The Locked up Living Podcast: Surviving and thriving in prisons and other challenging environments

By Podcasters David Jones & Dr Naomi MurphySociety & Culture Health & Fitness Mental Health True Crime

The Locked up Living Podcast: Surviving and thriving in prisons and other challenging environments episodes

April 26, 2023 132. Iain Smith - Trauma informed law
Iain Smith is in his 30th year of being a lawyer. Started out in a civil firm where Robert Louis Stephenson trained. Created his own business in 1998 with Jim Keegan, Kings Counsel who was by then an experienced high court solicitor advocate. Iain concentrated on crime but also did children’s referral hearings and acted as a sports lawyer for international rugby stars.
In 2018 he had an epiphany in reaction to being educated on the biological impact of trauma on the childhood brain. He suddenly saw his clients properly for the first time. He then realised others didn’t know about childhood trauma and the links to addiction and poor self regulation.
He co-created Trauma Aware Law in December 2020, with legal colleagues and pals from the Scottish Police Violence Reduction Unit.
In 2020 won the Scottish Lawyer of the Year at the Scottish Legal Awards.
2021 Herald Scottish Criminal Law Firm of the Year - Keegan Smith
2022 Scottish Legal Awards Criminal Law Firm of the Year - Keegan Smith
2022 Herald Legal Awards Innovation Award - Trauma Aware Law
Nominated for Pro Bono Award
https://www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/events/trauma-informed-lawyer-certification-course/

https://twitter.com/TraumaAwareLaw

The awards opened doors & gave credibility to the campaigning. (I’m not the best lawyer in Scotland !).

His aim is to bring knowledge of trauma into the justice system and then persuade the players in it to change & create more compassionate outcomes for who we perceive as “baddies”.

You can find the transcript of this conversation at:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/should-all-lawyers-be-aware-of-the?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1 hr 2 min
April 19, 2023 130. Patrick Mills: How systemic is sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church? (Trigger warning.Sexual abuse references)
We’re really excited about today’s guest. He will be a familiar name to many. Pat Mills has been a successful writer and editor of popular culture from the age of 20, developing comics, novels, science fiction, film and game work.

Perhaps best-known as the developer of Judge Dredd and writer of Charley’s War, a long running anti-war saga that sells throughout Europe, all of Pat’s stories are about fighting abusive authority. That trait extends to the catholic church and his experiences as a child.

Pat also would be described as a whistleblower. He has a really insightful grasp of the structure of the Roman Catholic Church and how its highly organised structure has enabled a network of paedophiles to operate within it. He is working hard to expose this and make it more transparent to others. This conversation is likely to shock and depress you in places.

You can find the transcript of this conversation on our Substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/pat-mills-how-systemic-is-sexual?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1 hr 23 min
April 19, 2023 131. Rafael Viola. (Trigger warning; sexual abuse references) Seeking justice via Independent Inquiry into Childhood Sexual Abuse
This powerful conversation is with Rafael Viola. Rafael is a survivor of Catholic Church abuse, he is a campaigner fighting for change and accountability seeking justice for the atrocities that happened at CROOME COURT children's home . He was a core participant at the iiicsa inquiry himself and he with many others survivors were refused the opportunity to give oral evedence. He was shocked at the way survivors were sidelined while perpetrators and thise representing perpetrators seemed cosy and complicit with the inquiry. He wants to know why were core participants and survivors silenced by iiicsa, The Independant Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
https://www.iicsa.org.uk/
51 min
April 12, 2023 129. Ashley Conway: Exploring Trauma, Memory, and the Controversy of False Memory Syndrome
This episode of the Locked Up Living podcast features a conversation with Ashley Conway, a counseling psychologist specialized in trauma memory, particularly childhood abuse. Conway discusses the origin and implications of false memory syndrome, emphasizing the harmful effects it has on survivors of abuse. He brings light to the False Memory Syndrome Foundation's controversial history, its connections with figures from psychology and the CIA, and the impact on both the therapeutic field and survivors. Conway also shares insights into his personal methods of maintaining mental health and well-being, highlighting the importance of creativity, nature, exercise, and familial support.
00:00 Unveiling DARVO: The Dynamics of Abuse01:04 Introducing Locked Up Living: A Podcast on Overcoming Institutional Life01:25 Spotlight on Ashley Conway: A Career in Counseling Psychology05:11 Exploring False Memory Syndrome: Origins and Controversies14:54 The Intriguing Case of Elizabeth Loftus and Ethical Dilemmas20:56 The Formation and Impact of False Memory Foundations in the US and UK31:43 The Profound Impact of False Memory Discourse on Survivors32:36 Personal Accounts and the Long Wait for Justice33:07 The Dangers of Seeking Therapy for Survivors34:32 Exploring the Controversial Work of Martin Orne39:15 Unveiling the MKUltra Program and Its Horrors47:23 The Formation and Goals of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation54:02 The Consequences of Exposing Controversial Truths58:00 Maintaining Mental Health Amidst Challenging Work

