Rescaled

What Rescaled does

RESCALED (legally RESCALED IVZW) is a Brussels-headquartered, Belgian-registered non-profit network organization founded in 2019 that advocates across Europe for the replacement of large-scale prison institutions with 'detention houses' built on three interconnected principles: small-scale design, differentiation tailored to individual needs, and community-integration that links facilities with surrounding service providers. The organization addresses a target population of approximately 1.5 million incarcerated individuals across Europe, serving policymakers, practitioners, journalists, researchers, civil society, and people with lived experience as its primary stakeholder segments.

Its core products are knowledge platforms and EU-funded project outputs rather than commercial technology: the RESCALED website serves as the central hub; the Inspirational Practices Database (rescaled-inspire.org) catalogs 80+ small-scale facility examples searchable by type, location, and principle; the 'Let's Talk RESCALED' podcast series disseminates reform narratives; and an ecosystem framework codifies interactions between incarcerated people, staff, visitors, and local service providers. The organization runs an active EU-funded project portfolio including RESIZE (correctional staff competencies, 4-year, 24 partners), FRAME (monitoring framework, 2-year), WOMEN (incarcerated women, 1-year), and BRIDGE (young adults 18-25, 1-year), with co-funding from the European Union via Erasmus+ and European Commission programs.

The business model is non-commercial: revenue is generated through EU project co-funding, membership contributions from national member organizations across 17 European countries, and donations accepted via Stripe. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on pan-European networking, annual European Symposia on Detention Houses (Brussels 2024 hosted by the Belgian Senate during the Belgian EU Council Presidency, Tirana 2026), General Assemblies (Malta 2026), Knowledge Workspaces, and Research Community activities. The movement is governed by a six-member board spanning Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal, with operational leadership including Executive Director Helene de Vos, and is currently pursuing ANBI (Public Benefit Organisation) status in the Netherlands.

Name

Rescaled

Legal name

RESCALED IVZW

Website

https://rescaled.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rescaled is a Belgian non-profit network organization founded in 2019 that advocates across 17 European countries for replacing large prisons with small-scale, community-integrated detention houses, serving policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and people with lived experience in criminal justice reform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Reform Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

Keywords

• Criminal justice reform
• Prison alternatives advocacy
• Detention house research
• Restorative justice networking
• Correctional policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Elsene

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and organizational support: RESCALED operates as a European network organization with members in 17 countries. They generate support through membership contributions, donations (accepting Stripe donations), and organizational partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RESCALED is a European non-profit network organization that advocates for replacing large prisons with "detention houses" that are small-scale, differentiated, and community-integrated. It delivers this through pan-European advocacy, research publications, annual symposia and General Assemblies, knowledge platforms, and EU-funded multi-country projects (RESIZE, FRAME, WOMEN, BRIDGE, INSPIRE, WISH EU). The organization does not sell commercial products or services; its outputs are funded by EU grants, member contributions, and donations and are aimed at policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society in 17 European countries.

Product overview

RESCALED is a European network organization (IVZW) that challenges the concept of 'prison' and promotes 'detention houses' instead — small-scale, differentiated, and community-integrated facilities. The organization's core digital presence is the RESCALED Website (rescaled.org), which serves as the main hub for movement activities. Supporting this are specialized platforms including the Inspirational Practices Database (rescaled-inspire.org) for cataloging facility examples, and the Let's Talk RESCALED Podcast for knowledge dissemination. The organization also manages multiple EU-funded projects including RESIZE (correctional competencies training), FRAME (monitoring framework), WOMEN (incarcerated women support), and BRIDGE (young adults detention). These projects collectively advance RESCALED's mission of replacing large-scale prison institutions with humane, community-integrated alternatives across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RESCALED Website (rescaled.org) Main website and digital hub of the RESCALED movement, providing information about the organization, its mission, projects, publications, news, and resources on detention houses for policymakers, practitioners, and civil society across Europe.
• Inspirational Practices Database (rescaled-inspire.org) Searchable online database showcasing 80+ examples of small-scale, differentiated and community-integrated detention facilities across Europe, categorized by facility type, location, management, target groups, and underlying principles.
• Let's Talk RESCALED Podcast Podcast series exploring justice reform topics, detention houses, and the RESCALED movement through conversations with practitioners, policymakers, and people with lived experience, distributed via Buzzsprout and Spotify.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research from Norwegian prisons shows both incarcerated people and staff experience better quality of life in small-scale facilities, linked to increased chance of successful return to society

