This is a partnership of prison staff, including governors, discipline grades, education co-ordinators, and healthcare staff, probation staff, NOMS representation, representatives of voluntary organizations and the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. It uniquely combines diverse management, leadership and training skills with a wealth of personal insights, experience and wisdom.

Current Members

Mal Gillan, Residential Governor, HMP Huntercombe
Mal became a prison officer in 1980, and is today the Head of Security at HMP Huntercombe. He has worked with juveniles, young offenders, and with adults in an intense therapeutic setting, gaining some experience in every kind of establishment. In 1999 and 2000, Mal was asked by UNICEF to go to Kosovo to devise a training programme for staff working with Juvenile offenders. The following year he was invited to perform a similar service in Serbia. In 2004, he was one of two working group representatives invited to run a training programme, in Poland, for prison staff.

Maureen Goodman, Programme Co-ordinator, Brahma Kumaris
Sister Maureen is the Programme Director for the Brahma Kumaris in the UK. She travels widely giving workshops and lectures on themes related to spiritual development. She has worked with a variety of community groups, developing the University’s outreach work in the UK in prisons, healthcare, education, youth and women’s issues and interfaith dialogue. She is also the University’s representative at the United Nations, Vienna.

Ann Renton, Volunteer, Family Matters, New Bridge
Trained as a relationship counsellor, Ann worked for New Bridge as a volunteer co-developing parenting courses for Young Offenders initially but more recently for both adult male and female prisoners. In 1998, she took on the role of National Coordinator for the charities ‘Family Matters’ programme, only recently retiring from this post. She is still involved as a volunteer, delivering courses, giving talks and running workshops for Parenting Courses within the Criminal Justice System.

Doug Stephenson, Prison Education Co-ordinator, Brahma Kumaris
Since 1990 Doug has been a volunteer with the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University and, in 1993, moved to the Global Retreat Centre, Oxford to dedicate himself to the work of the University. He became involved in the University’s outreach work in prisons in 1996, running courses for prisoners in Oxford, Huntercombe and Grendon. He currently convenes this working group.

Dave Willis, Head of Performance and Compliance, HMYOI Huntercombe
Dave became a Prison Officer in 1988 and is today Head of Performance and Compliance at HMYOI Huntercombe. He worked with Young Offenders 18-21 year olds prior to Huntercombe changing to a Juvenile establishment in April 2000 and has enjoyed the challenge of the 15-17 year olds ever since. He has worked in most areas of the establishment including Regime Delivery, Resettlement, Offending Behaviour and Residential units before taking up the challenge of ensuring the establishments compliance with Youth Justice Board and Prison Service delivery targets.

Past Members

Maria Bryne, Work Skills Manager, HMP Wormwood Scrubs
Robin Barr-Thomson, Prison Service Nurse, HMP Norwich
Lee Cooke, Prison Officer, HMP Norwich
Liz Corrigan, Project Administration, Brahma Kumaris
Gail Bradley, Offender Policy and Rights Unit, NOMS
Kathy Davis, Healthcare Officer, HMP Lewes
Leon Hubbard, Drug Strategy Group Programmes Manager, HMP Wandsworth
Ian Knight, Prison Officer, HMYOI Hollesley Bay
Viv Lever, Education Manager, HMYOI Huntercombe
Barbara Marsh, Therapist, Coach and former Probation Health Co-ordinator
John McConnel, Trainer, Stressless Training, Former Prison Governor
Tim Newell, Governor, HMP Grendon and Springhill
Daniel North, Psychologist, HMP Wormwood Scrubs
Malc Osbourne, Prison Officer, HMP Warren Hill
David Sherwood, Governor, HMP Highpoint

Andy Teare, Second Stage Bail Officer, HMP Lewes
Trevor Wilson, Director, The Prism Project
Betty Wylie, Group Facilitator and PSO, HMP Grendon