Sinason, V. & Conway,A (Eds) (2022) Trauma and Memory – The Science and the Silenced. London: Routledge.
Conway A.(2022). In conversation with Ross Cheit. In: Trauma and Memory: The Silence and the Silenced. London: Routledge.
Conway, A. (2022) The abuse of the science to silence the abused. In: Trauma and Memory: The Silence and the Silenced. London: Routledge.
Conway & D. Pilgrim (2022). The policy alignment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 165- 176. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2022.2028222

Conway, A. (2023 / In press) Policy capture at the BPS: the memory and law controversy. In:
Pilgrim,D (Ed) British Psychology in Crisis. A Case Study in Organisational Dysfunction

You can find a transcript of this conversation over on our Substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/ashley-conway-accidental-expert-in?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1 hr 6 min
April 05, 2023 128. James Wong (of A Band of Brothers): reducing imprisonment for young males
James Wong currently serves as Chief Development Officer (CDO) at A Band of Brothers (https://abandofbrothers.org.uk/). He is accountable for creating sustainable fundraising avenues and revenue streams in realising Abandofbrothers’ mission.
James believes in laying down healthy foundations for our future generations. After many years of feeling frustration and desperation in his efforts, he has found new hope, meaning and personal potency by coming together in community to share the responsibility of supporting some of the most troubled young men in our society.
Building on successful careers in Hospitality Management, Landscape Gardening and as a Therapeutic Counsellor; James joined Abandofbrothers in 2014.
He has since served his apprenticeship as a Mentor to young men, a Community Project Leader, a Certified Weekend Rite of Passage Leader and Mentor, National Council Representative and Regional CEO.
In his current role as CDO and working closely with Conroy and Dan; James’ passion for storytelling, entrepreneurial thinking and ability to operationalise ideas into action serve to help synergise our programmes, people and finances.

You can find a transcript of this conversation over on our Substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/james-wong-rites-of-passage-with?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1 hr 6 min
March 29, 2023 127. Poet Hugh Venables: How and why journalling is good for your well-being
Many of our podcast conversations have engaged with the idea of thinking, how to encourage, to change, to stop. This discussion is also about thinking but approaching it from an oblique angle. Journaling and poetry, two activities that involve getting thoughts out of ones mind and written down on paper.
Hugh Venables is a Yorkshire-based writer and poet. He is passionate about the power of words. A selection of his poetry is available at hughvenablespoetry.com

You can find a transcript of this conversation over on our substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/hugh-venables-transcript-the-alchemy?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Until his retirement, for twenty-five years he ran his own successful marketing communications and graphic design company in York.

Married with four grown-up children, Hugh enjoys bird-watching and walking, especially across the North of England. He is also a keen amateur horologist. His 'reflections' blog, about clocks, time and life in general, can be found at www.theclock-shop.co.uk/reflections/

Hugh can be contacted via [email protected]

