Our prison staff are one of our greatest strengths. We cannot afford to take them for granted💡

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis is joined by Beverley Wall, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, for a powerful conversation about leadership, prison culture and the future of correctional systems.

Drawing on decades of leadership experience, Beverley reflects on the qualities that define exceptional leaders and why leadership is ultimately about people, relationships and creating environments where others can thrive 🌱

Together, Sarah and Beverley explore the increasingly complex challenges facing prison systems, particularly as prison populations continue to rise. They discuss the danger of expecting more and more from prison staff without recognising the emotional labour they carry, reminding us that resilience should never be assumed or taken for granted.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but vital message:

If we want healthier prisons, we must create healthier environments for the people who work within them 💚

In this episode, we explore:

• The qualities that define courageous and compassionate leadership

• Why prison officers are fundamental to creating positive prison cultures

• The importance of supporting staff wellbeing, rather than relying on resilience alone

• How strong leadership shapes trust, relationships and organisational culture

• Why investing in people is essential for meaningful and sustainable change

Sarah and Beverley also look ahead to two exciting opportunities for the global justice community to come together, learn and collaborate:

💥The European Justice Education & Leadership Summit (17–18 September, Vienna), bringing together leaders, practitioners, researchers and people with lived experience to explore the future of justice through collaboration and human flourishing.

🌍 The ICPA Annual Conference in October, where criminal justice professionals from around the world will come together to share innovation, research and best practice in corrections.

Whether you're attending one or both, these events are a chance to connect with people who are passionate about creating a stronger future for justice.

Learn more:

🌟Grow, Transform, Belong

https://www.growtransformbelong.com

🌍ICPA 2026 Annual Conference

https://icpa.org/events/icpa-2026-annual-conference.html

💥European Justice Education & Leadership Summit

🎟️Book your place: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/richtungswechsel2/2174740

🔔 Join the conversation

If you believe leadership begins with people, relationships and the courage to create healthier cultures:

✔ Watch the full episode

✔ Share this conversation with someone working in leadership or criminal justice

✔ Subscribe to Growth Uncut for more conversations exploring human flourishing, leadership and the future of justice.

Because when we invest in the people who hold our systems together, we create systems that are stronger for everyone💚

#justice2point0 #leadership #qualities #growth #icpa #education #prison #justice #criminaljustice #staff #together

The best ideas emerge when every voice has a place at the table💡

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis is joined by Tamara Hoefer, CEO of Richtungswechsel and Champions Community partner.

Over the past year, Sarah and Tamara have worked alongside prison leaders across Europe, building a community committed to strengthening leadership, transforming culture and creating justice systems where people can grow 🌱

Together, they explore one of the most important ingredients of meaningful change: bringing together people with different experiences, perspectives and contexts and ensuring every voice is heard.

Whether you're a prison officer, governor or person with lived experience, real progress happens when we move beyond silos and learn with, not just from, one another 💚

In this episode, we explore:

• Why diverse voices lead to stronger leadership and better decision-making

• The power of collaboration across professions, cultures and lived experiences

• The behind the scenes of the Champions Community and how they are building a European network of courageous leaders

• Why community and connection are essential for lasting culture change

• The importance of listening before leading

This conversation is a reminder that no single person, profession or organisation has all the answers.

The future of justice will be shaped by the conversations we have together🙌

EVERY ROLE MATTERS, EVERY VOICE LEADS

🌱 Learn more

Grow, Transform, Belong

https://www.growtransformbelong.com

Richtungswechsel

https://www.richtungswechsel.org

Join us in Vienna!

If this conversation resonates with you, we'd love to welcome you to the European Justice Education & Leadership Summit, taking place in Vienna on 17th-18th September 2026.

The Summit brings together practitioners, leaders, researchers, policymakers and people with lived experience from across Europe to explore the future of justice through collaboration, leadership and human flourishing.

🎟️ Find out more and book your place via: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/richtungswechsel2/2174740

Join the conversation:

If you believe in collaborative leadership, meaningful relationships and creating justice systems where people can grow:

✔ Watch the full episode

✔ Share this conversation with someone passionate about leadership and justice reform

✔ Subscribe to Growth Uncut for more conversations on culture change, human flourishing and the future of criminal justice.

