This is episode 5 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.

Lea Vaughan was a Hazardous Area Response Team paramedic and one of only three medics to treat victims inside the arena during the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 - the largest casualty she'd ever faced. In this episode, Lea reflects on the night of the attack and the lasting psychological impact. She speaks about the lack of support she received afterwards and the unexpected public backlash she faced, including death threats, as a visible face of the ambulance service.

Connect with Kaigan Carrie

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

This is episode 4 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.

Craig Wylde became a prison officer in 2006. Just four years later, at the age of 28, he was stabbed by a prisoner and left with life-changing injuries that forced his medical retirement. In this episode, Craig speaks about the attack and the long, painful process of coming to terms with a new reality. He speaks about the mental toll of the trauma and how, at his lowest point, he contemplated taking his own life.

Connect with Kaigan Carrie

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

This is episode 3 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.

Philip Ingram MBE joined the British Army in 1984 and served until 2010, leaving as a colonel. In this episode, he reflects on several difficult moments during his career, particularly his time during the Iraq war in Basra. He speaks about the trauma of losing a close friend, of having to read autopsy reports of soldiers who died, and witnessing distressing images of a helicopter being shot down. He shares the ways in which his mental health was impacted, to the point he carried a suicide kit around with him for years.

Connect with Kaigan Carrie

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

This is episode 2 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.

Wayne Campbell joined the police service in Northern Ireland in 2004 and spent much of his career as a detective, including overseeing the family liaison response for some of the country’s most devastating incidents - from homicides and fatal road accidents to mass casualty events. In this episode, Wayne tells us about two of the most defining and harrowing experiences of his career: being attacked by a loyalist terrorist group, and flying to America to tell a mother that her daughter had taken her own life after being targeted online by a man later convicted of child sexual abuse offences.

Connect with Kaigan Carrie

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

This is episode 1 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.

James Bull has been a firefighter for 25 years. In 2017, he made the brave decision to speak publicly about his experience of PTSD - a step that led to a three-year journey with a documentary film crew, capturing the mental health realities of the emergency services. In this episode, James tell us about two of the most psychologically difficult incidents of his career: a fatal road accident where he feared one of the casualties was his brother, and attending an incident that involved his own mum’s death. He reflects on how the job has shaped and changed him, and what it’s like to carry the toll of this job with him.

Connect with Kaigan Carrie

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Ray and Vi Donovan's son, Chris, was murdered in 2001. They made the extraordinary decision to meet all three of his killers through restorative justice. They tell us about the heartbreak of losing Chris, navigating the justice system and how it felt meeting each of the three boys responsible.

Explore the work Ray and Vi are doing through the Chris Donovan Trust.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

This is the 100th episode of the podcast! Thank you for listening and supporting these conversations.

Sarah Ellis is a barrister and forensic criminologist with a particular interest and specialism in coercive control, stalking and homicide. She explains the concept of the homicide timeline and how coercive control can escalate over time. Why is coercive control still so often misunderstood or overlooked? What needs to change in the way we intervene? And why do perpetrators of coercive control rarely change?

Learn more about the homicide timeline here.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie

Rob McKeon has sat on the parole board in England & Wales since 2012. He's reviewed the cases of over 5,000 prisoners, making decisions on whether they are ready to be released, including those convicted of murder, serious violence and sexual offences. We discuss the biggest signs that a prisoner might be ready to re-enter society, how some prisoners try to sabotage each other’s chances of release, and the emotional weight of making decisions that can change lives forever.

You can purchase a copy of Rob's book, Parole, here.

Evolving Prisons links

Website: evolvingprisons.com

Instagram: @evolvingprisons

LinkedIn: kaigancarrie