This is episode 2 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us. Wayne Campbell joined the police service in Northern Ireland in 2004 and spent much of his career as a detective, including overseeing the family liaison response for some of the country’s most devastating incidents - from homicides and fatal road accidents to mass casualty events. In this episode, Wayne tells us about two of the most defining and harro...
Jun 23, 2025•48 min•Season 2Ep. 2
This is episode 1 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us. James Bull has been a firefighter for 25 years. In 2017, he made the brave decision to speak publicly about his experience of PTSD - a step that led to a three-year journey with a documentary film crew, capturing the mental health realities of the emergency services. In this episode, James tell us about two of the most psychologically difficult incident...
Jun 16, 2025•57 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Ray and Vi Donovan's son, Chris, was murdered in 2001. They made the extraordinary decision to meet all three of his killers through restorative justice. They tell us about the heartbreak of losing Chris, navigating the justice system and how it felt meeting each of the three boys responsible. Explore the work Ray and Vi are doing through the Chris Donovan Trust . Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancarrie...
Jun 08, 2025•42 min•Ep. 101
This is the 100th episode of the podcast! Thank you for listening and supporting these conversations. Sarah Ellis is a barrister and forensic criminologist with a particular interest and specialism in coercive control, stalking and homicide. She explains the concept of the homicide timeline and how coercive control can escalate over time. Why is coercive control still so often misunderstood or overlooked? What needs to change in the way we intervene? And why do perpetrators of coercive control r...
Apr 18, 2025•50 min•Ep. 100
Rob McKeon has sat on the parole board in England & Wales since 2012. He's reviewed the cases of over 5,000 prisoners, making decisions on whether they are ready to be released, including those convicted of murder, serious violence and sexual offences. We discuss the biggest signs that a prisoner might be ready to re-enter society, how some prisoners try to sabotage each other’s chances of release, and the emotional weight of making decisions that can change lives forever. You can purchase a...
Mar 31, 2025•46 min•Ep. 99
Will Potter is an award winning investigative journalist and author. He delivered a Ted talk about secret prisons in America which received millions of views. We chat about these prisons, called communication management units, how Will was able to enter one and the psychological toll that his work as a journalist has taken on him. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancarrie...
Mar 07, 2025•38 min•Ep. 98
Dr Shahed Yousaf is a GP who works in prison and with the homeless community in England. How is healthcare adapted to reach those without a fixed address? How does he navigate working with imprisoned patients who'd be better served in a mental health facility? What are some of the most surprising things he's seen in prison? And what personal toll has prison work taken on him? You can buy a copy of Dr Yousaf's book, Stitched Up, here . Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram...
Feb 27, 2025•59 min•Ep. 97
Paul Cosgrove is a former investment banker who later became a prison officer. He tells us about his experiences working with prisoners convicted of financial crimes, the attitude some of these individuals had towards their crimes, some of the most challenging things Paul has had to deal with and how transitioning from investment banking to prison work changed his views on materialism and success. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancar...
Feb 17, 2025•40 min•Ep. 96
Recorded live, this episode features two prison officers who have worked in one of the UK's first community custody units for women. They share their experiences of transitioning from a male high-security prison in Scotland to working in a facility built on the belief that women should be imprisoned in more trauma-informed, community-like conditions. We speak about the contrasts between working in these vastly different establishments, their views on staff corruption, some of the difficult thing...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 95
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...
Jan 27, 2025•47 min•Ep. 94
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: evolving...
Jan 17, 2025•49 min•Ep. 93
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 t...
Jan 07, 2025•52 min•Ep. 92
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 h...
Dec 27, 2024•49 min•Ep. 91
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: evolvingpri...
Dec 17, 2024•35 min•Ep. 90
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...
Dec 07, 2024•39 min•Ep. 89
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: evolvin...
Nov 27, 2024•50 min•Ep. 88
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...
Nov 17, 2024•55 min•Ep. 87
Justin Jones has worked in corrections in America for 47 years and was Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for 8 years. During this time he witnessed 28 executions of people on death row. Who is there when the execution takes place? How did watching these impact him, particularly since he doesn’t believe in the death penalty? How did he get access to the drug required when pharmaceutical companies weren’t providing it? And if it isn’t a medical professional or prison staff member ...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 86
I took the podcast to HMP Shrewsbury to interview former prison officer Graham, who has 38 years' experience in the job. He spent many years working at Shrewsbury, a prison that is said to be one of the most haunted in the world. What was it like to work here? How has prison work changed over the decades? CEO of the site, Joel, joins us to share paranormal experiences that have occurred within the prison. You can watch the video version of this podcast here . Video and photo credit: Ice Eye Medi...
Oct 27, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 85
Dr Kathryn Whiteley has interviewed hundreds of women who've killed and are serving life or life without parole sentences in America, Australia and Ireland. She shares some stories that have stuck with her, how some of the women feel about their crimes and helps to humanise them by giving them a voice to share their life stories. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancarrie Dr Whiteley's podcast - Self-Identities: Conversations with convi...
Oct 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 84
Dr Amanda Brown was a GP in a leafy suburb for 20 years before going to work in prison, despite not knowing doctors even worked in prisons. She spent 19 years working with both male and female prisoners, and foreign nationals. Dr Brown is also the author of The Prison Doctor book series. She shares some highs and lows with us, including traumatic experiences that will stay with her forever, and tells us why working in a prison has shifted her values. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingpriso...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 83
Tarmi A'Vard is the wife of a prison officer. She talks about how it feels to see her husband, Chris, changed by the job. He was hospitalised on numerous occasions after attacks by prisoners and Tarmi shares the toll the job has taken on their marriage and social life. She also tells us about their difficult road ahead as Chris tries to recover from his experiences. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancarrie Email me: evolvingprisons@ou...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 82
How were women treated in prison in America in the early years at a time before they were considered citizens? Why has Alcatraz prison left such a legacy? And why is America's prison system the way it is, when their early plans were to move away from a penal system that brutalises to a more reformative system? Professor Ashley Rubin studies the history of prisons in America and answers these questions for us. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedI...
Sep 17, 2024•47 min•Ep. 81
Portia Louder served five years in prison for mortgage fraud. She was imprisoned 14 hours from her husband and children in a federal prison. She was allowed 8 weeks at home before starting her sentence and she tells us about this experience. Portia shares how she navigated seeing her family only once a year and the challenges she's faced reintegrating back into the family unit upon release from prison. Portia has written a book, Born to be Brave, which you can buy here. Evolving Prisons links We...
Sep 07, 2024•49 min•Ep. 80
Andy Laidlaw spent 26 years in the prison service in England, starting as a prison officer and finishing as a deputy prison governor. He tells us about his experiences as a hostage negotiator, how to minimise staff corruption and what working in a prison has taught him about life. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancarrie Email me: [email protected]...
Aug 27, 2024•59 min•Ep. 79
What do you do when a prisoner draws an unnerving picture during class? And how does it impact you when the first thing you see while interviewing for a job in prison is a traumatising event? Steve Tafka was an art teacher in prisons in England for three years and shares some eye-opening experiences with us. You can buy a copy of Steve's book, The Art of Crime, here . Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaigancarrie...
Aug 17, 2024•56 min•Ep. 78
Dr Ben Cave is one of the UK’s leading forensic psychiatrists. He has 35 years of experience, including as a prison psychiatrist and a consultant in secure and general mental health units. He is also the author of What We Fear Most. We discuss misconceptions around mental illness, the fact the Mental Health Act does not apply in prison, and the risk of being a forensic psychiatrist where Dr Cave had a security system linked to the police installed in his home. Buy a copy of Dr Cave's book, What ...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 77
Jason worked as a prison officer in both mainstream and sex offender prisons. He tells us about the mental health toll the job takes, whereby three of his colleagues took their own lives. He also talks about how management seeing prison officers as a number can contribute to them feeling undervalued and lacking self-worth, and he shares personal experiences he had of this during his time as an officer. Evolving Prisons links Website: evolvingprisons.com Instagram: @evolvingprisons LinkedIn: kaig...
Jul 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 76
Oscar Castro was on his third trip to Latin America to smuggle heroin back to America when he was caught at a hotel in Ecuador. He subsequently served 7 years in prison there. What's it like to spend time in a prison where you have to buy your cell and can get access to almost anything, as long as you pay the guards enough money? Is this still punishment? And how does Oscar feel for his part in contributing to the devastating impact drugs have? Oscar Castro's links YouTube: @globalockdownoscarca...
Jul 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 75
Jamie Morgan Kane spent 34 years in prison in America after walking into his home and finding a deceased man there who his wife had poisoned. Jamie was taken from the UK to America illegally as a baby and he shares how it felt re-adjusting to life in the UK at age 64, when he was deported after release from prison, despite spending almost all of his life overseas. He also tells us how it felt to do things he loved again, after being unable to do them for 34 years during his prison sentence. You ...
Jul 07, 2024•48 min•Ep. 74