PTAC Webinar: Not Just Criminals – From Service Users to System Enablers

Tassie Ghilani

HMPPS National Lived Experience Lead, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, England

Tassie Ghilani is a system leader specialising in lived experience, relational approaches and social justice reform, with a track record across government and the charity sector. As the current National Lived Experience Lead at HMPPS, she drives the integration of lived experience into policy and practice, shaping more inclusive and effective services across custody and community settings.

Paula Harriot

CEO, UNLOCK, England

Paula Harriott is Chief Executive of Unlock, the national independent advocacy charity for people with criminal records. She has extensive experience across the criminal justice system, working at the intersection of policy, practice, and service development to improve access to employment, housing, and fair treatment for people with convictions.

Alice Adamson

Deputy Director Rehabilitation HMPPS, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, England

Alice Adamson is Deputy Director in Rehabilitation Strategy and Interventions at HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), based within the Ministry of Justice. She provides senior leadership across national rehabilitation policy and reform, with a focus on improving outcomes for people on probation and strengthening the effectiveness of interventions. A key part of her role is the strategic implementation of lived experience within HMPPS, working across custody and community settings to embed peer led approaches into service design and delivery.

Dr Gillian Buck

Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Chester, England

Dr Gillian Buck is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Chester and a leading researcher in lived experience, peer mentoring, and criminal justice. Her work focuses on how people with lived experience can shape research, policy, and practice, particularly within systems of probation and rehabilitation.

Shadd Maruna

Head of Department, Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology, University of Liverpool, England

Professor Shadd Maruna is a leading criminologist and currently Professor of Criminology and Head of the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool. He is internationally recognised for his work on desistance from crime, rehabilitation, and the social and psychological processes that support long-term change.

His research has been influential in shaping contemporary thinking on rehabilitation, particularly through his work on identity, narrative, and the role of social recognition in sustaining desistance. Shadd has worked extensively with policymakers and practitioners across the criminal justice system and continues to contribute to international discussions on reform, reintegration, and the role of lived experience in shaping effective practice.

Michael J. McCusker

Engagement and Advocacy Manager, The Turnaround Project, Northern Ireland

Michael J. McCusker is a lived experience practitioner working within community and criminal justice settings, including the Turning Around Project in Northern Ireland. His work focuses on recovery, mental health, and the use of peer support to strengthen engagement, reduce stigma, and connect individuals to services. He is a strong advocate for the role of lived experience in shaping more responsive and effective justice and mental health systems.