The Transform Justice Podcast

Sharing a cell built for one, fearing for your safety, and freezing through the winter—are these really the right conditions for rehabilitation? In this episode, our hosts are joined by Andi Brierley, Senior Lecturer at Leeds Trinity University, and Andrea Coomber, CEO of the Howard League. They discuss what prison life looks like today, whether our prisons doing more harm than good, and what people truly need to move away from offending. Spoiler: it’s not being locked in a cell for 22 hours a day.

Andi Brierley

Find Andi's memoir here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Honour-Can-Tell-Story/dp/1909976644

Andrea Coomber

Read more about The Howard League's concerns: https://howardleague.org/why-are-prisons-overcrowded/

Further Resources

Read the Justice Select Committee report: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8678/rehabilitation-and-resettlement-ending-the-cycle-of-reoffending/

Read host Rob's latest podcast on prison population projections: https://reformingprisons.blogspot.com/2025/12/courting-trouble.html

Transform Justice

Twitter: ⁠@TransformJust1

⁠BlueSky: ⁠@transformjustice.bsky.social⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

What happens when the government turns protest into a crime? New laws aren’t just tightening the rules, they’re redefining who gets to speak out and even who has the right to a defence in court. With thousands of protesters waiting to hear if they’ll be charged with a crime, the message seems clear: dissent now comes at a cost.

In this episode, Penelope is joined by Sarah Lunnon, an organiser with Just Stop Oil, and Audrey Mogan, a criminal barrister who has defended protesters in court. Together, they unpack how these new laws are being applied in practice and the impact on direct action groups, individual rights, and the future of protest.

Audrey Mogan @acmogan

Find out more about Audrey's work at Garden Chambers here: https://gardencourtchambers.co.uk/barrister/audrey-cherryl-mogan/

Sarah Lunnon @slunnon

Further resources

Read the parliamentary briefing on police powers regarding protest: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05013/

Transform Justice

Twitter: @TransformJust1
BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

The sentence of imprisonment for public protection was outlawed in 2012, but more than 1,000 people are still serving indefinite sentences in prison. Andrew Morris, former IPP prisoner, and Matthew Parris, journalist, join us to discuss why people are still being held under IPP, what impact this sentence has on those who receive it, and what must be done to rid us of the legacy of IPP once and for all.

Andrew Morris

Read the Howard League's expert recommendations on ending the detention of IPP prisoners: https://howardleague.org/publications/ending-the-detention-of-people-on-ipp-sentences/

Matthew Parris

Read Matthew's work here: https://www.thetimes.com/profile/matthew-parris

Further resources

Read the parliamentary briefing on IPP sentences: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06086/

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: @TransformJust1

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

Women are the fastest-growing prison population globally, but most offend to survive or to protect their children. In this episode, our hosts are joined by Dr Sarah Waite, Leeds Beckett University, and Lucy Campbell, founder of Flip of the Coin CIC, to discuss how the prison system is failing women and what could be done to improve how society responds when women are in crisis.

Dr Sarah Waite

Find our more about Sarah's work and see her latest publications here: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/staff/dr-sarah-waite/

Lucy Campbell

Learn more about Lucy's arts organisation here: https://www.flipofthecoin.scot/

Further resources

Learn more about problem-solving courts for women: https://clinks.org/publication/problem-solving-courts-women

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: @TransformJust1

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

Please note that this episode discusses suicide and self harm.

Should someone with schizophrenia stand trial? Can they be held responsible for their actions if their behaviour isn't rooted in reality?

Our hosts are joined by Dr Bradley Hillier, forensic psychiatrist, and Rhona Friedman, solicitor, to discuss how people with serious mental illnesses are treated in the justice system; the legal questions surrounding their participation at court; and the role of forensic hospitals.

Dr Bradley Hillier

Find out more about Bradley here: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/psychiatry/forensic-psychiatry/real-life-story-dr-brad-hillier

Rhona Friedman

Find out more about Rhona's innovative firm Commons Legal here: https://www.commons.legal/

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: @TransformJust1

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

Ten years ago, the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) was introduced to make the magistrates’ courts more efficient. Designed to handle minor offences swiftly and cheaply, it allows cases to be decided by a single magistrate behind closed doors, often without the defendant’s knowledge or participation. Guilty pleas and mitigation can be submitted online, and most cases are processed in weeks rather than months. But at what cost?

