Ian West served 35 years in the prison service in England, working in ten prisons and governing four. He tells us about the special secure unit of HMP Belmarsh where he worked with some of the highest-risk prisoners in the country, the difficulties of changing the thinking of some elderly prisoners and what it was like to govern a prison through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Dr Rebecca Myers was a forensic and prison psychologist in England treating prisoners who had committed sexual offences. She is also the author of the book, Inside Job. Of the individuals in society who admit to being sexually attracted to children, why do some people give in to those sexual compulsions when so many others don't? How does she measure success in this line of work? And how does working with people convicted of sexual offences impact staff?

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Craig Gottschalk was a wildlife biologist who went on to work in prisons for 12 years, first as a prison officer and finally as assistant director. He is now assistant ombudsman, investigating complaints from people in prison. Craig shares the signs to look out for before somebody becomes violent, taught to him from his days as a biologist. He tells us about an encounter with a former prisoner who threatened to kill Craig and his family, and how a chance meeting in a grocery store showed Craig that he was literally saving lives in prison.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Email me: evolvingprisons@outlook.com

Luke Mitchell is serving a prison sentence in Scotland for the murder of Jodi Jones. He claims he is innocent and numerous documentaries have aired questioning his guilt. Why do some people think he is innocent? How do the media remain respectful of Jodi's family when reporting on these matters? And how might prison be for Luke, since he doesn't accept he committed this crime? I speak with Naomi Channell, a TV producer and independent true crime podcaster, about her deep-dive into this case on her podcast.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Roughly 20,000 children in Scotland experience parental imprisonment each year. But what unique challenges do families of imprisoned individuals face? How do they navigate the emotional and practical realities of life during the Christmas season? I chat with Professor Nancy Loucks OBE, Chief Executive of Families Outside, to explore how the impact of imprisonment extends far beyond the individual behind bars and affects the lives of those left outside.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, USA, was one of the most famous prisons in the world. How did the prison function in the 19th century and beyond? And how was Christmas celebrated there throughout the centuries? We chat to Damon McCool, the Senior Manager of Programme Development there now that the prison is a tourist site, to find out.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Anne Okkels Birk grew up on the grounds of a prison in Denmark as her dad was a prison governor. She went on to work for the prison service and is now a criminologist. She shares what this experience was like growing up, some of the challenges Danish prisons face, why sending prisoners to Kosovo isn't a good idea and lessons we can learn from the Holocaust and other genocides.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Email me: evolvingprisons@outlook.com

Photo Credit for Anne's picture in the cover art: Bent Dahl Jensen, Café Exit

Leroy Pearson worked as a prison officer in 3 prisons in England. He shares the ways in which his mum going to prison when he was at school shaped his behaviour as an officer, the barriers he faced as a result of his entire immediate family having criminal convictions, and the challenges he had as an ethnic minority prison officer.

Connect with Leroy

Instagram: @talkwithbiggz

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie