Justice

In this episode we explore diversion schemes for women, and what role they play in preventing women from being unnecessarily drawn further into the criminal justice system. Edwina speaks to Pamela Price South London Women's Hubs Manager, and Miranda Dobson Head of Communications from Women in Prison (WIP) to learn more about the diversion scheme they run in South London, linked to their women’s centres. The programme aims to provide early intervention and support for women who have been taken into police custody, addressing underlying issues such as housing, poverty, and substance use. This episode highlights the challenges faced by women in the criminal justice system, including the stigma and shame associated with criminalisation, particularly for mothers, and explores the positive outcomes diversion schemes can have – such as improvements in mental health, relationships, and well-being.  Learn more about the work of Women in Prison here: www.womeninprison.org.ukFollow them on X @WIP_liv

In this episode our Women’s Involvement Advisor Lilly Lewis explores Problem Solving Courts for women with Dr Alexandria Bradley Senior Lecturer in Criminology, and Dr Sarah Waite Senior Lecturer in Law and Criminology from Leeds Beckett University. Alexandria and Sarah are currently evaluating Greater Manchester’s Problem Solving Court for Women, a community justice initiative Lilly also knows well from her work supporting women in the Manchester area. The Problem Solving Court in Greater Manchester is a process in which the woman, the courts, probation services and women’s centres work together to support the woman to adhere to her court order and to achieve positive outcomes for herself.  The episode looks at how the approach works and what the evaluation will explore, as well as broader discussions on what a trauma informed community justice system could look like and what support services are needed. Learn more about Greater Manchester’s Problem Solving court in a blog by Fiona D

In this episode we look at what’s needed to prevent young women getting caught up in the justice system and what community-based solutions are needed. Lilly is joined by Indy Cross, CEO of Agenda Alliance, who shares learning from their Young Women’s Justice Project. In partnership with the Alliance for Youth Justice, the project engages with young women, front-line practitioners and other experts, with the aim to build a strong evidence base and influence practice and policy to better meet the needs of young women in contact with, or at risk of being in contact with the justice system. We also speak with a young woman Caiyan from Daddyless Daughters, a key partner in the Young Women’s Justice Project, who shares her insights into what support should be provided. Daddyless Daughters supports girls and young women who have been affected by family breakdown, abuse and adversity across London between the age of 11 – 25 years old. Aliyah Ali, Founder of the organisation, also joins us to share more abou

This episode celebrates the one year anniversary of Hope Street opening, our residential community for women and their children in contact with the Justice System. Edwina and the team look back at our service design and intentions and reflects on the first-year and the challenges and opportunities so far. This episode draws on previous interviews for the JUSTICE podcast such as with Lilly Lewis, One Small Thing’s Women’s Involvement Advisor exploring why a different kind of approach and space for women in the Justice system was needed. It also examines the design of the project with Mike Worthington, lead architect on Hope Street and Dr Madeline Petrillo, Associate professor of Criminology from Greenwich University who has been researching the co-production design process we used. We hear from Hope Street evaluation lead Dr Emma Plugge from the University of Southampton on the learning we hope to gather over coming years. To mark one year we also spoke to the CEO of One Smal

In this episode we explore suspended sentences and what a presumption against short prison sentences really means. With the election this year, it is not clear which policies will be upheld if there is a change in Government, however recently Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk announced intentions to introduce a presumption against sentences of less than 12 months in England and Wales, in favour of these short sentences being suspended in the community. Experts Dr Shona Minson and Dr. Cyrus Tata discuss the effectiveness of this policy in Scotland since it was introduced over a decade ago, finding little impact on reducing custody rates. They explore the proposed legislation in England and Wales, challenging assumptions around it’s suggested impact, and highlighting that without both clarity of vision and proper investment in community support, prison will often be used as the default. We explore how vital community support services, such as women’s centres, are for women involved in the justice system

Introducing our new series of JUSTICE where we will be exploring community justice solutions for women. What are community justice solutions? And why are they important for women? For the first time, this series will be co-hosted by Edwina Grosvenor with One Small Thing’s Women’s Involvement Advisor Lilly Lewis. Along with expert guests we’ll delve into different sentencing options, and initiatives aimed at keeping women in the community, as well as prevention and diversion. Importantly, we’ll be highlighting why it’s vital we stop sending women to prison unnecessarily, and focus on providing support within communities.  Our JUSTICE podcast series exploring community justice solutions will be out this Summer. To keep up to date with all the latest episode releases subscribe to JUSTICE, and follow us on X @OSTCharity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, we continue our exploration of transformational spaces by looking at an example of trauma informed design from further afield. Edwina speaks to Samantha Donnelly, an architect and lecturer at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Samantha is also a PHD Candidate, her thesis focusing on how trauma informed design can benefit the experiences of women, children and staff in domestic abuse refuges. Edwina and Samantha discuss how trauma informed design, and buildings can impact the lives of people who are in vulnerable situations. Samantha shares more about some of the issues she has encountered as an architect in designing spaces for women in refuge, as well as the design solutions she has found to supporting women to feel safe in their surroundings.  Learn more about Samantha Donnelly’s work here: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Samantha.Donnelly/aboutRead more about the One Small Thing charity here.Twitter - @OSTCharityThis podcast is created and produced by

In this week's episode, Edwina speaks to Are Høidal, Senior Advisor for the Norwegian Correctional Service. Are has over 30 years’ experience of being a Governor in Norway’s prison system, first in Oslo Prison, and then in internationally renowned Halden Prison for 14 years. Are was heavily involved in the radical transformation of the Norwegian Prison Service in the 1990s, which led to the dramatic reduction in recidivism which now stands at a world leading 20%. The changes in the 1990s saw the Norwegian prison service professionalise the frontline workforce and radically change their training. Another key element of this was designing prisons to be places of rehabilitation, and to simulate life outside of prison as far as possible. Halden Prison is a prime example of this. Designed to simulate a village, the architecture aims to minimise residents' sense of incarceration, avoid psychological pressures, conflicts, and interpersonal friction, whilst maintaining security. In this episode Are sha

In this episode Edwina explores prison design and architecture. Throughout history prisons have been places purposefully designed to be oppressive and punitive. However today, there is growing consensus that conditions inside prison should not be part of the punishment, and that if custody is appropriate at all, prisons should in fact be spaces that support change and growth. The question remains - can spaces designed to deprive people of their liberty ever be conducive to healing? And to what extent? In this episode we explore these questions with Yvonne Jewkes, Professor of Criminology at the University of Bath. Yvonne’s research area is prison architecture and design, and she has consulted on prison design projects around the world. In this episode we explore Yvonne’s work designing the new women’s prison in Limerick, Ireland. Yvonne reflects on the process of working on this project, and the completed results, and speaks more broadly about the tension between designing prisons for women, and advocati

In the first episode of our Healing Spaces series, we discuss whether healing spaces within the justice system are possible, and if so, what this could look like.  Edwina speaks with Lilly Lewis, One Small Thing’s Women’s Involvement Advisor about her experiences in the justice system and the importance of considering physical space when supporting women’s recovery from trauma. In this episode we also meet those involved in the design of Hope Street, our pilot residential community for justice-involved women and their children. Dr Madeline Petrillo, Associate professor of Criminology from Greenwich University has been researching the co-production design process we used, and she is joined by Mike Worthington former director of Snug Architects and lead architect on Hope Street. They discuss what they have learnt about designing a space for women affected by the justice system that aims to be trauma informed. We also hear from one of the women involved in the consultation processes for Hope Stree

Introducing our new series of JUSTICE where we will explore what impact the physical environment can have on those who have experienced trauma. How can spaces be designed to create feelings of safety, and promote healing? And what key design elements do we need to consider when responding to trauma?  Along with expert guests, we will be exploring a variety of physical contexts and why it’s vital that we not only understand the potential physical space can have for hope and healing, but also for harm. Our JUSTICE podcast series ‘Healing Spaces’ will be out this November. To keep up to date with all the latest episode releases subscribe to JUSTICE, and follow us on Twitter / X @OSTCharity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our final episode in our series exploring motherhood in the justice system, Edwina reflects on what we’ve heard, and looks to the solutions to some of the challenges we’ve explored this series. Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing, returns to discuss her thoughts and feelings on what she’s heard on the series, and shares what she hopes those listening will take away. We explore the need to continue to work together across the sector to campaign for reform and hear from Naomi and Sam from Birth Companions on the No Birth Behind Bars campaign. Edwina also speaks to Emma Plugge who is the lead at the University of Southampton for the evaluation of Hope Street, our residential community for women and their children that aims to be a blueprint for change across the Justice system. To conclude this series we look forward with hope that the justice system can finally be reformed to better support mothers and their children.Read more about the One Small Thi

In this episode we focus on the experiences and voices of children affected by maternal imprisonment. So often children are kept in the dark about what is happening, or their views and wishes are overlooked. This episode contains the voices of children who have been affected alongside professionals working to improve the support available.We hear from Farhana and Tiff who have both been personally affected by their mother going to prison and have also written blogs on this topic for One Small Thing. They both describe experiences of being ignored and overlooked by the professionals around them.We also speak to Sarah Beresford, Prison Reform Trust Associate and Churchill Fellow who explains how Child Impact Assessments can equip adults and services to listen more closely to the needs of children with mothers in the criminal justice system. A full podcast episode with Sarah can be accessed here.We hear from Sarah Burrows, founder of Children Heard and Seen, a charity she

