Short bio
Louis Favril is a professor in the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law at Ghent University, Belgium. Trained as both a clinical psychologist (MSc) and criminologist (MSc, PhD), his work focuses on mental health and addiction among people involved in the criminal justice system and other vulnerable populations
Prof. Favril teaches several Bachelor and Master courses in the criminology programme, including Penology, Forensic Welfare Studies, Drug Phenomena, and Offender Reintegration.
As (co-)supervisor, he currently oversees several externally funded research projects, including studies on prisoners’ reintegration needs (Flemish Government), changes in self-control during and after imprisonment (BOF-IOP), the evaluation of drug consumption rooms in Belgium (BELSPO), participatory action research in prisons (FWO), peer support in prisons (FWO-SBO), peer support in substance use treatment (BELSPO), trauma-informed care in addiction services (BELSPO), and the evaluation of prison healthcare in Belgium (RIZIV).
He has published extensively in leading international journals (such as Lancet Psychiatry, Lancet Public Health, and Addiction) and serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including Tijdschrift voor Criminologie, Fatik, and Law and Criminology Journal.
Work details
- EMAIL: louis.favril@ugent.be
- TELEPHONE: +32 9 264 84 61
- TELEPHONE SECRETARIAT: +32 9 264 69 30
- ADRESS: Universiteitstraat 4, Ghent, Belgium
- ORCID: 0000-0002-9519-7824
Selected societal impact activities
Selected media
Selected events
Expertise
- Prison
- Mental health
- Suicide
- Drug use
- Harm reduction
Offender reintegration
Selected projects
- The impact of the prison environment on drug use in women
- Rebuilding evidence on drug consumption rooms
- Behoeften voor re-integratie en recidivebeperking bij gedetineerden
- A neuro-criminological study of the impact of the prison environment on inmates’ self-control
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviour in Belgian prisons
- Feasibility study on drug consumption rooms in Belgium
- Hervorming van de penitentiaire gezondheidszorg in België
- Een participatief actieonderzoek naar gezondheid in detentie
Selected publications
- Favril, L., Strang, J., & Fazel, S. (2026). Drug use among people in prison: a global review of epidemiology, harms, and interventions. Addiction, 121(4), 749-764.
- Favril, L., Rich, J.D., Hard, J., & Fazel, S. (2024). Mental and physical health morbidity among people in prisons: an umbrella review. Lancet Public Health, 9(4), e250-260.
- Favril, L., & van Ginneken, E.F.J.C. (2024). Individual and environmental contributors to psychological distress during imprisonment. European Journal of Criminology, 21(3), 350-369.
- Favril, L. (2023). Drug use before and during imprisonment: drivers of continuation. International Journal of Drug Policy, 115: 104027.
- Favril, L., Yu, R., Uyar, A., Sharpe, M., & Fazel, S. (2022). Risk factors for suicide in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological autopsy studies. Evidence-Based Mental Health, 25(4), 148-155.
- Favril, L., & O’Connor, R.C. (2021). Distinguishing prisoners who think about suicide from those who attempt suicide. Psychological Medicine, 51(2), 228-235.
- Favril, L., Yu, R., Hawton, K., & Fazel, S. (2020). Risk factors for self-harm in prison: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry, 7(8), 682-691.