From Policy to Practice: Turning Recommendations into Real Change”
How the ZMT bridges the gap between inquiry reports and real-world impact
In a system designed to punish crime by taking away people’s time, it is ironic that working in prisons, we often ask ourselves: How can we avoid wasting time by moving beyond well-intentioned policies and recommendations to affect meaningful change inside prison walls
At the Zahid Mubarek Trust (ZMT), we frame this question around the work we do every day to create a more equitable service for all, transforming national-level recommendations into lived, measurable improvements for people in custody.
This can be seen in the issue of violence in prisons. The Ministry of Justice’s latest figures reveal a worrying trend: over 28,000 violent assaults recorded in the past year alone, a post-COVID high that underscores the urgency for reform.
In response to such challenges, the ZMT delivers practical, rehabilitative interventions that bring to life the recommendations from landmark public inquiries, encompassing over 20 years of work, from the 2006 Zahid Mubarek Inquiry to work today focused on turning policy into practice. These recommendations emphasise the importance of systemic culture change, better relationships between staff and prisoners, and targeted support for those from marginalised backgrounds.
One such intervention is our Equalities Advocates Course, which incorporates conflict resolution training — an area too often overlooked in operational practice. In one of our sessions with prisoners at HMP Norwich, it became clear just how transformative these sessions can be. Prisoners openly acknowledged that without the tools to reflect and rationalise during moments of tension, violence often felt like their only option — an instinctive reaction to an environment where stress is constant, and trust is scarce.
But through the course, they’ve begun to shift those instincts. Conflict resolution, grounded in self-awareness, communication, and mutual respect, becomes a daily practice — not just theory.
This is where the shift from policy to practice becomes reality. We do not just advocate for safer prisons. We are teaching skills that prevent violence in the first place. We’re not just calling for better prisoner-staff relationships. We’re creating spaces where empathy and understanding can grow.
This is exactly what our work is framed to accomplish. Routinely, participants describe the course as the most valuable and thought-provoking intervention they’d experienced. Many report their participation in the course as the first time they’d been challenged to think differently about themselves, their past behaviour, and their potential to lead within their prison community and beyond.
When prisoners gain insight into the pressures staff face — and staff begin to understand the emotional triggers and social context of those in custody — the prison becomes more than just a place of containment. It becomes a place of potential. This is what “policy in practice” looks like. It’s slow, person-centred, and deeply relational. But it’s also effective.
The Zahid Mubarek Trust remains committed to ensuring that national recommendations are not just words in reports, but tools for action, transforming both individuals and the system.
Photo by Matthew Ansley on Unsplash