We are introducing two new Research Awards from Autumn 2025: 

• The Probation Institute Research Awards – General Research in Criminal Justice

• The Probation Institute Awards – Research about Women in the Justice System

The new awards will replace the Sir Graham Smith Awards scheme which were established in 2002 in recognition of contribution of the late Sir Graham Smith to leadership in the probation service and the development of evidence based practice. The completed Sir Graham Smith Research Reports are below.

The award for research on women in the Justice System is sponsored initially by funding from the Griffins Society which closed in 2024. The Probation Institute now hosts the extensive library of the Griffins research up to 20204.

The Awards are an important and prestigious scheme supporting and mentoring short, accessible practice based research projects across the justice sector. We are pleased to offer small bursaries of £500 to successful applicants to support research expenses. 

The Institute calls for submissions to the scheme every 1 to 2 years. The next round of awards will be in 2025/26 and we are inviting applications by 1st January 2026. We invite applications from practitioners the probation and prison services, and from the voluntary, community and private sectors. Applicants must have their employer support to undertake the research.  

The Probation Institute Trustees agree a panel to select candidates and give support to the successful candidates throughout the project; the research proposals must be approved by the HMPPS National Research Committee; the Probation Institute then provides a mentor from the Academic Advisory Network.

All the completed reports are published and launched by the Probation Institute. 

To apply for the Probation Institute Research Awards download the Application Form

Published Sir Graham Smith Research Reports

Here are the published Research Reports completed since 2016: