Overcrowding, staff shortages, and bureaucracy have hindered the ability of large prison institutions to meet societal and justice-involved individuals’ needs. In response, the RESIZE project — one of only eight EU-approved Blueprint Alliances — aims to reshape detention practices across Europe by introducing small-scale, community-integrated detention houses. Over the last...

Incarceration is often framed as a significant financial burden on society, with discussions frequently focusing on its immediate costs — such as daily expenses for housing people in detention. However, this perspective risks missing the larger picture: the societal and economic consequences of detention and the potential for meaningful justice...

🌍 Exciting news! On October 9, 2024, the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 57/9, calling on all States to prioritise the social reintegration of persons released from detention and those subjected to non-custodial measures.  The resolution invites States to introduce appropriate alternatives to traditional incarceration—such as small-scale detention —while...

VZW De Huizen, NGO and Belgian RESCALED Office, is proud to announce the recent legal establishment of detention houses in Belgium. This marks a significant milestone in our years of advocacy for a sustainable, humane, and meaningful penal policy. Our vision of detention, centred on small-scale facilities, differentiation, and community-integration,...

Through the INSPIRE project, Restorative Justice Nederland aims to refine the concept of a restorative city by identifying key principles, such as dialogue, community involvement, democracy and horizontal relationships, and urban design. In addition, the role of small-scale detention within a restorative city is explored. After a first article about Utrecht,...

Thandiwé Devriendt, the student social media manager at RESCALED, is a criminologist currently pursuing her master’s degree with a keen interest in forensic psychology and minority groups in vulnerable situations. From her studies in Criminology, work, and personal experience, she has chosen to write a blog post on the often...

The European Movement for Detention Houses now has members in seventeen European countries!  For a movement, growth is important. But equally important is how you grow as a movement. RESCALED is a movement of people who share values on a personal level. We discuss, we laugh, we support each other...

RESCALED Welcomes Landmark EU Council Conclusions Under Belgian Presidency (EU2024BE) Brussels, 14 June 2024 — Today, the ministers for Justice of the 27 EU countries have unanimously expressed their support for the use of detention houses. They did so by adopting Council Conclusions on Small-scale Detention and thereby inviting all member...

This post was originally published on 24th October 2023 by Penal Reform International. In a context of climate crisis and rising costs, prisons, like all institutions, must take action to be more sustainable and minimise impact on the environment. In this blog, Wiep Fokker from Restorative Justice Netherlands makes the case for nature-based...

Detention houses have emerged on the local, national and, more recently, even the European level, attracting the attention of policymakers, researchers, practitioners and civil society. These detention houses are based on three principles that reinforce each other: small-scale, differentiation and community-integration. If people are to be deprived of their liberty...

Originally published on 19 April 2024 in Italian at www.rapportoantigone.it This model of detention refers to three fundamental principles: small-scale, differentiation and community-integration On March 21st we were guests of the Belgian Federal Senate, at the invitation of the European RESCALED network, to discuss small-scale detention with representatives of European institutions and...

The Restorative City concept responds to current social challenges posed by rapid urbanisation, environmental degradation, and the need for more sustainable and livable urban spaces. It aligns with growing awareness of the interconnectedness between the built environment, (social and criminal) justice and the well-being of individuals and communities. These communities...