Outspoken prisons inspector and human rights activist Anne Owers has been made a dame in the New Year's honours list for services to the criminal justice system.
Owers, who has held the post since August 2001, has spoken out vigorously against prison overcrowding, the use of controversial restraint techniques in children's detention centres, and government plans to build massive "titan" jails.
There is also a knighthood for Bernard Ribeiro, former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, who two years ago criticised the government's NHS reforms as "Stalinist".
Other new public service knights include Peter Dixon, the former chair of the Housing Corporation, and Nick Partridge, the chief executive of the HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins trust.
John Coughlan, the director of Hampshire children's services, who last month was drafted into Haringey council by children's secretary Ed Balls to overhaul its child protection department in the wake of the Baby P crisis, is made a CBE.
Child protection campaigner Sara Payne, 39, who dedicated her life to fighting for better safeguards against paedophiles after her daughter Sarah was murdered eight years ago, is made an MBE.
In the charity sector, the director of the Wellcome trust, the UK's biggest charitable foundation, Mark Walport, receives a knighthood, while Juliet Lyon, the director of the Prison Reform trust, is made a CBE for services to the welfare of prisoners.
In the world of local government there are CBEs for Lucy de Groot, the executive director of the Improvement and Development agency, John Freeman, the director of children's services at Dudley metropolitan borough council, David Prince, former chief executive of the Standards Board for England, and David Parsons, leader of Leicestershire county council.
In the health service, veteran NHS manager Neil Mckay, currently chief executive of East of England strategic health authority, is knighted. There are CBEs for David Flory, the director-general of NHS finance, and Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, former chief executive of King's College Hospital NHS foundation trust.
Richard McCarthy, director-general of housing and planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government, receives a CBE, as does Robert Upton, secretary-general of the Royal Town Planning Institute, and Deborah Shackleton, chief executive of the Riverside group of Housing associations.
Finlay Scott, chief executive of the General Medical Council, receives a CBE.