Evolving Prisons

Former prison officers, Ella and Harriet, speak about the difficulty of working in a prison system that often causes harm to prisoners. They share their stories of joining the service with hopes of making a difference, only to discover a reality that was far different than what they expected. They discuss the challenges of working in a system where rehabilitative work is often prevented, and where...

Dean Williams is the former Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections and Commissioner of Corrections in Alaska. Dean talks about the preventable deaths in custody that happened in Alaska before he took over which cemented his decision to take over the role, and the reforms he made towards a more humane prison system. He also shares why Colorado had a 50% recidivism rate despite...

Andy West talks about the power of teaching Philosophy in prison. Drawing on his personal experiences, Andy shares how teaching Philosophy to prisoners can help with their personal growth and emotional wellbeing. He discusses how he became aware of prisons from a very young age, as his father, brother and uncle all served time in prison. We also explore the importance of creating an environment co...

Did you know that research suggests around 80,000 innocent people are in prison in the United States? Claudia and Sydnie are both Senior Staff Attorney Fellows at the California Innocence Project (CIP). They share stories with us about people CIP have helped to free from prison and how they were wrongfully convicted, they tell us the main reasons why people are wrongfully convicted in the United S...

Martin Lockett is a substance abuse counsellor, author, public speaker, and advocate for reducing driving under the influence fatalities. He spent 17.5 years in prison for a driving under the influence fatality that claimed two lives and severely injured another. In an impassioned vow to his victims’ families and friends at his sentencing, Martin decided to devote the rest of his life to honouring...

Laura Bevan is the Prisoner and Family Service Manager at Prisoners Abroad. Prisoners Abroad is a human rights and welfare charity providing humanitarian aid, advice and emotional support to people affected by overseas imprisonment. They assist British citizens during their incarceration, when they return to the UK and need access to resettlement services, and they support their family and friends...

Mike Oulton has spent 15 years in prison in Mexico and Canada. He was a career criminal but his positive outlook on life and growth has enabled him to break free from a life of crime. Mike talks about first being arrested at the age of 10. He tells us about his 10 year prison sentence in Mexico for drug smuggling, and his imprisonment in Canada thereafter. He shares some prison rules that we can a...

Megan Michals is a social worker in Florida, USA. She shares her experience of working in a prison there to improve the wellbeing of incarcerated people and how she felt the work she was doing wasn't supported by the staff within the prison. Megan also tells us about recidivism in Florida and the 'three strikes and you're out' law which can see people spend their entire life in pri...

Anthony Stephen Malone has a very varied career history. Among many things, he is a former paratrooper, special advisor and CIA agent. In this episode he speaks about the time he spent 3 years working undercover in a prison in Afghanistan and the 4 year prison sentence he served in prisons in England. Anthony tells us about some of the problems facing prisons in England today, he compares English...

David Haze served two prison sentences in England for burglary which stemmed from using drugs and gambling. His second time in prison transformed his life as he discovered growth-orientated activities, including the power of sport. In prison, he ran a marathon and decided he would paddle the longest lakes in the UK when he was released. He is now a 7x SUP World Record holder. In this episode he sp...

Sally Taylor is the Chief Executive of Koestler Arts, a prison arts charity. They aim to help prisoners, and other detained individuals, lead more positive lives by motivating them to participate in the arts. They currently have their annual exhibition on in Southbank London until 18 December 2022 which showcases work created by people in prison or other places of detention. The exhibition is pres...

Tommy had a methamphetamine addiction and served time in prison in Auckland, New Zealand. He went on to study for a degree in Criminology and work for an organisation which aims to transform the criminal justice system in New Zealand. In this episode he speaks about his addiction and using drugs to make him feel better internally. He explains how he felt his personality was stripped away from him...

Anthony Pierre went from earning $40,000 a month as a real estate investor in the USA, to serving a 6 year prison sentence for drug charges and only earning $20 a month in prison. Anthony speaks about the importance of mindset in turning your life around. He explains that, because many people around him used drugs, he didn’t see them as being particularly bad, not the way somebody who has never be...

