Impact Conference 2024: Culture, Challenge and Change

The 2024 Unlocked Graduates Impact Conference brought together participants, Ambassadors and criminal justice experts for a day of reflection, inspiration, and practical takeaways on how to drive positive change within the prison system.

This year’s theme of the conference, ‘Culture, Challenge, and Change’, resonated throughout the sessions, highlighting the importance of individual and collective action in creating a more hopeful and rehabilitative justice system.

#Opening Session & Keynote Address

The conference kicked off with an inspiring message from Unlocked Graduates participant Adam:

“The culture in prison needs to change it, and we can change it. We’ve all been making a difference in our establishments, but today is a chance for us to step back and look at the big picture.”

Unlocked Graduates CEO and Founder, Natasha Porter OBE, emphasised the responsibility of staff to be agents of change and the potential for positive impact on prisoners:

“We need prisons that support people to change and flourish. Prison reform means fighting for a society that is safer and fairer.”

Governing Governor, Amy Frost, described her experiences of pushing for change in challenging environments:

“The Victorian history of Wormwood Scrubs weighs very heavily, but the culture continues to change every day in small but important ways.”

Deputy Director of Youth Custody Service Operations Sonia Brooks OBE and Governor Jenny Louis shared their experiences and the challenges they faced in their careers, while highlighting the progress made and the importance of perseverance:

“When I joined the prison service in 1987, women weren’t even allowed to work in the male estate. I didn’t believe at that time that I could make a difference. But now I have achieved my goal of being the first Black female prison governor.” – Jenny Louis.

“There is hope there, and I have to make sure that my staff provide that hope for the children in our care.”– Sonia Brooks OBE.

#Breakout Sessions

Prison Reform Trust: 

Pia Sinha, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, encouraged participants to stand up, challenge the status quo and champion innovative solutions. Meanwhile, Paula Harriott, Head of Prisoner Engagement, highlighted how, “the best solutions come from diversity of thought. It brings richness of data, insights and resources that people can tap into.”

Supporting Substance Recovery: 

This session brought together an expert panel, featuring Natalie Adams (Prison Officer currently on the Spark Scheme), Mike Trace (CEO at the Forward Trust), Ian Thomas (Social Worker, Activist and Public Speaker) and Jenny Warren (Unlocked Ambassador), to explore experiences of addiction in prison.

Examples of best practice demonstrated the benefit or rewarding good behaviour over punishing negative behaviour in recovery, and the power of legitimate connection in working relationships between staff and prisoners.

Transforming Staff Cultures: 

Kam Stevens, a Senior Digital Consultant at Penal Reform Solutions, emphasised the value of leadership that empowers staff, fosters open communication, and prioritises wellbeing:

“It’s okay to not be okay. You’re human beings. Accept you can’t be exceptional every day, but also know that tomorrow is a new chance to be.”

Little Scandinavia Project:

This session saw Jordan Hyatt JD PhD (Director of the Center for Public Policy, at Drexel University, Philadelphia) present research findings from a unique prison design at SCI Chester in Pennsylvania that prioritises human connection and prisoner rehabilitation:

“We’ve changed policies to include more restorative justice principles and to improve staff-prisoner relationships.

It’s a bottom-up initiative, all developed and proposed by correctional officers. Staff have received a range of training while visiting Scandinavian prisons, implementing normality principles.”

Prison Officer Wellbeing and Trauma Resilience: 

Professor Jo Clarke (Petros Organisation) highlighted the importance of building resilience and providing support for staff who experience trauma in the workplace:

“It’s a bloody tough job and not everyone can do it. But post-traumatic stress is not an inevitable response to trauma if we all know how to handle it.

Resilience is not about being strong, it’s about being skilled.”

Change Initiatives: 

Unlocked Graduates alumni Georgia Clarke and Joshua Wainwright spoke alongside frontline officers Daniel Carcary and Paul Flisher, sharing their inspiring stories of driving positive change within their institutions, from establishing support networks for female staff to fostering trust and reducing violence among prisoners.

Constructive Resettlement: 

Professor Neal Hazel offered a refreshing perspective on resettlement, framing it as a journey rather than a single event, and emphasising the importance of understanding the individual needs of each prisoner.

Storytelling for Change: 

James Westhead, Head of Engagement at Big Society Capital, discussed the power of storytelling in humanising prisoners and fostering empathy.

Wellbeing Workout & Plenary Session:

The conference concluded with a focus on staff wellbeing, with Natasha Porter and Liam Fenn offering practical strategies for self-care and preventing trauma:

“Being a leader is largely about emotional care and resilience.”

#Closing Remarks

Unlocked Graduates Ambassadors Khial and Molly provided a powerful closing session, urging staff to go beyond the prison walls in their pursuit of change and to prioritise the voices of the prisoners they work with.

The 2024 Unlocked Graduates Conference was a day full of sharing best practices, fostering collaboration, and empowering staff to be agents of positive change within the prison system.

Want to learn more about Unlocked Graduates’ Impact on our criminal justice system? Check out our latest impact report here.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all attendees for joining us at this year’s conference. We look forward to seeing the culture change that follows!