Meet Ruth Armstrong, CEP’s new Research Policy Officer

Ruth’s academic research has focused on transitions from prison to the community and probation’s role in supporting desistance. She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge, where she taught criminal justice leaders from around the world on the Masters in Penology and Management. She is now a Senior Researcher at the University of Liverpool and Director of Justice Matters, supporting criminal justice leaders and advising governments, international organisations and NGOs on criminal justice reform and systems change.

Together with Ioan Durnescu, an honorary member of CEP, she edited Parole and Beyond: International Experiences of Life After Prison, a book which deliberately prioritised publishing research from around the globe that had people who live and work in probations systems at its heart.

“What drew me to CEP is its Statement on Probation Values and Principles: the belief that people can and do change, the commitment to social inclusion, respect for each person’s uniqueness, and a willingness to continuously improve. I love Brené Brown’s insight that values are only real when we translate them into behaviours – they live in what we do and how we do it.

For me, in this role, it means finding, highlighting and working together to strengthen the learning culture across probation in Europe: one where everyone is encouraged to be curious, where asking questions of the ‘evidence’ behind business as usual is the norm, and where we bring together the four different strands of evidence that are important for evidence based practice – professional experience, scientific research, the views of stakeholders (above all, people under supervision), and an understanding of the wider social, political and economic context.”

Ruth has worked internationally for many years and hopes to bring connection, curiosity and momentum to this role. She looks forward to working with the CEP team and learning with colleagues across 43 countries and 57 jurisdictions. Please join us in welcoming her.