Prison Service Journal

What Prison Service Journal does

The Prison Service Journal is a publication produced by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent educational charity and Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England (Charity No 251588, Company No 496821). The Centre traces its origins to 1931 and publishes a portfolio of titles including the Prison Service Journal, the British Journal of Criminology (one of the foremost English-language peer-reviewed criminology journals since 1960), and Criminal Justice Matters. Its editorial focus spans prison policy, probation practice, young adult justice, ethnic disparity in the criminal justice system, joint enterprise, and women's justice. The audience comprises criminal justice practitioners, probation staff, criminology academics, and UK policymakers; the Centre's research has been cited by the UK Justice Committee and quoted in external outlets such as Inside Time.

The business model is non-commercial and grant- and donation-funded. Publications are made available for free download from the Centre's website (crimeandjustice.org.uk); revenue is derived from charitable donations (a 'Make a donation' CTA is prominent on the homepage), grants, and project-specific funding such as the 2026 women's justice policy programme tied to the Corston anniversary. The Centre owns its operating premises at 2 Langley Lane, Vauxhall, London, which doubles as a hub for partner organisations and event hosting. There are no disclosed paying customers, no subscription pricing, and no M&A or venture funding activity; the entity has no subsidiaries or parent organisation.

Operationally, the Centre sustains a programme of publications, eBulletins, podcasts, commentary, panel discussions, and co-published prizes (notably the Mike Guilfoyle Essay Prize with Napo, the UK probation trade union). Active partnerships include Napo, the Barrow Cadbury Trust's Transition to Adulthood Alliance, the University of Birmingham, and Human Rights Solidarity. Headcount is reported at 101-250 though the number includes a published authorial and practitioner-adjacent contributor base rather than purely employee headcount; financials are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Prison Service Journal

Legal name

Centre for Crime and Justice Studies

Website

https://crimeandjustice.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Prison Service Journal is a UK criminal-justice publication produced by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent educational charity serving probation staff, criminology academics, and policymakers through free, grant-funded research and commentary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Journal Publishing

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Correctional Institutions (922140), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), State/Provincial Corrections, Probation & Parole Administration (BPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Academic journal publishing
• Criminology research
• Criminal justice policy
• Probation practice
• Penal reform publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Wotton-under-Edge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Prison Service Journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on prison services, criminal justice, and penal reform, published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. It is distributed free of charge as downloadable PDFs from the Centre's website alongside the British Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Matters, targeting probation practitioners, criminologists, and policy professionals in the UK and internationally.

Product overview

The Prison Service Journal is a publication offered by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. It is part of a portfolio of publications that includes the British Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Matters. The journal focuses on prison services, criminal justice, and penal reform topics, serving as an academic and practice-oriented resource for criminology professionals and researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prison Service Journal: A journal publication covering prison and criminal justice topics, published by the Centre.
• British Journal of Criminology
• Criminal Justice Matters

Products and services

• Prison Service Journal

Quantifiable outcome

• The British Journal of Criminology is one of the foremost English-language peer-review journals in criminology
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NapocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNapo is the trade union for probation staff in England and Wales. The Centre co-hosts the annual Mike Guilfoyle Essay Prize with Napo to honour the legacy of probation officer Mike Guilfoyle and encourage reflections on probation practice.
• Barrow Cadbury Trust (Transition to Adulthood Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Transition to Adulthood Alliance, convened by Barrow Cadbury Trust, supported the 'Smaller but Tougher' project and 'Behind the Decline' reports on young adult justice. This partnership supports research into ethnic disparity and young adults in the criminal justice system.
• University of BirminghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on a panel discussion about Violence Reduction, Promise, Practice and the Gaps in Between, scheduled for October 2026.
• Human Rights SolidarityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman Rights Solidarity convened a roundtable with the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies on the prevention of serious youth violence, focusing on the role of lived experience in youth justice.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Barrow Cadbury Trust: UK charitable trust funding work on criminal justice, particularly young adult justice. Relevant as both a strategic partner (Transition to Adulthood Alliance) and a comparable grant-making body in the UK criminal justice sector.

Broad incumbents

• Penal Reform International: International non-governmental organisation working on penal reform and human rights in criminal justice globally. Comparable as a larger, internationally-focused criminal justice NGO producing research and advocacy on prisons.
• Vera Institute of Justice: US-based research and policy organisation working to end mass incarceration and reform criminal justice. Comparable as a larger independent research charity focused on criminal justice reform, though US-focused.

Direct peers

• Criminal Justice Alliance: UK coalition of over 100 organisations working to reduce crime, rehabilitate offenders, and improve the criminal justice system. Closely comparable as a UK-based criminal justice reform advocacy and research body.
• International Centre for Prison Studies (King's College London): Academic centre at King's College London producing comparative research on prisons and penal policy worldwide. Highly comparable to the Prison Service Journal as a research body publishing on prison systems and criminal justice.
• Prison Reform Trust: UK charity dedicated to improving prison conditions and reducing imprisonment. Shares the Centre's focus on prison reform, criminal justice research, and policy advocacy, with overlapping stakeholder audiences in probation, academia, and government.
• Howard League for Penal Reform: The UK's oldest penal reform charity, advocating for less prison, more rehabilitation. Directly comparable to the Centre as a UK-based independent charity working on prison and criminal justice policy research, advocacy, and reform.
• Nacro: UK charity working on crime prevention, prison reform, and resettlement services. Comparable as a UK criminal justice non-profit focused on rehabilitation, resettlement, and policy advocacy serving practitioners and policymakers.

Emerging players

• Restorative Justice Council: UK charity setting standards and promoting the use of restorative justice. Adjacent peer operating in the same UK criminal justice reform space with practitioner-focused research and advocacy.
• Centre for Justice Innovation: UK charity promoting effective, community-led approaches to criminal justice. Comparable as a smaller, more recent UK-based criminal justice reform organisation working on research, advocacy, and practitioner engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/crimeandjustice
• Facebookfacebook.com/Centre-for-Crime-and-Justice-Studies-164670000232449
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prison-service-journal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prison Service Journal