Best Penal Reform Podcasts (2025)

Send us a text A detention centre meant to correct young men became a blueprint for how institutions can enable predators. We dig into Medomsley’s regime of fear, the violence that greeted boys at the gate, and the sexual abuse that flourished where power went unchecked. Guided by survivors’ testimonies and an in-depth conversation with the Prisons…

1
12th November 1610. JOHN LUNE 0:44

Play Pause

8d ago0:44

0:44

(From Bruodin’s Propugnaculum, p. 673 THIS pious and zealous priest was a native of Wexford. At the risk of his life he used to comfort the flock confided to his care, and encourage them to persevere in the profession of the faith of their fathers, at a time when the heretics were persecuting the Catholics cruelly. Wherefore he was seized by them, …

1
11-12th November 1607 (?) ROBERT LALOR 13:18

2h ago13:18

13:18

HE was Vicar General of Dublin, Kildare, and Ferns.[1 According to Chichester on 26-2-1606: ‘They have taken one Lawler, a priest... He ...called himself Vicar General of Dublin and Kildare...’[2 On 7-3-1806, the Lord Deputy[3 wrote: On the 26th of last month, ...there was apprehended ... Robert Lalor, a priest, ... who ...occupied the place of Vic…

1
Richard Creagh, Final capture, imprisonment and assasination. 21:39

6d ago21:39

21:39

He returned to Ireland. He and Shane O’Neill disagreed on many things. The Primate was dissatisfied at the hardships which the king inflicted on clergy and violation of privileges and immunities of the churches. The Primate excommunicated him. Creagh was seized by Myler Hussey and surrendered by him. Upon capture he was sent to Dublin & from there …

1
2nd & 3rd November 1628. EDMUND DUNGAN, BISHOP OF DOWN AND CONNOR 2:02

5d ago2:02

2:02

HE was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. After enduring great hardships in prison, he died in chains for the faith in the year 1628.[1] Anno 1628, upon the 2nd of November, being Sunday at night, the titular Bishop of Down and Connor died in the Castle of Dublin. He was accused by one Patrick O’Mulvany, a Popish priest, of a conspiracy to…

1
Beyond Consent: Rape Law Reform in Academia and the Courtroom 45:28

13d ago45:28

45:28

In this episode of LawPod, Dr Eithne Dowds, a senior lecturer in law at Queen’s University Belfast, is joined by Professor Julia Quilter from the University of Wollongong, Australia. They discuss Professor Quilter's research on rape law reform and intoxication evidence in rape trials and compare the legal landscapes in Northern Ireland and Australi…

1
96. Exclusive Preview Inside The View Magazine Issue 15 9:31

7d ago9:31

9:31

Send us a text Our latest Rebel Justice Podcast offers a powerful preview of The View Magazine Issue 15, weaving first‑hand testimony, hard data and practical solutions across prisons, youth custody, social care and community action. If these stories move you, pre‑order Issue 15 at https://theviewmag.org.uk/product/the-view-magazine-issue-15/, subs…

1
Episode 4 Raji Abdul Salam On Turning Records Into Evidence 30:36

5d ago30:36

30:36

In this episode, Dr Ulrike Lühe speaks with Raji Abdul Salam, Chief Legal Data Archive Analyst at the Reckoning Project. In this conversation, Raji reveals how analysing thousands of testimonies uncovered the systematic genocide against Yazidi people—patterns invisible in individual cases. The conversation explores why "immutability" is sacred in d…

1
1st November 1581 MAURICE EUSTACE 8:17

14d ago8:17

8:17

(From Holing’s Compendium.[1]) MAURICE EUSTACE, of an illustrious family, student of theology and Master of Arts, became a novice of the Society of Jesus at Bruges. When his father[2], a rich powerful man, learned this, he was displeased and wrote to the Superiors of the Order, asking them to send his son to him, as he was his heir and the only son…

1
Episode 3: Robert Petit – Managing Evidence For Future Accountability In Syria 24:59

6d ago24:59

24:59

The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024. In this episode, Dagmar Hovestädt speaks with Robert Petit, a long-term prosecutor of i…

1
Episode 2: Trudy Huskamp Peterson – The Challenge Of Preserving Transitional Archives 18:20

7d ago18:20

18:20

The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queen's University Belfast in November 2024. In this episode, Dagmar Hovestädt speaks with Dr. Trudy Huskamp Peterson, internationa…

