Juliet Lyon

Juliet Lyon is a Visiting Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London, and a member of the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR). She chairs the Open Mental Health Alliance Somerset and serves on the Churchill Fellowships advisory council. Previously, she directed the Prison Reform Trust (until 2016) and served as secretary general of Penal Reform International, driving collaborations that influenced landmark policy changes in the UK criminal justice system.

Her research centers on translating evidence into social policy reforms, focusing on:

• Criminal justice restructuring and prison population reduction
• Mental health integration in penal systems
• Youth justice and vulnerable population advocacy
• Human rights in custodial settings

Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on systemic reform, with themes spanning prisoner rights, youth incarceration impacts, and crisis management in custodial environments. Key works contributed to the abolition of Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences and reduced child detention rates.

Honors include:

• CBE for services to criminal justice

She has led or contributed to multiple government reviews:

• Corston Review (vulnerable women in justice systems)
• Bradley Review (mental health and disability)
• Thomas Commission (Justice in Wales)

She chaired the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (until 2023) and was a Women's National Commissioner. Current work includes evidence submissions to the UK Covid Inquiry based on custodial health research.