On 2 and 3 February 2026, together with RUBIKON Centrum (Czech Republic) and Silta (Finland), RESCALED organised a two-day WOMEN x RESIZE international workshop. The central question guiding the event was: How can detention houses better respond to the specific realities and needs of incarcerated women? Around 30 participants from...

FRAME (Frameworks for Realising, Assessing, and Monitoring small-scale detention in Europe) is a two-year European project that strengthens how small-scale detention is assessed, implemented, and embedded across Europe. As small-scale detention increasingly replaces large prison institutions, FRAME works to make sure  these facilities are measurable, comparable across countries, and anchored...

Across Europe, justice systems are reevaluating their approach to addressing young adults who come into conflict with the law. For those aged eighteen to twenty-five, this period represents a crucial stage of transition from dependence to autonomy, from impulsivity to reflection, from isolation to belonging. Yet traditional custodial institutions, designed...

The United Nations plays a crucial role in establishing global standards for all forms of deprivation of liberty. Through committees, conventions, and monitoring bodies, like the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), the UN works to ensure the humane treatment of people deprived of their liberty worldwide. These mechanisms, alongside...

Across Europe, prisons have become ground zero for a growing mental health crisis. This crisis is not just about the vulnerabilities of those incarcerated, but also about the failures of our public institutions. Despite longstanding international obligations, mental health care in detention remains wholly insufficient.1 On any given day, over...

I often meet children who miss their parent but can barely find the words to express their feelings. Sometimes they casually mention that they were allowed to see their dad for an hour last month, and sometimes they avoid the subject altogether. I know this silence well. I was one...

Lived experience as a key to restoration Nothing about us without us. These words capture why the voice of survivors must not be absent in the justice system. Precisely there, where people serve their sentence, the need for recovery is great. Yet, our prison system is currently focused mainly on...

Lived experience and experience experts are increasingly recognised as valuable contributors in social domains, healthcare, and justice reform. From mental health and substance use care to reintegration programmes for formerly incarcerated individuals the involvement of people with firsthand knowledge has the potential to transform policies and practices. However, drawing on...

When we talk about justice reform, whose voices are shaping the conversation? At RESCALED, our vision is that lived experience is part of the very foundation of justice reform, seamlessly embedded across all its aspects. Therefore, we feel an undeniable urgency to articulate how we envision, collaborate with and actively...

I consider myself a privileged woman in many ways. I get to work with amazing people and travel to places all over Europe, meeting smart, funny, and kind people. I have two healthy children, I studied at university, and I have many friends who are there for me whenever I...

Youth detention is a crucial issue throughout Europe, as stakeholders pursue more humane, effective, and community-focused ways to support young people facing deprivation of liberty. In Austria, research initiated by Salzburg Children’s and Youth Advocacy sparked a collaboration with the NGO Richtungswechsel. A joint visit to the small-scale facility of...

On the 23rd of May 2025, RESCALED held its annual General Assembly in Salzburg, Austria. This year’s event marked a meaningful gathering to reflect, (re)connect, and look ahead. In addition to reflecting on the key highlights and achievements of the past year, including our growing impact and the expanding reach...