Vicki Cardwell

Building a better future for young prisoners. – Big Give Young prisoners receive little support to turn their lives around and escape the revolving doors of custody and disadvantage. We …

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is LIVE! For one week only, your donation to Spark Inside is doubled ✨

Help us expand to coach to more young people in prison — including beyond London and women in prison!

Donate now & make 2x the impact - bit.ly/BGCC25donate

✨ We're hiring a Deputy Head of Service Delivery ✨

Status: Full time, permanent role
Hours: 35 hours per week
Salary: £43,500
Deadline: Monday 23 June

Find out more ➡️ www.sparkinside.org/were-hiring

Please SHARE to help us find the newest member of our growing Spark Inside team!

Prisons minister pledges ‘bold decisions’ amid capacity crisis Lord Timpson says the system needs urgent reform as jail population grows by 100 people a week, with only about 500 spaces available for men

www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...

I am raising 2 boys. A few years ago wrote down my aim on paper: "Confident, resilient young men, happy/comfortable in themselves & able to make a positive contribution"

NB exam results & money don't feature top.

If you have a vision, write it down. Helps when you need to stick to hard decisions!

Sir Gareth Southgate: Boys need role models, not gaming and porn Young men are increasingly turning to

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Prisons run out of space again, so Labour turns to police cells Shabana Mahmood hopes triggering Operation Safeguard will free 200 spaces, but it comes at a cost of £688 a day per prisoner

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

This week I am very proud of my colleagues.

@sparkinside.bsky.social value in play this week 'Stickability' which we define as:

"When the going gets tough, we stick with our participants, our projects & our commitments"

Reading raw accounts of #restorativejustice without fail stops me in my tracks, feels painful, but always inspires hope.

If you read anything today, let it be this.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/m...

This week our team of coaches are delivering Hero's Journey to a full house at HMP Standford Hill - Spark Inside's first open prison!

Pictured are Service Delivery Managers Sophie Wood and Lanre Hameed alongside coaches Milca Morat and Mark Bixter.

Cost of reoffending rises to more than half total impact of crime Analysis for The Times has revealed that a failure by the justice system to rehabilitate criminals has led to a £23.6 billion-a-year bill to the economy

When 80 per cent of offending is reoffending then “clearly something is going wrong,” - spot on from Prisons Minister James Timpson.

New analysis from @crest-advisory.bsky.social finds cost of reoffending now £23.6 billion a year in England and Wales.

www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...

‘Basic lack of decency’ driving self-harm in women’s prisons, report says Inspectorate points to challenges including ban on using washing machines for knickers and difficulties with family contact

"‘Basic lack of decency’ driving self-harm in women’s prisons, report says".

Published today, read more about @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social's report 'Time to care: what helps women cope in prison?' here:
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

📈 Yesterday's Ministry of Justice statistics show a staggering 42% increase in recalls since 2023.

7 out of 10 people released from prison are recalled - compared to 2 in 10 in 2012. Fewer than 25% have committed new offences.

The situation is desperate. What needs to change? tinyurl.com/34k83y33

Insightful day at Women & Justice conference yesterday, hosted by Weavers Co. & Clinks.

Its now 18 years since Baroness Corston report.

More thoughts here www.linkedin.com/posts/vicki-...

Loved hearing women's expertise, voice & power 🔥🔥🔥 and catching up with sector colleagues

Women’s Justice Board begins plans to send fewer women to prison Cutting crime and reducing the number of vulnerable women being sent to prison is top of the agenda at the first meeting of the Women’s Justice Board.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

The new Women's Justice Board met today for 1st time.

We are pleased to see focus on young women. Look forward to sharing our evidence on #coaching young adult women in prison.

Reducing prisoner numbers to European levels could save £2.5bn a year The prison population in England and Wales has doubled over the past 30 years. But are cost-saving measures, including open prisons and tagging, feasible?

Reducing incarceration rates to W European average would save £2.5 billion a year and cutting to Scandinavian level would give Treasury £5.5 billion a year - fascinating economic analysis by @publicfirst.bsky.social for @thetimes Crime and Justice Commission www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...

📢 We are hiring!

Two Service Delivery Manager roles in London & SE prisons

£37,850

FT at 35 hours per week (offer of PT available)

Mainly based in prisons with occasional office time & home working available

www.sparkinside.org/were-hiring

We @sparkinside.bsky.social are recruiting soon for two new Service Delivery managers in London prisons! 👀

Ad to come out this week and deadline not til 27 January.

Amazing roles that don't come up often!

If you don't want to miss it, follow @sparkinside.bsky.social and follow us on LinkedIn too.

A brilliant evening on Tuesday as @sparkinside.bsky.social shared some of the power of coaching.

We are so grateful to have reached 94%of our Big Give target to reach more young people in prison and on release.

Could you help us over the line? donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

Deadline extended to now 17 January 🙌

Transport secretary Louise Haigh quits after fraud offence revealed Haigh's departure is the first cabinet resignation under Sir Keir Starmer's government.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

1 in 4 people of working age in the UK have a criminal conviction.

1 in 4!

Let that sink in.

While details of this unclear, this was a spent conviction from over a decade ago.

Rehabilitation and resettlement: ending the cycle of reoffending - Committees - UK Parliament The Justice Committee has launched its inquiry into Resettlement and Rehabilitation, which is centred around investigating the cycle of reoffending.  HM Prison and Probation Service aims to reduc...

committees.parliament.uk/work/8678/re...

Great focus! Incl health & wellbeing of people in prison, principles of desistance, trauma informed practice & effective resettlement.

Timing poor for those working in prisons. December is important time! Deadline 10 January.

Very excited about our @sparkinside.bsky.social new trustees joining soon!

Lynn, Fionnuala, Jazz & Heather bring wealth of experience inc finance, charity leadership, law, lived & learned experience of prison.

Smlies at induction training.

Happy to share process & ongoing learning. DM me.

Today, we are excited to launching a new report about our Black Hero's Journey Programme, which showcases powerful, and often unheard, stories of identity affirmation, resilience and transformation.

Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025 Former Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, the Rt Hon David Gauke, and an expert panel are carrying out an independent review of sentencing.

First post feels weird. But, surely a big topic here will be the Sentencing Review. I'm here for it.

If alliance between Justice Sec & No10 holds, we might see real change. Never seen in 15+ years.

Be bold, be brave. Once in generation opportunity. www.gov.uk/guidance/ind...

Thank you! Would love to be added.