What if the people who understand the justice system best are the ones who have lived through it?

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis is joined by Michael McCusker, Engagement and Advocacy Manager at The Turnaround Project in Belfast.

Michael shares his personal journey from involvement in the justice system as a young man to becoming a leading advocate for lived experience leadership in justice reform.

Together they explore the growing movement to place people with lived experience in positions of influence, ensuring policies and programmes are shaped by those who truly understand the challenges of reintegration.

The conversation covers:

• The barriers facing people leaving prison
• The importance of trust, listening and collaboration
• The risk of fragmentation within the lived experience movement
• Why self-care and resilience are essential for leaders working in this space
• The vision for a more co-ordinated and humane justice system

This episode is a powerful reminder that lasting reform happens when systems learn from the people they affect most.

The Turnaround Project is a Belfast-based organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for people who have been involved in the justice system.

The organisation works with:

• Government departments
• Statutory agencies
• Community organisations
• People with lived experience

to create opportunities for individuals leaving prison to reintegrate successfully into society and influence the development of justice policy and practice.

A key ambition of the organisation is to place people with lived experience into positions of leadership and influence, ensuring their insights shape future justice reforms.

Learn more:
🌐 https://theturnaroundproject.org

🌱 About The Turnaround Project

🌐www.growtransformbelong.com

🌱About Justice 2.0

#Justice2Point0
#CriminalJusticeReform
#PrisonReform
#SecondChances
#SocialImpact
#Desistance
#Justiceleadership

What if no one had to leave prison alone?

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis is joined by Sid Singh to introduce the Growth App, a bold Justice 2.0 innovation designed to transform the journey from prison to community.

Born out of lived experience and years of work in criminal justice reform, the Growth App acts as a digital bridge between people leaving prison, charities and support networks. It connects the “hero” (the person rebuilding their life) with “buddies” and “guides” who can support their growth journey.

Think of it as a growth map for life after prison; helping people track progress, access opportunities, celebrate milestones, and reach out when things get tough. At the same time, it helps organisations connect the incredible work already happening across charities, probation, and community services so that support is no longer fragmented or hidden in silos.

Sarah and Sid share the powerful “why” behind the app, the lived experiences that shaped it, and their vision for Justice 2.0 — a justice system that prioritises hope, belonging and human growth.

This conversation isn’t just about technology. It’s about building a future where people leaving prison are connected to community, opportunity, and support from day one.

Learn more about the Growth App:
🌱 https://www.thegrowthapp.org

If you believe that no one should navigate life after prison alone, you can help make this movement real.

✔ Download the Growth App
✔ Share it with someone who could benefit
✔ If you’re a charity or organisation, sign up as a guide and join the ecosystem of support

Together, we can upgrade justice and build a system where growth and belonging are possible for everyone.

#Justice2Point0
#TheGrowthApp
#CriminalJusticeReform
#Desistance
#JusticeInnovation
#PrisonReform
#SocialImpact
#LivedExperienceLeadership
#BelongingMatters
#GrowTransformBelong

In this conversation, Dr Sarah Lewis and Edit Törs explore the principles and practices of restorative justice, its challenges, and its connection to the evolving concept of Justice 2.0. They discuss the importance of dialogue, the need for a more humane criminal justice system, and the potential for restorative justice to address both individual and institutional harms. The conversation emphasizes the significance of community, empowerment, and the necessity of integrating restorative practices into existing systems to foster healing and transformation.

To learn more about this topic please visit:

EFRJ website: https://www.euforumrj.org/

EFRJ Conference Poznan: https://www.euforumrj.org/13th-efrj-conference-poznan-2026

EFRJ Publications: https://www.euforumrj.org/publications-documents

EFRJ organisational members: https://www.euforumrj.org/our-organisational-members

REstART festival:  https://www.euforumrj.org/restartfestival2025 

To find out more or to donate to GTB please visit our website: www.growtransformbelong.com

We invite Heather Whitehead, a former prison leader, to talk about how she wants to upgrade Justice. Heather discusses the challenges leaders face and why we need to change leadership culture, to grow our senior staff.

To learn more about Justice 2.0 visit www.growtransformbelong.com

To find out more information about Heather, follow her on Linkedin or visit her website- https://www.hwleadershipconsultancy.co.uk

#justice2point0

Becky White talks with Sarah Lewis about the exciting work she is doing to support culture change from a 'victims' perspective. Focusing on authentic relationships, quality standards and providing a meaning voice for those impacted by the Justice System is the focus of this J2.0 Series. A great watch for those interested in how change from commissioner/government level can make a real difference. For more information about Becky, check out her website: www.daiscic.org.uk or LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/becky-white-644bb853email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information or visit www.growtransformbelong.com for more information about getting involved with Justice 2.0- upgrading justice together!

Jamie Rogers and Dr Sarah Lewis thrash out the issue of staff training and how we can practically make the Criminal Justice System a learning culture. We have seven new professional development courses to support practitioners in working with people in the Criminal Justice System so please visit www.growtransformbelong.com

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Yes we want to upgrade Justice but what are the things we want to let go of? Join Dr Sarah Lewis, Kam Stevens and Dan Reynolds as they discuss Justice 1.0, as part of a Linkedin Live event.

What are the top lessons we have learnt from training hundreds of Criminal justice professionals, internationally? We dive into this topic and talk about how we have integrated these lessons into our work, as we promote Justice 2.0, calling for an upgrade to Justice and an investment in people. Dan Reynolds and Kam Stevens join Dr Sarah Lewis in this session.

We held a linkedin Live event and wanted to share it with you. We discuss Justice 2.0 in a bit more detail and how you may be able to get involved. With Dr Lewis and Kam Stevens, we share our hopes and discuss some of the challenges we might face.

Justice 2.0 is a collective campaign to drive positive changes in the Criminal Justice System, calling for an upgrade to current thinking and acknowledging the need to raise awareness around Criminal Justice within our communities, so we can serve them effectively. It highlights the key ideas around the campaign, the rationale, the plan of action and some of the challenges.