Jolyn Armstrong was living a happy life with her husband and spending a lot of her time travelling, as she was able to work on her business from anywhere. Jolyn’s life dramatically changed when she got a phone call from her son to say he had been arrested and was facing life in prison. Jolyn speaks about navigating the criminal justice system, how she dealt with changing relationships when her son...

Dr Craig Waleed is an educator and counsellor. He is currently working as a Campaign Manager to end the use of long term solitary confinement in North Carolina. He holds a master’s degree and a PhD, and he also spent 8 years in prison in New York for attempted murder in the second degree. In this episode Craig shares with us that he was subjected to abuse growing up. He speaks about prison and how...

To celebrate 20 amazing guests on the Evolving Prisons podcast I thought we'd do a different episode where I am interviewed about my recent research into prison officer training in Scotland and Norway. I am interviewed by Rob Hosking, former police officer and also my partner, who often gets roped into prison related things for me! I completed a Masters by Research degree and this research is what...

Jason Tremblay has worked as a prison officer in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, however he has been off work for several years having been diagnosed with PTSD. He shares his story of becoming a prison officer and some of the events he has experienced which he thinks has contributed to his PTSD. He also tells us about how difficult it can be to live with PTSD. Jason tells us about the River Vall...

Sara Lee has worked as a musician in prisons since 1984 and in 1995 she was asked to form the Irene Taylor Trust which delivers music projects in prisons and in the community. Sara speaks about the beginning of her career working in HMP Wormwood Scrubs playing music for people in prison and the positive effect this had on not only them, but the staff too. She tells us about how the arts were calle...

Natasha founded Unlocked Graduates in 2016. It aims to encourage university graduates to work as a prison officer in England for two years, while gaining a masters degree. They are challenged to create new ideas around improving the way prisons work. Today, Natasha speaks about why she founded Unlocked Graduates and what the programme entails. Max is a prison officer and he discusses how he decide...

Peter Sage is a motivational speaker, international serial entrepreneur and an expert on human behaviour. He is a 6 time Tedx speaker and has shared the stage with Sir Richard Branson and Elon Musk. He is also the recipient of the BrandLaureate Award and was named one of the greatest leaders and entrepreneurs by Inspiring Leadership Now.  In 2017, Peter served a 6 month prison sentence for co...

Sinem Bozkurt was a prison officer in England for a year and a half before she was caught taking contraband into prison for an incarcerated person. She then went on to serve a prison sentence. Sinem speaks about her time as an officer, what was going on in her life that contributed to her taking in contraband and her time serving a sentence. We discuss whether the training equips officers to do th...

William Young is a Correctional Officer in Nebraska, USA and has been in this work since 2005. He also has a business called Just Corrections where he aims to bring awareness to the emotional and psychological dangers of correctional work. In this episode, William speaks about the impact being a Correctional Officer can have on your physical and mental health, and your life outside of work. We dis...

Paul English is an international consultant on penal reform and has been doing this work since 1997. He has worked for United Nations agencies and reform groups. Today he shares with us his experience of working in countries such as Uganda, Lebanon and Nigeria. Paul discusses the issues their prisons face such as lack of resources for rehabilitation efforts, lack of food for incarcerated people an...

Tom Eberhardt has 26 years' experience working in different prisons in Norway, from being a prison officer to a governor and working within other management positions within the Norwegian Correctional Service. He was the governor of Bastøy Prison for six years until 2020. Bastøy prison is a low-security prison on Bastøy Island around 75km away from Oslo. The prison houses people who are sentenced...

Eddie has spent a total of 20 years in prisons in England for different offences but hasn’t committed a crime in over 16 years now. Eddie now does work in some prisons in England. In this episode he speaks about the impact of the new psychoactive substances (NPS) in prison known as Spice, the importance of utilising people with lived experience in prisons and the importance of education in prison....