1
95. The Hidden Sentence for Mothers – with Not Beyond Redemption’s Founder Camilla Baldwin & Solicitor Eben Vaughan-Philipps 46:48

21d ago46:48

46:48

Send us a text Imagine serving three months for a non‑violent offence and imagine being released with no priority for housing, and a wall between you and your child. That’s the hidden sentence thousands of mothers face, and it’s where Not Beyond Redemption steps in with free legal advice and representation to keep families together. We sit with fou…

1
Episode 1: Babacar Ndaye – Building Digital Archives at the UN 20:50

8d ago20:50

20:50

The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024. In this opening episode, Dr Julia Viebach speaks with Babacar Ndaye, former Senior Prog…

1
94. Dr. Sarah Benn and the Climate Health Emergency: When Medicine Meets Activism 37:33

15d ago37:33

37:33

Send us a text In this week's episode, we talk to Dr Sarah Benn, a GP who moved from decades of practice to non‑violent climate action. How did Dr Sarah go from sitting outside an oil terminal with a small placard, to ending up behind bars? Dr Sarah explains why civil resistance, done non‑violently, can be a legitimate public health intervention wh…

1
Re-capture, trial & escape from Dublin Castle of Richard Creagh, Primate of All-Ireland 9:02

18d ago9:02

9:02

While waiting for a ship to Ireland, he was entertained by a priest. [1] He was called to exorcise a woman, and he was going through the prayers, perchance,’ said the serpent, you threaten me, relying on the aid of that Irish Bishop.’ He was astonished, and he told the Primate what what the devil had said to him, and he besought him to pray for the…

1
50B Richard Creagh, Escape from the Tower of London 31:18

30d ago31:18

31:18

He was consecrated, and reached Ireland.[1] He was seized, taken to London, and shut in the Tower.[2] His courage to endure increased day by day. ‘The faithful man,’,[3] ‘should grow in faith while suffering affliction.’ [4] The Archbishop escaped from the Tower. The account of his escape is among the Japanese letters at Louvain (p.290). [9] Our Pr…

1
93. The Fight to End FGM Part 2: First Global Report on FGM with The Vavengers CEO Sema Gornall, Sir Max Hill KC and Activist Mam Lisa Camara 39:58

1M ago39:58

39:58

Send us a text In part two of our series with The Vavengers, Rebel Justice is joined by Sir Max Hill KC, former Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, alongside The Vavengers’ CEO, Sema Gornall and activist Mam Lisa Camara Together, they unpack the legal, political, and global dimensions of the fight to end female genital mutilation…

1
14th October 1618 - JOHN HONAN, O.S.F. 1:05

30d ago1:05

1:05

HE was a native of Connaught, a priest, and a member of the Franciscan Order. After he had spent many years in religion a model to all of every virtue, and had discharged the office of pastor very zealously among the persecuted Catholics of Leinster, he was seized by the English heretics in Dublin and cast into prison. After six weeks of imprisonme…

1
1585. VENERABLE RICHARD CREAGH, ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH AND PRIMATE.[1]2 - Early career & Capture 16:14

1M ago16:14

16:14

From Rothe’s Analecta, p395 He was native of Limerick. In his youth he had charge of the sale of saffron and other aromatic herbs in a merchant’s shop. Once he perceived that bags of saffron were damp. His conscience fearing there might be wrong done to the buyers, he set out the plant to dry in the sun, lest his soul might suffer from the addition…

1
92. The Fight to End FGM Part 1: The Vavengers CEO Sema Gornall and FGM Survivor and Activist Mam Lisa Camara 24:30

1M ago24:30

24:30

Send us a text In this powerful first episode of a two-part series, Rebel Justice speaks with Sema Gornall, CEO of The Vavengers, and Mam Lisa Camara, a Gambian women’s rights activist and survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM). The Vavengers are a survivor-led organisation using advocacy, art, and community mobilisation to end FGM and gender-…

1
1588. PETER MILLER 1:52

2M ago1:52

1:52

(Ibid., p. 456) HE was a native of Wexford, and a Bachelor of Theology. Moved by charity towards the Catholics, he return to Ireland from Spain. Hardly had he landed at Wexford when he was taken and examined, and being found constant in the faith, by order of the judge he was, after various tortures, hanged and quartered, October 4th, 1588. See als…

