Paul Cosgrove is a former investment banker who later became a prison officer. He tells us about his experiences working with prisoners convicted of financial crimes, the attitude some of these individuals had towards their crimes, some of the most challenging things Paul has had to deal with and how transitioning from investment banking to prison work changed his views on materialism and success.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Recorded live, this episode features two prison officers who have worked in one of the UK's first community custody units for women. They share their experiences of transitioning from a male high-security prison in Scotland to working in a facility built on the belief that women should be imprisoned in more trauma-informed, community-like conditions. We speak about the contrasts between working in these vastly different establishments, their views on staff corruption, some of the difficult things they've both had to deal with, and how the job has changed them.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Ian West served 35 years in the prison service in England, working in ten prisons and governing four. He tells us about the special secure unit of HMP Belmarsh where he worked with some of the highest-risk prisoners in the country, the difficulties of changing the thinking of some elderly prisoners and what it was like to govern a prison through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Dr Rebecca Myers was a forensic and prison psychologist in England treating prisoners who had committed sexual offences. She is also the author of the book, Inside Job. Of the individuals in society who admit to being sexually attracted to children, why do some people give in to those sexual compulsions when so many others don't? How does she measure success in this line of work? And how does working with people convicted of sexual offences impact staff?
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Craig Gottschalk was a wildlife biologist who went on to work in prisons for 12 years, first as a prison officer and finally as assistant director. He is now assistant ombudsman, investigating complaints from people in prison. Craig shares the signs to look out for before somebody becomes violent, taught to him from his days as a biologist. He tells us about an encounter with a former prisoner who threatened to kill Craig and his family, and how a chance meeting in a grocery store showed Craig that he was literally saving lives in prison.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Email me: evolvingprisons@outlook.com