Because the strongest movements are built when every voice is heard 💚

#justicice2point0 #championscommunity #together #team #leadership #listening #learning #justice #collaboration

"Any change needs the courage to rethink the things you have always done"💡

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis is joined by Steven Van De Steene to explore how technology, and particularly artificial intelligence, can help positively reshape the future of criminal justice.

Rather than asking whether we should fear AI, Steven challenges us to ask a different question: How can we use it to strengthen communication, support existing cultures and help solve problems?

Throughout the conversation, one message remains clear - technology alone doesn't create transformation, people do!

Steven reflects on the importance of collaboration, open communication, courageous leadership and a willingness to take considered risks if we are to create meaningful and lasting culture change.

He also shares his support for the Growth App, recognising the careful thought behind its development and, most importantly, the way it has been co-created with people who have lived experience. For Steven, meaningful innovation isn't about building technology for people, it's about building it with them.

In this episode, we explore:

• The opportunities AI presents for the future of criminal justice

• Why technology should enhance, not replace, human relationships

• The importance of collaboration and lived experience in designing meaningful innovation

• Why communication, courage and openness are essential for culture change

• How The Growth App demonstrates a human-centred approach to digital innovation

• Building justice systems that are both technologically progressive and deeply human

This conversation is a reminder that innovation isn't measured by the technology we create, but by the lives it helps improve.

When technology is guided by courage, collaboration and human flourishing, it becomes a catalyst for meaningful change.

🌱 Learn more

Grow, Transform, Belong

https://www.growtransformbelong.com

The Growth App

https://thegrowthapp.org/

🔔 Join the conversation

If you're passionate about the future of criminal justice, human-centred innovation and the role of technology in creating positive culture change:

✔ Watch the full episode

✔ Share this conversation with someone interested in justice reform, AI or digital innovation

✔ Subscribe to Growth Uncut for more conversations exploring leadership, human flourishing and the future of criminal justice

✔ Head over to the Growth App to see for yourself

Because the future of justice won't be shaped by technology alone.

It will be shaped by the people courageous enough to create it, together 💚

#growthuncut #justice2point0 #artificialintelligence #digitaltransformation #humanflourishing #justicereform #innovation #collaboration #leadership #culturechange

"Courage is the antidote"💡

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis is joined by Noa from the RESCALED Movement to explore what it really takes to transform criminal justice.

Together, they discuss RESCALED's vision of replacing large prisons with small-scale detention houses, where dignity, relationships and community become the foundation for rehabilitation and reintegration ✨

But this conversation goes beyond buildings and systems.

At its heart is a powerful message: lasting culture change requires courage. The courage to ask difficult questions. To challenge long-held assumptions. To have honest conversations. And to embrace vulnerability, not as weakness, but as one of the greatest measures of courageous leadership 💪

In this episode, we explore:

• The core values and vision of the RESCALED Movement

• Why small-scale detention houses could reshape the future of justice

• The role of courage, vulnerability and honest dialogue in creating positive cultures

• Why meaningful relationships are central to human flourishing

• How changing culture begins with changing the way we see people

This episode is an invitation to think differently about justice, leadership and the environments we create for people to grow.

Because meaningful change doesn't begin with systems.

It begins with people👥

🌱 Learn more

RESCALED Movement

https://www.rescaled.org/

Grow, Transform, Belong

https://www.growtransformbelong.com

🔔 Join the conversation

If you believe in the power of courageous leadership, human flourishing and reimagining criminal justice:

✔Learn more about RESCALED Movement via their website

✔ Share this conversation with someone passionate about justice reform and culture change

✔ Subscribe to Growth Uncut for more conversations exploring leadership, human flourishing and the future of criminal justice

Because the future of justice belongs to those courageous enough to imagine something better💚

#justice2point0 #courageoushearts #justicereform #culturechange #leadership #vulnerability #meaningfulrelationships #prisonreform

"We're not taking away people's basic rights, their dignity, we're empowering them to be leaders in their own life. But you have to create the space to do so"💡

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis speaks with Danielle McKinnon about the transformative power of emotionally-regulating environments, meaningful connection and the role that passion can play in changing lives.

Through her organisation, Eat Sleep Ride, Danielle has created spaces where people feel safe, grounded and connected in environments that support emotional regulation, belonging and growth 🌱

At the heart of this conversation is a powerful idea:

When people feel emotionally safe, they begin to flourish.

