Ep54: Rehabilitation in prison - reality or rhetoric?

Episode 54 of the The Transform Justice Podcast podcast, hosted by Transform Justice, titled "Ep54: Rehabilitation in prison - reality or rhetoric?" was published on December 12, 2025 and runs 34 minutes.

December 12, 2025 ·34m · The Transform Justice Podcast

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Summary

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 BrierleyFind Andi's memoir here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Honour-Can-Tell-Story/dp/1909976644Andrea CoomberRead more about The Howard League's concerns: https://howardleague.org/why-are-prisons-overcrowded/Further ResourcesRead 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.htmlTransform JusticeTwitter: ⁠@TransformJust1⁠BlueSky: ⁠@transformjustice.bsky.social⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

Episode Description

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.

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