2.30pm – 3.30pm BST, 14 May 2025 ‐ 1 hour
Coffee Break & Showcases

Professor Emerita of Law & Social Justice/ Director, University of Central Lancashire/ Seahorse Criminak Justice, United Kingdom


Head of Education, Mountjoy West Education Centre, Educational Services to Prisons, City of Dublin ETB, Ireland
Head of Education, Training Unit Education Centre, Educational Services to Prisons, City of Dublin ETB, Ireland

Organiser of Education, Educational Services to Prisons, Educational Services to Prisons, City of Dublin ETB, Ireland

People Engagement Manager, SOLAS (Further Education and Training Authority), Ireland

Independent Consultant, Representing PC-CP, Council of Europe, Scotland

Acting Principal Specialist Psychologist, Psychology Service, Irish Prison Service, Ireland

Senior Counselling Psychologist, Psychology Service, Irish Prison Service, Ireland

Professor Emerita of Law & Social Justice/ Director, University of Central Lancashire/ Seahorse Criminak Justice, United Kingdom
Professor Helen Codd, is an experienced criminal justice consultant, researcher and trainer. Helen worked in UK Higher Education for over 30 years, and for the last ten years was a full-time Professor. In early 2024 she decided to leave the HE sector to focus on Seahorse Criminal Justice but continues to be an active researcher and maintains strong links with academic life as Professor Emerita of Law & Social Justice at the University of Central Lancashire. She is the author and co-author of several books, has a strong record of publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has contributed invited chapters to books including a recent handbook on prison health and wellbeing.
CEO, Richtungswechsel, Austria
Tamara is an expert in social integration and vocational excellence using an evidence-based approach to navigating national and international policies and building a leadership network across the correctional ecosystem. Tamara previously worked as a prison officer in England & Wales as a participant of the Unlocked Graduates Programme, a leadership scheme for outstanding graduates. After her frontline role, Tamara informed national and international prison research and strategy for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and His Majesty's Prison Service in England & Wales. Since then, Tamara has founded her own NPO, Richtungswechsel, where she is currently applying her knowledge in penal reform and research to innovative solutions in supporting prisons tackling staff recruitment and retention, reducing reoffending through vocational skills and management, and improving working and living conditions for all members of the ecosystem. At Richtungswechsel, Tamara pioneers a unique approach to holistic change management and actively contributes to the RESCALED movement, the European Movement for Detention Houses, in Austria and beyond.Senior Consultant, Grow Transform Belong CIC, United Kingdom
Kam Stevens is the Visionary Director of the Growth App and a Senior Consultant at Grow Transform Belong CIC. With a deep commitment to fostering personal and systemic growth, Kam leads innovative projects that empower individuals, communities, and organisations to achieve culture change.
Head of Education, Mountjoy West Education Centre, Educational Services to Prisons, City of Dublin ETB, Ireland
Eoin Flood works with the Educational Services to Prisons in Dublin, which is part of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. He is currently the Head Teacher of the Mountjoy West Education Centre. His background includes classical music performance, pedagogy and academia. He has performed solo and ensemble classical guitar recitals and presented his research in conferences internationally (US, UK, Asia and Ireland). Before his current role, he has held lecturing positions in Maynooth University, The Royal Irish Academy of Music and in TU Dublin, where he completed his PhD in Musicology in 2020.Head of Education, Training Unit Education Centre, Educational Services to Prisons, City of Dublin ETB, Ireland
Anna Boyle graduated from National College Art and Design with a BA in Art and Design Education in 2001 and a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Ulster in Belfast 2003. She is an artist educator in City of Dublin prison education service to prisons since 2010 and currently Head Teacher of Training Unit Education for a prisoner cohort over the age of 55. She is interested in educational areas within prison education that address personal development through creativity and community.
Organiser of Education, Educational Services to Prisons, Educational Services to Prisons, City of Dublin ETB, Ireland
Maria Ward is the Organiser of Educational Services to Prisons for City of Dublin ETB, where she leads the delivery of educational programmes across seven Dublin prisons and post-release facilities. In her previous roles, Maria served as Head of Education in various prisons, including: Mountjoy West Prison and Dochas Women’s Prison, both part of the Mountjoy Campus.
People Engagement Manager, SOLAS (Further Education and Training Authority), Ireland