We, and Hugh would welcome feedback about his episode.
1 hr 9 min
March 22, 2023 126. Dan Lawrence, Psychosis, trauma and use of restrictive practices in secure hospitals
Dan Lawrence is a forensic psychologist who is based in a secure mental health service in south wales where he provides input into medium and low secure services for men. He is also a PhD student, associate tutor and academic supervisor at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He conducted an important scoping study into the effect of restrictive practices in adult forensic mental health services. D Lawrence et al.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14999013.2021.1887978?journalCode=ufmh20
"The studies were grouped into four main areas: 1) Nature of the problem describing the type, incidence, prevalence and scope of restrictive practices in secure mental health services; 2) Service user perceptions and experiences of restrictive practices; 3) Staff experiences, views and decision making; and 4) Interventions designed to reduce the use of restrictive practices. Findings support the notion that restrictive practices have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of most service users in adult secure services as well as the staff who use them. Continued efforts to reduce restrictive practices are needed and the importance of collaborative working cannot be understated. Implications for future research, clinical practice, policy and best practice guidelines are all discussed."

You can find a transcript of this conversation over on our Substack at:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/dan-lawrence-working-with-people?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1 hr 1 min
March 15, 2023 125. Alex Busansky & George Carter Impact Justice and Farming in US prisons
Alex Busansky (president of Impact Justice) and George Carter Impact/Justice

Today we are pleased to be meeting with Alex Busansky. Alex began his career as a prosecutor at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in 1987. For 12 years, he handled homicides, serious domestic and other family violence, and sex abuse cases. He moved on to found Impact Justice, a national innovation and research center based in Oakland, CA and Washington, DC, which works to create a more humane and restorative system of justice in the United States. I should mention that we have engaged with Impact/Justice previously when we talked with Leslie Soble and Roy Waterman about food in US prisons.
At Impact Justice, Alex works to reduce the number of people involved in the justice system, improve conditions for those currently incarcerated, and support people successfully re-enter communities. He and his colleagues have developed, launched, and scaled numerous projects including the Restorative Justice Project, the PREA Resource Center, the Homecoming Project, the Research and Action Center, and the Center on Youth Registration Reform.
https://impactjustice.org/
George Carter is the founder of Skout strategy and is an eco-system and food systems builder and AgTechnologist. He partners with Impact Justice to develop vertical farming.
https://www.skoutstrategy.com/
38 min
March 08, 2023 124. Margie Wright: What is Transpersonal Psychotherapy?.
One of the pleasures of our Locked up Living conversations, for us, is that we are always meeting people who come with different experience and a different perspective. But always the underlying tenets ar the same, sensitivity, thoughtfulness and trust. Such a person is Margie Wright.
Margie Wright bio.
When I was a teenager growing up in Zimbabwe I used to imagine, one day working as a psychotherapist but I never said it out loud as my family seldom talked about or showed those things called emotions. Instead, I went on to university in South Africa and studied Zoology and Entomology. I did though manage a sneaky year of psychology. As an Entomologist I worked in biological control and my job took me to the Sudan. Afterwards I had the experience of living in Egypt. There, I was involved in setting-up and volunteering for Befrienders Cairo (the Samaritans abroad), for 10 years, which I found fulfilling. On return to the UK, I found the courage to explore my teenage dream and did a foundation year in counselling. At last, I felt as if I was on the right track as counselling seemed to come naturally to me. I went on to train as a Transpersonal Psychotherapist at The Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE), in London. Currently, I run my own private practice as a therapist and supervisor with a focus on developmental trauma having, also trained in two approaches effective in trauma therapy; Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Internal Family Systems therapy. I am a member of staff at CCPE and run workshops entitled, “Trauma and the Transpersonal”. Please see my website www.counsellinginamersham.co.uk for further details.

Transcript of conversation can be found here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lockedupliving/p/margie-wright-what-is-transpersonal?r=216eb0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1 hr 1 min
March 01, 2023 123. Rick Bradford author of The Empathy Gap: Why do we find it hard to discuss male vulnerability?
In this fascinating and challenging conversation Dr Bradford talks about his journey towards a realisation that the male/female disadvantage debate is much more complex than it may seem. But it is always very difficult and sometimes dangerous to talk about.
Dr Rick Bradford has enjoyed a successful career in physics and engineering, he has become increasingly drawn to investigating men’s issues in recent decades, and has gained much respect for his insightful blogging and his encyclopaedic book on issues facing men, The Empathy Gap.
1 hr 8 min

About The Locked up Living Podcast: Surviving and thriving in prisons and other challenging environments

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