

The Forensic Psychology Podcast
Prison Radio Association
Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken from HM Prison and Probation Service Psychology team interview colleagues who do vitally important work in prisons across the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 7, 2025 • 1h 3min
Working as a forensic psychologist expert witness in the courts | Louise Bowers
Dr Louise Bowers is a HCPC-registered Forensic Psychologist, a BPS Chartered Psychologist, and the Director of The Forensic Psychologist Service, which she co-leads with her business partner, Emma Stevenson. With over 30 years of post-qualification experience, Louise has worked across a diverse range of settings, including HM Prison and Probation Service, the NHS and private practice. Louise is a national trainer for the British Psychological Society’s Expert Witness Training Programme and delivers postgraduate workshops on expert witness practice. Louise has acted as an expert witness throughout her career and, in 2003, was one of the first two forensic psychologists appointed to the Parole Board. Today, she is most frequently found giving evidence in Crown Court or before the Parole Board, involving individuals accused or convicted of the most serious offences.References for all texts cited in this podcast are on our Linktree.Presenters: Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa HockenProducer: Andrew WilkieAssistant Producer: Richie MakepeaceYou can follow this podcast on LinkedIn by clicking here.The Forensic Psychology Podcast is a co-production between HM Prison and Probation Service and the Prison Radio Association charity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 31, 2025 • 57min
Trauma-informed working in prisons | Jude Kelman
Dr Jude Kelman has worked as a forensic psychologist within HM Prison and Probation Service for 30 years. She is the Lead Psychologist for Women's prisons, leading a team of approximately 75 forensic psychologists working across the 12 women's prisons within England and Wales. She has recently completed PhD at King's College London, examining trauma-informed care within women's prisons, and has published the findings from her research. Jude is passionate about improving outcomes for women in contact with the criminal justice system, and works hard to influence changes to policies and practices within the organisation, in order to enable women to receive the most effective support and services whilst they are in prison, as well as whilst they transition into the community after release.References for all texts cited in this podcast are on our Linktree.Presenters: Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa HockenProducer: Andrew WilkieAssistant Producer: Richie MakepeaceYou can follow this podcast on LinkedIn by clicking here.The Forensic Psychology Podcast is a co-production between HM Prison and Probation Service and the Prison Radio Association charity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 24, 2025 • 1h 6min
Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence | Mads Smyth and Niki Henneberry-Ebb
Niki Henneberry-Ebb is a Registered forensic psychologist. She has worked as a psychologist in HM Prison and Probation Service for over 20 years and is a Principal Psychologist in the Midlands. Niki has specialised in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have committed serious violent offences in the context of intimate relationships and stalking, and has a particular passion for developing and promoting innovative practice with a focus on reducing violence against women and girls. She is the national lead for stalking for HMPPS Psychology Services Group and leads the Early Awareness Stalking Intervention (EASI) which is a Home Office-funded project delivered in partnership with the West Midlands Police that offers psychological intervention at the earliest opportunity to individuals who have engaged in stalking behaviours after a relationship has ended. Dr Madeline Smyth is a Registered forensic psychologist. She has over 20 years of experience working in the prison service and is a Principal Psychologist for HM Prison and Probation Service in North Wales. Madeline specialises in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have committed serious violent and sexual offences. Her primary area of professional and research interest is Intimate Partner Violence, which was the focus of her doctoral dissertation. She is also interested in developing the knowledge base on treatment in forensic populations. Madeline is an academic supervisor at Cardiff Metropolitan University supporting Trainee Forensic Psychologists through their qualifications.References for all texts cited in this podcast are on our Linktree.Presenters: Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa HockenProducer: Andrew WilkieAssistant Producer: Richie MakepeaceYou can follow this podcast on LinkedIn by clicking here.The Forensic Psychology Podcast is a co-production between HM Prison and Probation Service and the Prison Radio Association charity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 17, 2025 • 1h 7min
Supervision in forensic practice | Jason Davies
Professor Jason Davies is a Chartered and Registered clinical and forensic psychologist and a Professor of Forensic and Clinical Psychology at Swansea University and a consultant with Swansea Bay University Health Board. Jason has worked as a clinician and academic and he is a member of the Ministry of Justice Correctional Service Advice and Accreditation Panel and is the research and evaluation lead for the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway in Wales. He is widely published across a range of topic sand most relevant to this episode is his book Supervision for Forensic Professionals, which is currently being revised for a new edition. Jason was involved in developing the revised training that forms the basis for British Psychological Society Registration as an Applied Psychology Practice Supervisor.References for all texts cited in this podcast are on our Linktree.Presenters: Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa HockenProducer: Andrew WilkieAssistant Producer: Richie MakepeaceYou can follow this podcast on LinkedIn by clicking here.The Forensic Psychology Podcast is a co-production between HM Prison and Probation Service and the Prison Radio Association charity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 14, 2025 • 1min
**New series starts this Thursday!**
Sally and Kerensa return for a brand new series of The Forensic Psychology Podcast this Thursday.Presenters: Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa HockenProducer: Andrew WilkieAssistant Producer: Richie MakepeaceYou can follow this podcast on LinkedIn by clicking here.The Forensic Psychology Podcast is a co-production between HM Prison and Probation Service and the Prison Radio Association charity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 15, 2024 • 52min
How forensic psychologists with ADHD experience the profession | Dr Alice Bennett and Dr Rachel Worthington
Dr. Alice Bennett, a Registered Psychologist at HMP Frankland, and Dr. Rachel Worthington, a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, share their unique perspectives as forensic psychologists with ADHD. They discuss the challenges and strengths associated with ADHD in their field, advocating for tailored practices and support systems. The duo also explores the importance of collaborative research, the misconceptions surrounding ADHD, and innovative tools like the 'Brain Friendly Passport' to support neurodiversity in forensic settings.