Caroline Jones is a people specialist with twenty years management experience within the Public Sector. She is currently employed as People Engagement Manager at SOLAS. A value led individual she believes that everyone has potential. Caroline has been central to reshaping the culture of SOLAS over the past six years. Her work has been instrumental in SOLAS being awarded the National Diversity and Inclusion 2025 ‘Public Sector Organisation of the Year’ Award.
IT Specialist, SOLAS, Ireland
Gay O’Connor was awarded ‘Employee of the Year’ at the National Diversity & Inclusion Awards 2025 which recognises and celebrates excellence in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) in workplaces across Ireland.Independent Consultant, Representing PC-CP, Council of Europe, Ireland
Dr Anne Costelloe has recently retired as Head Teacher from Mountjoy prison where she worked for almost 30 years. She is currently a Scientific Expert with the Council of Europle redrafting the Council’s 1990 Recommendation on Prison Education. Previously, she was the Editor of the Practitioner Section of the Journal of Prison Education and Re-entry (JPER); and a former Chairperson of the European Prison Education Association (EPEA.) She was lead contributor to the European Commission report “Prison education and training in Europe – a review and commentary of existing literature, analysis and evaluation” (2011), and the follow up “Survey on prison education and training in Europe – Final Report” (2012). The title of her doctoral research was “Third Level Education in Irish Prisons: Who participates and Why? Dr Costelloe has published widely on prisoner education.Independent Consultant, Representing PC-CP, Council of Europe, Scotland
Jim obtained Batchelor of Arts (BA Hons) in Social Science from (Glasgow Caledonian University -1996); Master of Science (MSc) in Adult Education (Glasgow-2000); Master of Arts (MA) Literacy & Language (Lancaster-2008); and Master of Studies (MSt) in Criminology (Cambridge - 2017). Jim also obtained Post Graduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Neuro-diversity from the (University of South Wales – 2012) to better understand the presenting educational and associated needs of many prison-based learners.Service Manager, Start360, United Kingdom
Patricia has worked in the field of substance use within the Community & Voluntary Sector for the past 25 years with the last 13 of these within custodial establishments in NI with Start360, the largest substance use service within Northern Ireland prisons. Patricia is a CBT Therapist and has a PG Dip in Dual Diagnosis and Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders; Patricia lectures in Queens University Belfast on this within the Criminal Justice System. Patricia is a SMART Facilitator (Self-Management and Recovery Training) with individuals who have addiction problems in custody and also facilitates SMART friends and family support in the community. Patricia is Naloxone Train the Trainer qualified and ensures every person leaving custody is trained in this vital life saving intervention.
PhD Candidate, University of New Brunswick, Canada
Clare Heggie is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of New Brunswick (Canada) and a Vanier Scholar. She is also the Research Coordinator for Wellness Within, the only organization in Canada focusing on the reproductive health of people involved in the criminal-legal system. Her community-engaged research program focuses on the health outcomes and healthcare access experiences of women who are currently or recently incarcerated in Canada. She is visiting Ulster University with the support of a Michael Smith Foreign Study Award to examine distance-related barriers to accessing reproductive health care while incarcerated.Research Assistant, Psychology Service, Irish Prison Service, Ireland
Ms Isla Donaldson is a Research Assistant who is currently working with the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service in relation to the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of a new model of treatment for people in custody who have been convicted of sexual offences in the Irish Prison Service. Ms Isla Donaldson previously completed both her MSc in Foundations of Clinical Psychology and her MA in Psychology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, UK.Acting Principal Specialist Psychologist, Psychology Service, Irish Prison Service, Ireland
Dr Ken Murphy is the Acting Principal Specialist Psychologist in the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service who has oversight of the treatment model for people in custody who have been convicted of sexual offences in the Irish Prison Service. Dr Ken Murphy spent 10 years working in forensic mental health services in the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and he trained as a Forensic Psychodynamic Psychotherapist at the Portman Clinic in London, UK.
Senior Counselling Psychologist, Psychology Service, Irish Prison Service, Ireland
Dr Bernie McEvoy is a Senior Counselling Psychologist who is currently working with the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service. Her current work includes delivering and developing treatment programmes for people in custody who have been convicted of sexual offences in the Irish Prison Service. Dr Bernie McEvoy previously completed her Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, and has worked with the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service since graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 2019.