Danielle shares how her lifelong passion for horses became something much bigger than a personal interest. It became a pathway to connection, collaboration and community, bringing together like-minded people through shared purpose and care ✨

In this episode, we explore:

• The power of emotionally-regulating environments in supporting wellbeing

• Why relationships and connection are essential for healing and growth

• How horses can help people feel safe, present and understood

• The importance of collaboration in creating sustainable impact

• How discovering your passion can lead to meaningful relationships and community

• Why authentic environments allow people to truly thrive

Danielle also reflects on the importance of creating spaces where people are not judged or rushed, but supported to reconnect with themselves and others 👏

This episode is a reminder that transformation often begins in the simplest of moments. Feeling safe, feeling seen and finding people who share your passion and purpose.

🌱 Learn MoreEat Sleep Ride

https://www.eatsleeprides.org/

Justice 2.0 Movement

https://www.growtransformbelong.com

🔔 Call to Action

If you believe in the power of connection, emotionally-safe environments and community:

✔ Watch the full episode

✔ Share this conversation with someone passionate about wellbeing and social impact

✔ Subscribe to Growth Uncut for more conversations about human flourishing and system change

Because when people feel safe enough to grow, extraordinary things can happen💫

#GrowthUncut #justice2point0 #HumanConnection #EmotionalRegulation #Wellbeing #SocialImpact #Collaboration #Purpose

What is hindering system change? Funding shortages? A lack of second chances?

In this episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis speaks with Lady Val Corbett about community-led change, the power of connection and how the Corbett Network came to be.

Rather than being a single organisation, the Corbett Network links multiple groups, such as women’s centres, probation services and charities, so they can share knowledge and provide more coordinated support. Through the Corbett Network, Lady Val has built something powerful: a bridge between prisons, communities and the voluntary sector, ensuring that people leaving custody are not left to navigate fragmented systems alone.

This conversation illuminates a simple but often overlooked truth: system change requires continued collaboration.

In this episode, we explore:

- Why community organisations are critical to reducing reoffending

- How the Corbett Network came to be

- The importance of continuity of care from custody to community

- Why lived experience and local knowledge must shape solutions

- The power of collaboration in building a more humane justice system

- The need for more funding towards system reform

This episode is a reminder that behind every statistic is a person, and behind every successful reintegration is a network of support that made it possible.

Learn More

Justice 2.0 Movement

https://www.growtransformbelong.com

The Corbett Network

https://thecorbettnetwork.com/

🔔 Call to Action

If you believe in the power of community to transform lives: ✔ Share this conversation

✔ Learn more about the organisations supporting people on release

Subscribe to Growth Uncut for more conversations shaping Justice 2.0

Because real change happens when no one is left to rebuild alone.

#GrowthUncut #justice2point0 #justicereform #socialimpact #secondchances #systemchange #community #livedexperience

What if justice systems were designed not to punish, but to heal?

In this powerful episode of Growth Uncut, Dr Sarah Lewis speaks with Denise Michelle Brend, a leading criminologist and pioneer in trauma-informed approaches across Canadian justice systems, about what it truly takes to transform environments shaped by harm into spaces of recovery, safety and human flourishing.

Denise’s journey has shaped her commitment to reimagining how we respond to trauma, violence and incarceration. Drawing on her work across multiple provinces and her role at Université Laval, she challenges deeply embedded punitive models and offers a bold, evidence-informed alternative.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful idea: when we understand trauma we unlock the potential to create systems that don’t just manage behaviour, but transform lives.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why trauma-informed care is essential to meaningful justice reform

• The role of social connection and support in reducing reoffending

• How prisons and youth systems can become environments of safety and growth

• The evolution of therapeutic communities and what sustainable change requires• Practical steps for organisations starting their trauma-informed journey• Why lived experience and insider voices must shape research and policy

• How authenticity and psychological safety lead to real change

Denise also shares a compelling vision: justice systems that move beyond control and compliance and instead foster resilience, dignity and lasting transformation.

This episode invites policymakers, practitioners and changemakers to rethink what justice can be and what it must become.

🌱 Learn More

Justice 2.0 Movement: https://www.growtransformbelong.com

#justice2point0 #justicereform #growth #growthuncut #collaboration #people #relationships

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