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• FRAME Project (Frame for Realising, Assessing and Monitoring Small-Scale Detention in Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Co-organised the 2026 European Symposium on Detention Houses with the FRAME project. FRAME is a two-year European project that strengthens how small-scale detention is assessed, implemented, and embedded across Europe. Consortium includes RESCALED, Antigone Association (Italy), Irish Penal Reform Trust, and Penal Reform International.
• Restorative Justice Nederland (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Core team member of the BRIDGE project (Building Responsibility & Inclusion through Detention houses for youngsters to support Growth & Education). Dutch organization dedicated to restorative justice approaches.
• Richtungswechsel AT (Austria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Core team member of the BRIDGE project. Austrian organization contributing to youth justice reform and detention house implementation.
• VZW De Huizen (Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Supporting organization for the BRIDGE project, providing expertise on detention house implementation for young adults.
• CPIP Romania (Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2025Project leader of the RESIZE project (Reshaping Correctional Competencies through RESCALED Innovation). Four-year European collaboration united with 24 partners to address evolving needs of staff within the correctional ecosystem.
• Rubikon Centre (Czech Republic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2025Partner in the WOMEN project (Workspace for Mapping, Engaging, and Networking with Incarcerated Women). Czech NGO that helps individuals move beyond their criminal past. Also focuses actively on working with people with lived experience across their staff and activities.
• Silta (Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2025Partner in the WOMEN project. Finnish non-profit organization dedicated to increasing societal equality, participation, and welfare.
• Belgian Senate and Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2024Host and supporter of the 2024 European Symposium on Detention Houses. The Belgian Presidency put detention houses on the European agenda, providing a platform for meaningful dialogue in Brussels.
• National offices and member organizations (17 countries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRESCALED operates as a European network with members in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Kosovo, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Spain. In each country, different national offices, members and partner organisations support the implementation of detention houses in their own way.
• SILEO (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch organization led by individuals with lived experience committed to driving systemic change in the justice system.
• Bonjo (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch organization led by individuals with lived experience working to drive systemic justice reform.
• Angelus Custos (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroatian organization focused on justice reform, with lived experience-led initiatives.
• WayBack (Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian organization led by individuals with lived experience working on systemic change in justice.
• Village of Hope / Lootusekula (Estonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstonian organization focused on supporting individuals and communities affected by the justice system.
• RISe Foundation (Malta)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of RESCALED and host of the 2026 General Assembly in Malta. Key national partner for the movement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Prison Reform Trust: UK independent charity advocating for prison reform and reduced reoffending. Comparable advocacy and research model to RESCALED, but national in scope rather than pan-European.
• Howard League for Penal Reform: One of the oldest penal reform NGOs in the UK. Comparable because it conducts research, policy advocacy, and convening on prison reform, but operates within a single national jurisdiction and broader criminal-justice portfolio than RESCALED.

Direct peers

• EuroPris (European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services): European network of prison and correctional administrations that exchanges knowledge and standards across Member States. Directly comparable to RESCALED's cross-border convening role, although EuroPris is more institutionally focused on prison administrations.
• Penal Reform International: London-based international NGO working on penal reform worldwide. It is the most direct peer because it also operates a pan-European advocacy and policy network promoting humane, rights-based criminal justice systems and is a named RESCALED consortium partner on the FRAME project.
• Restorative Justice Nederland: Dutch organization dedicated to restorative justice approaches. It is a core BRIDGE-project partner of RESCALED and shares the same focus on restorative, community-integrated alternatives to traditional incarceration.
• Irish Penal Reform Trust: Ireland's leading penal reform NGO and named RESCALED consortium partner on the FRAME project. Comparable as a national advocacy organization aligned with RESCALED's small-scale, community-integrated detention principles.
• Antigone Association: Italian penal reform NGO and named RESCALED consortium partner on the FRAME project. Comparable because it operates both as an advocacy organization and as a monitoring body producing empirical data on Italian detention conditions.
• CEP (Confederation of European Probation): European umbrella body for probation services focused on community-based sanctions and reintegration. Comparable to RESCALED because both push alternatives to detention and share a European network model targeting justice policymakers.

Regional players

• Fair Trials International: Europe-headquartered criminal justice watchdog focused on fair trial rights. Comparable as a pan-European NGO with policy advocacy toward EU institutions and Member States, but its remit is broader than detention reform.

Emerging players

• Centre for Justice Innovation: UK charity that designs and tests innovative justice interventions. Comparable because it combines pilot design, evidence generation, and policy advisory work in criminal justice, overlapping with RESCALED's Knowledge Workspaces and Inspirational Practices database.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Rescaled_mov
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNwYrShBOxj77u0i3sLR2cw
• Facebookfacebook.com/RESCALED.movement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rescaled
• Instagraminstagram.com/rescaled_movement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Rescaled