Aug 8, 2024 • 1h 2min
How to support staff working in prisons | Prof. Jo Clarke
Professor Jo Clarke, PhD., is an internationally acclaimed academic and expert on resilience, and founder of the Petros organisation. Jo learned her craft working as a psychologist in the prison service for over 20 years. She is a regular speaker and trainer, nationally and internationally, on the subject of individual and organizational resilience, and has authored a number of chapters and papers on the subject. Committed to life-long learning, she remains abreast of current research and developments in the area and with her dedicated team, strives to continually develop evidence-based interventions to promote thriving at work and at life. Further reading: Clarke, J (2022) How to thrive in treatment: Organizational and Individual duty of care In Sex offender Assessment, Treatment, and Management: Emerging Directions and Debates Uzieblo, K., Smid, W., & McCartan, K (Eds). Palgrave MacMillan Clarke, J (2017) The Resilient Organisation in Ireland, J. L., Ireland, C. A., Fisher, M., & Gredecki, N. (Eds.) pp236-251. The Routledge International Handbook of Forensic Psychology in Secure Settings. Taylor & Francis Clarke, J & WIlson, P (Eds) (2013) Forensic Psychology in Practice: A Practitioners Handbook Palgrave MacMillan, Hants Paton, D., Violanti, J.M., (2008) Stress Shield: A model of police resiliency Johnston, P., Burke, K.J., Clarke, J.M., & Keenan, D International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 10(2), pp 95-107 Clarke, J.M (2008) Promoting Professional Resilience. In M. Calder (Ed) Contemporary Risk Assessment in Safeguarding Children, pp.164-180. Russell House Publishing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 1, 2024 • 59min
Incident Management | Dr. Carol Bond and Dr. Catharine Booth
Dr. Catharine Booth joined HM Prison and Probation Service in 1997. During her career she has worked with men, women and children in custody and currently works in HMPPS North West Psychology Services. Cath has been involved in the management of serious incidents in prisons for over 20 years as a practitioner and trainer. She acts as a Silver and Gold negotiation advisor (NA) and is involved in training prison officers and psychologists to become negotiators and negotiation advisors, respectively. Cath completed her doctoral research in exploring the experiences of prison officer negotiators. Dr. Carol Bond has been a forensic psychologist for over 30 years, spending most of her career working in prisons as well as practicing in secure psychiatric hospitals, working as a specialist member of the parole board and lecturing in academic settings. Throughout her career she has been involved in the management of serious incidents including training staff, advising negotiators and commanders during incidents, developing specialist training courses and working with other professionals involved in crisis management. She is the national lead for HMPPS negotiation matters and has recently completed her Doctorate exploring hostage incidents in UK prisons. Key references: McMains, M., Mullins, W., & Young, A. (2020) Crisis Negotiations: Managing Critical Incidents and Hostage Situations in Law Enforcement and Corrections (6th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429505225 Cialdini, Robert B. (2021) Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion. New York: HarperCollins. Grubb, A. (2010) Modern day hostage (crisis) negotiation: The evolution of an art form within the policing arena. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 15. 341-348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2010.06.002 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 24, 2024 • 1h 1min
The Power-Threat-Meaning Framework | Dr. Lucy Johnstone and Dr. Jo Ramsden
Dr. Lucy Johnstone is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and worked in Adult Mental Health for many years. She has written and lectured widely on critical perspectives in mental health theory and practice. She is a lead author of the 'Power Threat Meaning Framework' (2018). Dr. Jo Ramsden is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Yorkshire Humberside Personality Disorder Partnership. Jo was a contributor to the Power Threat Meaning Framework, and has led the way in supporting its application to forensic settings. Key references: The PTMF website, with the main PTMF documents, along with interviews, slides, resources, good practice examples etc: