Episode Description (Libsyn Format):

What does the gut have to do with criminal behavior, cognitive flexibility, or the ability to navigate supervision successfully?

In this compelling episode of The Criminologist Podcast, host Joseph Arvidson welcomes back Dr. Jerrod Brown—expert in neurocriminology, behavioral health, and forensic psychology—for a deep dive into the emerging science of the gut-brain connection and its powerful implications for justice-involved individuals.

Together, we explore how gut health, inflammation, and microbiota imbalances can influence cognition, mood regulation, and decision-making—core elements of resilience and responsivity. This conversation challenges us to reconsider what we think we know about client behavior and invites us to approach supervision, programming, and intervention through a more holistic lens.

Topics discussed include:

✔️ Resilience as both a biological and relational process ✔️ The impact of social isolation on desistance and self-regulation ✔️ How nutrition, sleep, and health literacy shape client outcomes ✔️ What probation officers and justice professionals can do to support whole-person change ✔️ The real-world applications of trauma-informed, neuro-informed, and evidence-based practice

Whether you're a probation officer, therapist, correctional educator, policy-maker, or justice system reformer, this episode offers practical insights to elevate your work and deepen your understanding of the people you serve.

🎧 Tune in now to explore how what’s happening below the surface—biologically, socially, and psychologically—can shape the path to change above the surface.