Probation Perspectives: Insights into Community Justice is a podcast exploring the world of probation, rehabilitation, and community justice. Hosted by Megan Thomas and Ceri Halfpenny from the University of Portsmouth, this series delves into key issues affecting probation practice, featuring expert insights, research, and real-world experiences.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Sarah Lewis, Director of Penal Reform Solutions and Grow Transform Belong. Sarah shares her journey from PSO to reform advocate and researcher, reflecting on the power of therapeutic relationships, the influence of culture, and the role of hope in probation and prisons. She introduces the concept of “Justice 2.0,” a global campaign for cultural transformation, and offers practical insights on managing professional boundaries, ruptures in relationships, and reflective practice. With powerful messages on rehabilitation, lived experience, and emotional resilience, this episode is essential listening for PQiPs, probation officers, and anyone interested in meaningful and humane rehabilitation within the criminal justice system.

Show notes and readings:

We’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made Probation Perspectives: Insights into Community Justice possible:

• Freddie Hunt – Podcast producer

• Jill Dealey – Podcast development and content support

• Lauren Meredith – Logo and jingle development

• Jenn Grant & Michelle McDermott – Management and support

• All of our guests – For sharing their expertise and experiences

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:40 Dr Sarah Lewis

04:52 Therapeutic Alliance

08:40 Red & Green Spaces

10:50 Mending Relationships

13:00 Justice 2.0 Launch

16:45 Reforming Prisons

19:30 Advice for Trainees

32:00 Reflective Practice

Here are the details of the resources and readings that were referred to within the episode:

• Penal Reform Solutions: https://penalreformsolutions.com/

• Grow, Transform, Belong: https://www.growtransformbelong.com/

• Albom, M. (2002). Tuesdays with Morrie: An old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lesson. Crown.

• Akerman, G., Needs, A., & Bainbridge, C. (2017). Transforming environments and rehabilitation. Taylor & Francis.

• Rogers, C. R. (1995). On becoming a person: A therapist’s view of psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

• Wakeman, S. (2014). Fieldwork, biography and emotion: Doing criminological autoethnography. British Journal of Criminology, 54(5), 705-721.