1
91. Tanya’s Story: Coercive Control, Corrupted Care, and the Search for Justice 18:15

1M ago18:15

18:15

Send us a text A delivery driver calls 999 after witnessing an assault, yet the woman with bruises becomes the suspect. That reversal sets the tone for a story that forces us to confront how easily credibility flips when a vulnerable person meets a tired system. We walk through Tanya’s account of years of coercive control, forced isolation, surveil…

1
90. Saeed Taji Farouky: Palestine, Protest, and Resistance Through Filmmaking 45:31

1M ago45:31

45:31

Send us a text What does it mean to create art in a time of genocide? How can filmmaking become an act of resistance? Saeed Taji Farouky joins Rebel Justice to explore these urgent questions from his perspective as an award-winning documentary filmmaker, educator, and activist. Over two decades, his camera has taken viewers from Myanmar's oil field…

1
89. Surviving Violence, Shaping Justice - Janine Ewen’s Story 46:44

2M ago46:44

46:44

Send us a text Justice and law touch every aspect of our lives, yet we rarely think about them until they directly impact us or those we love. When they fail, the consequences can be devastating, especially for the most vulnerable among us. Janine Ewen's story begins in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, where political conflict formed the backd…

1
15th September 1584. THADDEUS CLANCY 3:21

2M ago3:21

3:21

(From Bruodin’s Propugnaculum, p. 497.) AMONG the many bold athletes who in the County of Limerick courageously sacrificed their property, and even shed their blood to uphold the ancient Catholic faith, we must mention this brave man. He was of noble descent, and lord of Ballyrobert.[1] When the teachers of heresy were raging throughout Ireland, he…

1
13th September 4:40

2M ago4:40

4:40

1599. JAMES DOWDALL (From Bruodin’s Propugnaculum, p. 467) (A few different dates are given in the narrative I wonder if three different martyrs killed in the same area have been given the name of the known martyr.) HE was a Drogheda merchant, & when returning from France to Ireland he was driven by contrary winds into a harbour in the south of Eng…

1
88. The Trial of Justice: What Farah Damji’s Case Reveals About Britain’s Courts 14:20

2M ago14:20

14:20

Send us a text What happens when a woman who gives voice to the voiceless becomes the target of the very system she criticises? Farah Damji's story challenges everything we believe about justice, compassion, and human dignity in modern Britain. Farah—a mother, editor, writer, and fierce advocate for women in prison—founded The View magazine in 2020…

1
87. Justice for Carol Lloyd - A Fight Against Extradition, Neglect and Silence 30:58

3M ago30:58

30:58

Send us a text What happens when you fall through the cracks between two nations? For Carol Lloyd, it's meant a decade-long nightmare of prison cells, medical neglect, and abandonment by the very governments meant to protect her. Carol sits in a Canadian prison today – triple-bunked, seriously ill, and without legal representation. Her British pass…

1
86. Part 2 - WPA Designing for Dignity: Housing, Policy, and the Future of Justice 17:37

3M ago17:37

17:37

Send us a text Welcome back to Rebel Justice and part two of our illuminating conversation with Meg Egan, CEO of the Women's Prison Association—America's first organization dedicated to women impacted by incarceration. Where our first episode explored personal stories driving WPA's mission, this segment zooms out to examine systemic solutions. Meg …

1
85. Part 1 - Inside the Women's Prison Associations Mission and Legacy 30:33

3M ago30:33

30:33

Send us a text Meg Egan, CEO of the Women’s Prison Association, takes us inside the oldest U.S. organization dedicated to supporting women impacted by incarceration. Since 1845, WPA has quietly revolutionized justice for women and families, addressing root causes like poverty, trauma, and the criminalization of survival. Meg shares how WPA has evol…

1
84. Part 2 - The Filton 24 & The Dangerous Precedent of Banning Palestine Action 53:23

3M ago53:23

53:23

Send us a text When does protest become terrorism? In one of the most alarming developments in a generation, the UK government has prescribed Palestine Action under counter-terrorism legislation, placing a direct action group alongside neo-Nazi organisations and making it a criminal offence to express support for them. This groundbreaking episode d…

1
83. Part 1 - Mothers of the Filton 24 and the Misuse of Anti-Terrorism Legislation 48:37

