Evolving Prisons

Roughly 20,000 children in Scotland experience parental imprisonment each year. But what unique challenges do families of imprisoned individuals face? How do they navigate the emotional and practical realities of life during the Christmas season? I chat with Professor Nancy Loucks OBE, Chief Executive of Families Outside, to explore how the impact of imprisonment extends far beyond the individual behind bars and affects the lives of those left outside.

Evolving Prisons links

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, USA, was one of the most famous prisons in the world. How did the prison function in the 19th century and beyond? And how was Christmas celebrated there throughout the centuries? We chat to Damon McCool, the Senior Manager of Programme Development there now that the prison is a tourist site, to find out.

Evolving Prisons links

Anne Okkels Birk grew up on the grounds of a prison in Denmark as her dad was a prison governor. She went on to work for the prison service and is now a criminologist. She shares what this experience was like growing up, some of the challenges Danish prisons face, why sending prisoners to Kosovo isn't a good idea and lessons we can learn from the Holocaust and other genocides.

Justin Jones has worked in corrections in America for 47 years and was Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for 8 years. During this time he witnessed 28 executions of people on death row. Who is there when the execution takes place? How did watching these impact him, particularly since he doesn’t believe in the death penalty? How did he get access to the drug required when pharmaceutical companies weren’t providing it? And if it isn’t a medical professional or prison staff member who administers the lethal injection, then who is it?