7. Michaela Booth Criminalised women in leadership roles within the criminal justice system

What is it like to be a woman in prison? What barriers do criminalised women face to create employment opportunities afterwards? What are the benefits of employing people with lived experience of custody if we want to improve the criminal justice system? What would criminal justice policy look like if we employed those with lived experience? What prejudice do people with lived experience face and is the criminal justice system guilty of exploiting their expertise?  How can faith in someone help turn their life around? Do we harness placing value on the human being in our efforts to rehabilitate?

Michaela Booth is the National Patient Engagement Lead for Care UK’s Health in Justice service that runs healthcare in 50 prisons across England, including Hewell and Long Lartin. She also has an Honours Degree and an MSc in Applied Criminology.  Michaela was sentenced to 4 years in prison for a crime she was found guilty of when she was 19 years old. She was sentenced at the age of 21 when her daughter was 4 years old.  In this powerful conversation Michaela describes her views on the criminal justice system for women and mothers and makes a convincing case for the importance of those with lived experience having leadership roles and contributing to policy.