https://www.bps.org.uk/member-networks/division-clinical-psychology/power-threat-meaning-framework Accessible overview of the PTMF as a basis for constructing narratives: https://www.pccs-books.co.uk/products/a-straight-talking-introduction-to-the-power-threat-meaning-framework-an-alternative-to-psychiatric-diagnosis Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trauma-Recovery-Aftermath-Violence-Political/dp/0465061710 The PTMF in forensic services: Blog by Jo Ramsden: https://pegortwo.wordpress.com/ Interview with Jo Ramsden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqUMKNdK0-o Willmott and Evershed (2018) 'Interviewing people given a diagnosis of personality disorder in forensic settings' International J of Forensic MH Reis, Dinelli and Elias (2019) ‘Surviving prison: Using the PTMF to explore the impact of long-term imprisonment.’ Clinical Psychology Forum, 313 Willmott and Jones (2022) Trauma-informed forensic practice. Routledge (see especially chapter 2) Chapter 12 by Jo Ramsden and Kerry Buckley: 'The PTMF: Implications for practice within the criminal justice system' in 'Challenging Bias in Forensic Psychological Assessment and testing. Glenda Liell, Martin Fisher and Lawrence Jones(eds) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Challenging-Forensic-Psychological-Assessment-Testing/dp/1032138289 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 8, 2024 • 1h 18min
Remembering Dr. Ruth Mann
Fiona Williams is a Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). She is the Head of Interventions Services, a team of specialist staff who are responsible for the design of accredited programmes. Her remit also includes responsibility for accredited programmes staff training and the quality assurance of all programme delivery across over 200 prison and probation delivery sites. Rosie Travers leads the evidence based practice team in HMPPS. This is a small team of staff dedicated to bringing the best available evidence into our everyday practice in prison and probation, scanning the latest academic research and translating that into practice-relevant headlines for busy colleagues, and helping evaluate what difference that makes. Rosie is a forensic psychologist and worked for many years developing and evaluating offending behaviour programmes before moving a few years ago into an evidence team with a wider remit. Alan Scott joined the Prison Service as an Assistant Governor in 1983 from university and was posted to HMYCC Wellingborough. He then moved to HMP Gartree before being posted to HMP Haverigg and then HMP Preston as Deputy Governor, where he was then promoted to Governor of HMP Preston. After running HMP Wymott, he became Area Manager South West then returned to the North West as Area Manager. He acted as Director of Prisons for 6 months prior to becoming Director of Public Sector Prison North. He was appointed AED for the NW and Women’s Estate in October 2023. Areas of responsibility held include Young Adult Lead for HMPPS until recently and Chair Of Rehabilitative Culture Programme Board. Shadd Maruna is Professor of Criminology at Queen’s University Belfast and the Past President of the American Society of Criminology. He is the author of the books Making Good and Rehabilitation: Beyond the Risk Paradigm with Tony Ward. Key references: Mann, R. E., Hanson, R. K., & Thornton, D. (2010). Assessing risk for sexual recidivism: Some proposals on the nature of psychologically meaningful risk factors. Sexual Abuse, 22(2), 191-217. Mann, R. E., Fitzalan-Howard, F., & Tew, J. (2018). What is a rehabilitative prison culture? Prison Service Journal, 235, 3–9. Travers, R., Williams, F., & Willis, G. M. (2020). Recognising a trailblazer; celebrating a colleague; thanking a friend. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 26(2), 145-150. Maruna, S., & Mann, R. E. (2006). A fundamental attribution error? Rethinking cognitive distortions. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 11(2), 155-177. De Vries Robbé, M., Mann, R. E., Maruna, S., & Thornton, D. (2015). An exploration of protective factors supporting desistance from sexual offending. Sexual Abuse, 27(1), 16-33. Dean, C., Mann, R. E., Milner, R., & Maruna, S. (2007). Changing child sexual abusers' cognition. Aggressive Offenders' Cognition: Theory, Research, and Practice, 117-134. Maruna, S., & Mann, R. (2019). Reconciling ‘desistance’and ‘what works’. Academic Insights, 1, 3-10. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.