Experts by Experience

4.6 million people are affected by fraud each year and around 700,000 will go on to suffer profoundly as a result of its impact. As incidences of fraud continue to grow, as do the sophisticated methods behind different types of fraud, so too will the impact on people’s lives.

Joining today’s episode is Kevin McGetrick, Head of Victims Services and Commissioning at the Hertfordshire OPCC, and Neil Postins, Service Delivery Manager for the National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit, headquartered at the City of London police. You’ll also hear from one of Beacon Victim Care’s case workers, discussing the myths around romance fraud and the impact it has.

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COVID-19 has accelerated the use of technology across the justice sector - from virtual court hearings to video support visits. The challenge now is to ensure innovation continues.

We know good people and a purpose are key to helping prison leavers rehabilitate into our communities, so how do we do all this while ensuring human relationships remain the priority?

Hosted by Josie Cochrane, joining us today is James Levy from Socrates360 and Code4000’s Jim Taylor. Socrates are developers of technology, supporting staff in both prisons and the community. Code4000 trains prisoners to become software developers, and then supports them into launching their careers on release, minimising reoffending. #Catch22Minutes

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 an 85% victim satisfaction rate.

 

In this episode, Catch22Minutes host Josie Cochrane is joined by Detective Superintendent Chris Baker from Leicestershire Police, and Charlotte Caulkin, 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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Effective service design and delivery is essential in public services. Whether it is improving outcomes for prison leavers or transforming the education system, we all want to create meaningful impact.

Joined today 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. 

Hosted by Catch22 Communications Manager Josie Cochrane.

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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.

Joining host Josie Cochrane, today Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands Tom McNeil joins us, alongside 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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Much of the UK’s criminal justice sector recruits 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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https://www.russellwebster.com/peers-who-volunteer-a-guide-on-how-to-support-people-with-lived-experience/

Foreign Nationals make up 11% of a total prison population in the UK.

HMP Wandsworth has a significant Foreign National population, so much so that in 2021 they mobilised a Foreign National Service, now delivered by Catch22.

In most prisons there is no specific support for these individuals, despite their needs being complex and the need for specialist knowledge and support – from language barriers to understanding their rights, support for this cohort is particularly urgent when could face deportation, after spending much of their lives in the UK.

To discuss 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, 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. The episode is hosted by Catch22’s Josie Cochrane.

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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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With reoffending rates costing society over £18 billion a year in the UK, helping prison leavers to re-enter our communities is urgently needed. With good people around them, a safe place to live, and a purpose in life, people with criminal convictions can significantly contribute to our society. 

In this first episode of Catch22Minutes of Justice we explore how and why re-integration reduces the chances of reoffending. Why is successful reintegration into the community so important for prison leavers and society?  What are the societal challenges? And what support do we know is already working?

Hosted by Catch22's Communications and Marketing Manager, Josie Cochrane, we are joined by Jacob from Offploy – a recruitment network supporting those with criminal convictions into meaningful work – and Noel, from Penal Reform Solutions. 

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk

Welcome to the second season of Catch22Minutes. Hosted by Josie Cochrane, the Communications and Marketing Manager at Catch22, this season we’ll be looking into issues faced by the UK’s justice sector, from providing effective victim services to supporting individuals in our prisons and in the community.From developing restorative justice to reducing the impact of court delays, this series will be focused on solutions that could impact every aspect of the justice sector.#catch22minutescatch-22.org.uk