In this episode, host Penelope Gibbs is in the hot seat alongside barrister Kirsty Brimelow KC to discuss how the SJP works and what it means for people facing charges.

Penelope Gibbs @PenelopeGibbs2

Read Penelope's report on the Single Justice Procedure here: http://bit.ly/4o5bOjG

Kirsty Brimelow KC @Kirsty_Brimelow

Find out more about Kirsty's work here: https://www.doughtystreet.co.uk/barristers/kirsty-brimelow-kc

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: @TransformJust1

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

Custody is supposed to be used as a last resort when a child gets in trouble. But that's not always the case. In this episode, our hosts are joined by Dr Anne-Marie Day, youth justice researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Dr Laura Janes KC (Hon), solicitor. They discuss why children are detained, how they are treated in custody, and what the experience of imprisonment is like for a child.

Dr Anne-Marie Day

Read more about Anne-Marie's work here: https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-anne-marie-day#t-tabs_staff_profile-3

Dr Laura Janes KC (Hon)

Find out more about Laura's work here: https://laurakjanes.co.uk/

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

The long-awaited final report of David Gauke's sentencing review was published on 22nd May 2025. In this episode, Penelope and Rob are joined by Rachel Sylvester, political editor of The Observer, to discuss its contents.

From chemical castration to early release, the report covers a huge range of suggestions to reduce pressure on our prison system. But will it be enough to finally broker peace between the parties, the public, and the prisons?

Rachel Sylvester

Read more from The Times' crime and justice commission, which Rachel chaired: https://www.thetimes.com/law/crime-justice-commission

Further resources:

Read the sentencing review final report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-sentencing-review-final-report

Read Rob's latest blog about the sentencing review: https://reformingprisons.blogspot.com/2025/05/a-good-try-but-can-it-be-converted.html

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

Does equality before the law mean treating everyone the same? Sparks have flown in recent weeks as Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood and Lord Davis, Chairman of The Sentencing Council, debate proposed guidelines that encourage judges to consider pre-sentence reports for certain groups, including ethnic and religious minorities. The Lord Chancellor has publicly criticised the proposals for creating a "two-tier" justice system.

In this episode, hosts Penelope and Rob are joined by Sonya Ruparel, CEO of Women in Prison, and journalist David Shipley. They discuss what sparked the debate, why some oppose the guidelines, and who should have final say on matters informing sentencing.

Sonya Ruparel

Read Women in Prison's statement: https://womeninprison.org.uk/news/women-in-prison-respond-to-discussion-on-sentencing-council-guidance

David Shipley

Read David's article for the Spectator: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-sentencing-council-has-been-humiliated/

Further resources:

Read the guidlines that sparked the debate: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/overarching-guides/magistrates-court/item/imposition-of-community-and-custodial-sentences-overarching-guideline/

Read Rob's analysis of the debate: https://reformingprisons.blogspot.com/2025/04/parliamentary-undersight-strange-case.html

Read the letters between the Lord Chancellor and Lord Davis:

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/20250310-Letter-from-Lord-Justice-William-Davis-to-Lord-Chancellor-on-Imposition-FOR-PUBLICATION.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e6640655be617e1490d69c/lord-chancellor-rt-hon_lord-justice-davis.pdf

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025-03-26-Letter-to-the-Lord-Chancellor-from-William-Davis-LJ-1.pdf

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

It's estimated that 50% of people in prison are neurodivergent, compared to around 15% of the general population. But why?

In this episode, hosts Penelope and Rob are joined by David Breakspear, ambassador for ADHD Liberty, and Professor Stan Gilmour, former police officer and neurodisability researcher. Focusing on ADHD and brain injury, they discuss how neurodivergent people get caught up in the criminal justice system, why they might have worse outcomes than those who are neurotypical, and what the system could do to prevent neurodivergent people being unfairly criminalised.

David Breakspear

Find out more about David's work with ADHD liberty here: https://www.adhdliberty.org/

Stan Gilmour

Read Stan's most recent work on brain injury here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hidden-injuries-unaddressed-link-between-brain-trauma-gilmour-kpm-r0mye/

Further resources:

Brain injury and the criminal justice system: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/v8media/universityofexeter/schoolofpsychology/ccnr/documents/Brain_Injury_News_Issue_5_Spring_15.pdf

ADHD and the criminal justice system:

https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Takeda_ADHD-in-the-CJS-Roundtable-Report_Final.pdf

Transform Justice

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.