JUSTICE with prison philanthropist Edwina Grosvenor

This is the second episode of a three-part Justice Podcast series in partnership with Daddyless Daughters and Power Play Productions which centres the voices of women from Holloway, including powerful letters that were written and recorded as part of the Layers exhibition. 

In this episode we hear from women who wrote letters to their younger self. Looking back from all the knowledge they now have, what advice or thoughts w...

This is the first episode of a three-part Justice Podcast series in partnership with Daddyless Daughters and Power Play Productions which centres the voices of women from Holloway, including powerful letters that were written and recorded as part of the Layers exhibition. 

In this episode we have grouped together letters that women wrote about how the justice system should be reformed. The letters were written by Katy Nuala...

In this episode we look back to 2023’s Motherhood in the Justice System Series when we explored the issues and challenges mothers in the justice system face, and what needs to change. Maternal health was a key feature in the series including a focus on experiences of pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period.

In this episode we bring together the voices of two guests in this series. Dr Laura Abbott is a registered midwife and...

In this episode Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing speaks to Stephanie Bechelet and Thea Arch from Brainkind.

Last month Brainkind released a report which found that 80% of women in the criminal justice system in Wales may be living with a brain injury. Alongside this they found the women in the study had complex health needs, frequently reporting histories of domestic abuse, substance misuse, and ment...

Despite the fact that 51% of the population will experience menopause, and the estimated 13 million people who are currently peri or menopausal in the UK, the topic of menopause has remained taboo. In 2022 I was delighted to speak to two advocates driving change in the national conversation around menopause on their experience of this transition, and what needs to change to ensure more women have access to the support they need – i...

In this episode Edwina looks back to 2021 and 2022 when she interviewed representatives from two women’s organisation who provide specific tailored substance use support to women.

She spoke with Hannah Shead, CEO of Trevi, the only UK residential rehabilitation centre exclusively for mothers and their children, and Jo-Anne Welsh, former CEO of The Oasis Project which provides women-specific services and a trauma-informed appro...

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 provid...

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 wo...

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 stro...

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’...

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 suspende...

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 th...

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.

&...

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 no...

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 pe...

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 invo...

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 understan...

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 contin...

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...