The second season of Catch22Minutes will look into issues faced by the UK’s justice sector, from victim services to support for individuals in prisons and in the community. The series is presented by Catch22’s Communications and Marketing Manager, Josie Cochrane.
From developing restorative justice to reducing the impact of court delays, this series will be focused on solutions which could impact every aspect of the justice sector.
- Episode 1: How Can We Improve Outcomes for Prison Leavers?
- Episode 2: Court delays – Reducing the impact
- Episode 3: Foreign Nationals in UK Prisons
- Episode 4: The Power of Peer Mentors
- Episode 5: Reducing Gang-Related Harm
- Episode 6: Designing and Delivering Effective Services
- Episode 7: Restorative Justice
You can listen – and subscribe – to #Catch22Minutes on:
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Episode One – How can we improve outcomes for prison leavers?
Reoffending rates remain alarmingly high, costing society over £18 billion a year.
In the first episode of the Justice Series, we interview Offploy’s Jacob and Noel from Penal Reform Solutions. Offploy is an employment solutions partner, aiming to reduce reoffending and make society safer by placing people with criminal convictions into meaningful, mentored and sustainable employment. They have successfully placed more than 580 people with criminal convictions into sustainable employment. Penal Reform Solutions supports organisations to reduce social harm within prisons and wider communities.
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Listen to Episode 1 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode Two – Court delays: Reducing the impact on victims and defendants
In the UK, there are currently more than 370,000 cases waiting to be heard in magistrate’s courts and 60,000 cases waiting to come before the Crown Courts, which handles the most serious cases.
Today’s episode welcomes Dame Vera Baird, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, and Harvey Redgrave, CEO of Crest Advisory – the UK research team dedicated to crime and justice issues. Hosted by Catch22’s Josie Cochrane, we discuss the impact the delays are having on both victims and defendants, how we can reduce these delays, and how technology can reduce the burden on all involved – including for individuals, courts, and victim services themselves.
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Listen to Episode 2 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode Three: Foreign Nationals in UK Prisons
Foreign Nationals make up 11% of the total prison population in the UK.
HMP Wandsworth is known for having a significant Foreign National population, so much so that in 2021 they mobilised a Foreign National Service, now delivered by Catch22. But in most prisons, there is no specific support for these individuals, despite their needs being quite unique. At risk of deportation, they often need support relating to their immigration status, how they might contact family, or understanding their rights as a prisoner – rights which they are very much entitled to.
In today’s episode, we are discussing the challenges UK prisons face with Foreign National offenders, the impact these challenges have on individuals themselves, and how the justice system can address both. Offering insight from inside the justice system, we are joined by Geoff Smith, Director at BEST, the Befriending and Support Team for Foreign Nationals, and Naomi McGrath, Senior Operations Manager in Catch22’s Justice Hub.
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Listen to Episode 3 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode 4: The power of peer mentoring
Much of the UK’s criminal justice sector recruit people with lived experience of the justice system as volunteer supporters. These ‘peer mentors’ or ‘peer volunteers’ take on a range of different roles within organisations, both within prisons and in the community, hugely supporting services.
Peer volunteers can benefit from the experience of giving back and improving their own self-confidence, and evidence suggests peer volunteering amongst prisoners can also prevent re-offending.
Today, Catch22’s Josie Cochrane explores the power of peer mentors, the challenges, and some of the considerations needed when working with peer mentors. We are joined by Russell Webster, a well-known commentator on justice issues and a member of the Advisory Group for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, and David Breakspear. David, with lived experience and part of RECONNECT, helped Russell with the development of a best practice guide on how to support peer volunteers.
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Listen to Episode 4 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode 5: Reducing Gang-related harm
Youth violence and gang-related harm are serious public health issues. While it’s a proportionately small number of young people involved, they have a disproportionately large impact on the communities around them in parts of the UK.
There is a strong relationship between socioeconomic factors and gang involvement; exclusion from school, ethnicity, lack of employment prospects, lack of positive role models, and poor housing or homelessness are all cited as factors for joining gangs.
In today’s episode, Catch22 host Josie Cochrane is joined by the Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands Tom McNeil and Daniel Cunningham from the Straight Up service in Birmingham. Commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions, Straight Up is a holistic one-to-one service, delivered by Catch22, supporting those either at risk of or associated with gangs into training and employment.
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Listen to Episode 5 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode 6: Designing and delivering effective services
Effective service design and delivery is essential in public services. Whether it’s improving outcomes for prison leavers – or transforming the education system – we all want to create meaningful impact. But too often commissioning models, measures of success, and a failure to understand the needs of those involved can ruin great ideas.
In this episode, host Josie Cochrane is joined by Cell Workout creator LJ Flanders, and Head of Social Impact Challenge Lab, Judah Armani, we discuss the challenges with co-creation and how we can overcome these to better innovate public services across the entire justice sector.
Judah Armani is Head of the Social Impact Challenge Lab at the Royal College of Art’s Service Design department and a researcher at Central St Martin’s Design Against Crime Team. LJ Flanders developed the influential Cell Workout programme while spending a period in prison. Since then, a successful book of the same name has been released, as well as the Cell Workout athleisure brand. LJ now works closely with Catch22 on developing our Achieving Compliance and Engagement programme, specifically focussing on the power of sport reduce the rate of fixed-term recalls.
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Listen to Episode 6 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode 7: Restorative Justice
Restorative justice gives victims the opportunity to be heard and the offender the chance to repair the harm done – all through a supportive, controlled environment. It can involve an in-person facilitated discussion, letters or recorded messages between the victim and offender. Research also suggests it results in at least a 14% reduction in the frequency of reoffending, and a 85% victim satisfaction rate.
In this episode, Catch22Minutes host Josie Cochrane is joined by Detective Superintendent Chris Baker from Leicestershire Police, and Charlotte Calkin, Director of the Restorative Engagement Forum which delivers restorative justice and restorative practice across the UK, including through working with Catch22’s justice and education teams.
You’ll also hear from Jas Purewal from our Victim First team based in Leicestershire. Jas leads the team’s restorative justice work, and tells us more about a recent case involving a mother and daughter.
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Listen to Episode 7 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor