2025 was a busy year in justice policy. In this episode, Penelope and Rob reflect on the reforms, debates and missed opportunities that shaped the past year then look ahead to how current policy work and political priorities are likely to influence the justice landscape in 2026. We talk prisons, courts, criminal records and more.

Further Resources

Read David Gauke's Independent Sentencing Review, part 1: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67c583a868a61757838d2196/independent-sentencing-review-part-1-report.pdf

Read David Gauke's Independent Sentencing Review, part 2: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/682d8d995ba51be7c0f45371/independent-sentencing-review-report-part_2.pdf

Read the Leveson Independent Review of the Criminal Courts: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/686be85d81dd8f70f5de3c1f/35.49_MOJ_Ind_Review_Criminal_Courts_v8b_FINAL_WEB.pdf

Transform Justice

Twitter: ⁠⁠@TransformJust1⁠

⁠⁠⁠BlueSky: ⁠⁠@transformjustice.bsky.social⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠policy@transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠policy@transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.

What happens when the government turns protest into a crime? New laws aren’t just tightening the rules, they’re redefining who gets to speak out and even who has the right to a defence in court. With thousands of protesters waiting to hear if they’ll be charged with a crime, the message seems clear: dissent now comes at a cost.

In this episode, Penelope is joined by Sarah Lunnon, an organiser with Just Stop Oil, and Audrey Mogan, a criminal barrister who has defended protesters in court. Together, they unpack how these new laws are being applied in practice and the impact on direct action groups, individual rights, and the future of protest.

Audrey Mogan @acmogan

Find out more about Audrey's work at Garden Chambers here: https://gardencourtchambers.co.uk/barrister/audrey-cherryl-mogan/

Sarah Lunnon @slunnon

Further resources

Read the parliamentary briefing on police powers regarding protest: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05013/

Transform Justice

Twitter: @TransformJust1
BlueSky: @transformjustice.bsky.social
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠policy@transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.