3M ago48:37

48:37

Send us a text What happens when two young university students decide they can no longer stand by while weapons made in Britain fuel a genocide? For Fatema Zainab and Zoe, both just barely in their twenties, the answer led them to a prison cell where they've remained for nine months – with no trial in sight until November. The "Filton 18" case repr…

1
Teaser: The View Magazine Issue 14 8:57

3M ago8:57

8:57

Send us a text Today, we’re bringing you a powerful mini episode to celebrate the release of Issue 14 of The View Magazine, dropping July 31st. The View is the only platform in the UK created by and for women in the justice system; women who are survivors of trauma, of state-endorsed violence, and who face the harshest effects of the climate crisis…

1
82. Impact of Trauma in the Courtroom & Constance Marten 29:18

4M ago29:18

29:18

Send us a text In this powerful episode of Rebel Justice, we explore what happens when the courtroom becomes another site of violence- where trauma is not just ignored, but used against those already suffering. We focus on the case of Constance Marten, whose high-profile trial for gross negligence manslaughter has captured national headlines. But b…

1
81. The Cost of Cruelty - How Sodexo Killed Khadija Sennai 14:31

4M ago14:31

14:31

Send us a text In this heartbreaking episode of Rebel Justice, we tell the story of Khadija Sennai—a mother, a fighter, and a woman betrayed by every institution meant to protect her. Diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer, Khadija endured months of neglect, indifference, and cruelty while imprisoned at HMP Bronzefield. Her repeated cries for help w…

1
The Dutch Approach to Civilian Harm Accountability 40:40

5M ago40:40

40:40

In the third episode of the mini-series on Civilian Harm in Conflict, host Mae Thompson is joined by Erin Bijl (PAX, Dutch NGO) and Major Steven van de Put (Royal Netherlands Air Force, former student) to explore the Dutch approach to accountability for civilian harm. This episode delves into the evolution of the Dutch accountability framework, spo…

1
80. Who Gets Heard in Court? Who Gets Ignored? 15:46

4M ago15:46

15:46

Send us a text This week on Rebel Justice, we examine the silencing of abuse survivors in the courtrooms of England and Wales-through the complex and controversial case of Farah Damji. Convicted of stalking her former partner Nigel Gould-Davies, a self-proclaimed security expert on Russia, Damji's trial left crucial voices unheard—including testimo…

1
River Faughan: The Struggle for Legal Personhood 57:48

5M ago57:48

57:48

In this special episode Katie O’Doherty delves into the illegal waste dumping scandal at the Mobuoy dump near the River Faughan in Northern Ireland, a scandal described by Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir as a "sophisticated and deliberate environmental crime of unprecedented scale”. It explores the background of this large scale environmental crim…

1
79. Grace Colbourne Part 2 - The Right to Dignified Cancer Care 23:26

4M ago23:26

23:26

Send us a text In this powerful episode of Rebel Justice, hosted by The View Magazine, we continue the story of Grace Colbourne, a 37-year-old Antiguan woman and former military officer currently on remand at HMP Bronzefield, a private women’s prison in the UK. Grace is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, but instead of receiving proper medical…

1
78. Health, Healing, Hope, and Happiness – The Legacy of Sunny Pringle 24:22

5M ago24:22

24:22

Send us a text We at The View were deeply saddened to learn of the untimely passing of a truly heroic justice reformer, Sunny Pringle. Sunny was a fierce advocate for justice and a guiding light for many. Sunny survived a wrongful conviction, leading to 17 years of imprisonment, five of which were spent in solitary confinement under a sentence of d…

1
77. Grace Colbourne’s Cancer Story That Should Never Have Happened 21:04

5M ago21:04

21:04

Send us a text In Part One of this two-part episode, we hear the devastating testimony of Grace Colbourne — a 37-year-old Antiguan woman and former military officer, currently on remand at HMP Bronzefield. After discovering a lump in her breast, Grace began a months-long ordeal of medical delays, denial of choice, and dehumanising treatment while i…

1
76. Zainab Salbi Part 2 - When Care Becomes Climate Revolution 24:18

5M ago24:18

24:18

Send us a text In the second installment of a two-part conversation, Rebel Justice speaks with Zainab Salbi — humanitarian, author, survivor, and founder of Daughters for Earth. What happens when women lead environmental restoration efforts? Zainab Salbi and host Anna Shapiro journey through a radical reimagining of climate action rooted in care, c…