Championing Women in the Workplace within His Majesty’s Prisons & Probation Service and The British Overseas Territories

WICC2025 Presentation by Sarah McKnight and Matt Grey (WICC2025-PID140)

Authors

Sarah Mcknight

Deputy Director Education, Skills and Employment, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice, UK

Sarah McKnight is the Deputy Director for Employment, Skills and Education in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service in England and Wales. Sarah has worked in various roles in HMPPS since 2011, including Offender Management Policy. Sarah is responsible for ensuring that the UK Government’s priorities on prison education and employment are met, including delivery responsibility for the New Futures Network, Prison Industries, Creating Future Opportunities and The Prison Education Programme. Sarah launched the Championing Women in the Workplace network in 2018 to advocate for positive change in UK prison culture and of the back of this established a Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit.

Sarah Coccia is the Area Executive Director for London and has responsibility for six Prisons and 18 Probation Delivery Units across London, alongside national responsibilities for Estates, Safety, Health & Safety, Fire and Litigation. Before that she had responsibility for 38 prisons in the South of the country. As Deputy Director, she was Prison Group Director the London and Kent, Surrey & Sussex prisons. Sarah was part of a small team of senior females who worked together to set up the Championing Women in the Workplace initiative within HMPPS. Today she is a senior leader champion for race and gender.

Matt Grey

Executive Director for Rehabilitation, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, UK

Matt Grey is the Executive Director for Rehabilitation in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service in the UK. Matt oversees the work of the Prison and Probation service to address the key needs of individuals to reduce their risk to the public and prevent reoffending. His directorate works across Government and with the wider public and voluntary sector to tackle the key drivers of reoffending. Alongside his main role, Matt is the senior sponsor for the HMPPS Male Allies Network, increasing men’s understanding of misogyny and associated behaviours, and how to challenge unacceptable behaviour.

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