goal.
What I did
I championed people-centred design and systems thinking during the two years of the project to ensure not only services understand people’s needs, but how policies can impact people and the operational realities.
I led my multidisciplinary team to form as a team, implement agile ways of working and supported resolving complex team dynamics through team building activities such as team’s comfort zones, competencies and skills exercises.
I led the research and design process on 4 separate workstreams to test concepts and develop strategic recommendations that influenced policy decisions for stakeholders across the justice system. Plus, I co-designed an intervention with operational, policy stakeholders and people with lived experience of prison to test and learn how to best prepare people for their day of release form prison.
I developed and managed our stakeholder engagement strategy, facilitating face-to-face and virtual workshops with various stakeholders including people with lived experience in prison, policy teams, prison governors and senior leaders.
More on my skills…
How I’ve led my team to embed agile ways of working to drive impact
As a design leader, I spearheaded the transformation of our team's workflow by embedding agile principles into our design process. Through strategic guidance and hands-on facilitation, I empowered the team to embrace agile methodologies, prioritize people-centred design, and achieve impactful outcomes.
I conducted workshops and provided coaching to equip my colleagues with the knowledge and skills needed to confidently facilitate design sessions. By emphasising the team's strengths, motivations, and experiences, I maximised their collective capabilities and nurtured a collaborative and supportive environment.
Adapting Agile for Government Constraints:
Recognising the unique constraints of governmental work, such as tight timeframes, evaluation-led processes, and non-multidisciplinary team structures, I adapted the agile product delivery approach to suit our specific context. Instead of testing ideas with hypotheses as in a traditional alpha process, I focused on testing the riskiest assumptions of already developed ideas.
I facilitated nine rounds of validation sessions with multiple stakeholders and conducted further research to define and co-design interventions as we engaged with new stakeholders. Rather than following the typical alpha-to-beta-to-live phases, the project transitioned directly from alpha to an adapted beta live phase. This approach included iterative spaces before moving to a pilot frozen state for impact evaluation.
How I drove impact through prototyping and iterating ideas
Leading by example, I championed the use of prototypes to validate ideas and prioritise people's needs. I successfully launched two prototypes in UK prisons, aiming to improve probation appointments on release day and enhance collaboration between services and staff for better support of individuals transitioning back into society.
Through iterative design and continuous feedback loops with people in prison and frontline staff, I refined these interventions to prioritise people’s needs while navigating the constraints of the wider system. Despite tight timeframes and logistical challenges, I adapted by holding regular virtual check-ins with prison teams and appointing an engagement coordinator. This remote approach allowed us to gather feedback, make adjustments, and ensure the interventions remained aligned with the evolving needs of the prison environment.