In this week’s episode, Edwina explores the issues affecting black and racially minoritised mothers in the justice system. She speaks to two researchers at the cutting edge of improving knowledge of these experiences. Dr Sinem Bozkurt is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Westminster and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her PhD explored the prison and post-prison experiences of racially minoritised mothers. Monica Thomas is an ESRC funded PhD researcher at Cardiff University. Monica's PhD research focuses on the experiences of Black mothers in and after imprisonment, using Black feminist narrative methods.  In this episode, Sinem and Monica share some of the findings of their research, and discuss how race intersects with motherhood experiences in the justice system. Learn more about Sinem https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/bozkurt-sinem-0#aboutLearn more about Monica https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/research

In this week’s episode, Edwina speaks to Becky Wray and Katia Parent, the two family social workers who are part of the pilot project run by the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) that sees family social workers being based inside women’s prisons for the first time.We hear the unique perspectives of these social workers – the difficult job of managing the connection or separation between mothers and their children, and navigating the prison and care system in-between.The Farmer Review (2017) recommended Social Workers to be present in every women’s prison. In 2019, and in partnership with Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact), this three-year pilot project (funded by the Sylvia Adams Foundation) began which saw two family social workers being placed in two prisons for women. You can read about the evaluation of the first year of the pilot led by Professor Alyson Rees at CASCADE (Cardiff University) here and an article by the team and Dr Lucy Baldwin here.  To learn more about the

Please note this episode contains discussion of traumatic births and infant mortality that some listeners may find upsetting. This week we are continuing the exploration of pregnancy and birth in the justice system. In our last episode Edwina spoke with Dr Laura Abbott, a registered midwife and Associate Professor in Research at The University of Hertfordshire, who has extensively researched women’s experiences of pregnancy in criminal justice settings. In this episode we’ll be delving deeper into more of the data around pregnancy in prison, and learning about the lived experience of those who have been pregnant in prison.  Suzy* is a trustee and Lived Experience Team member of Birth Companions, a women’s charity dedicated to tackling inequalities and disadvantage during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. Suzy has lived experience of pregnancy in prison, and works with Dr Laura Abbott’s on the Lost Mothers Project, a pioneering study exploring how women and professionals involved with the j

In this episode, we explore pregnancy and birth in the justice system. What are the experiences of those who enter prison pregnant and are faced with giving birth inside? And what impact does imprisoning pregnant women have on their safety, and their baby’s? To help us explore these questions, Edwina spoke to Dr Laura Abbott, a registered midwife and Associate Professor in Research at The University of Hertfordshire. Laura’s has extensively researched women’s experiences of pregnancy in criminal justice settings, and is currently working on the Lost Mothers Study Project which will explore how women and professionals involved with the criminal justice system, experience enforced separation of newborn babies. In this episode, Laura shares more about her work and how her research is paving the way for policy changes to improve outcomes for pregnant women in the justice system. Learn more about the Lost Mothers Project: https://lostmothers.org/Explore Laura’s research: https://researchprofiles.her

In this week’s episode, Edwina explores what rights mothers in the justice system have. She speaks to Kate Lill, Women Prisoners Caseworker at the Prisoners’ Advice Service, whose role involves providing free legal advice to women in prison, and making sure they are able to assert their rights. Prisoners’ Advice Service (PAS) are a charity providing free legal advice to those in prison. They run a dedicated freephone number for women in prison providing them with advice on a range of matters including Family Law. One of their desired outcomes of their work with women is that, even though they are imprisoned, mothers are able to assert their legal rights in relation to their children and engage effectively in Family Law proceedings. In this episode, Kate explains some of the challenges she helps women navigate, and highlights how the lack of information offered to women around their rights as a mother is having devastating implications for them and their children. To learn more about the work of

In this first episode in our series exploring motherhood in the justice system, Edwina sat down with Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing, to discuss some of the key issues and challenges facing mothers in the justice system.  Lilly is a survivor and campaigner on Domestic Abuse who started her campaigning work whilst in prison. After being sentenced in 2016 to 8 years in prison, she began to work with APPEAL as a Women's Justice Ambassador. Lilly also works at WHAG supporting young women at risk of homelessness. In her role at One Small Thing, Lilly ensures the voices of women affected by the justice system are included across our work, and writes a regular blog for us. In this episode, Edwina and Lilly reflect on what has led them both to dedicate their time to advocating for changes to improve the outcomes for women in the justice system, and their children. We will also be hearing excerpts from a range of past expert contributors to the JUSTICE podcast on this topic.&

Introducing our new series of JUSTICE where we will explore the experiences of mothers in the justice system - from women who enter prison pregnant and give birth inside, to those who are separated from their children through imprisonment and involvement from social services.  With those working on the front line, and those with lived experience, this series sheds light on the untold stories of mothers in the justice system, and their children. Each episode Edwina will be speaking to expert guests and exploring what needs to change. Our series on Motherhood in the Justice System will be out this Spring. To keep up to date with all the latest episode releases subscribe to JUSTICE, and follow us on Twitter @OSTCharity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.