Behind the walls of prisons lie stories we rarely hear. In this award-nominated podcast, criminologist Kaigan Carrie talks to prison officers, governors, forensic psychiatrists, prison doctors, former prisoners, and criminal justice experts about the realities of life inside prison. Through their voices, the podcast explores what it's like to work and live in one of society’s most challenging environments. A few special series also examine the experiences of other frontline workers and wider criminal justice issues.
Professor Frank Baumgartner is a political scientist who has spent years analysing the death penalty. He tells us about the bigger picture: how factors like the race and gender of a victim can influence who receives a death sentence, how people who win an appeal can be sentenced to death again, the enormous financial costs involved, and the inconsistencies that shape how the system is applied.
Kaigan Carrie is a criminologist, exploring what life is really like for prison officers. To follow her work, connect with her below.
LinkedIn: Kaigan Carrie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaigancarrie/)
Website: kaigancarrie.com (https://www.kaigancarrie.com/)
21 Jan 2026
Execution: inside the capital jury room
Professor Scott Sundby is a law professor who has spent more than 30 years studying capital jurors - the ordinary citizens tasked with choosing between a death sentence and life in prison. He takes us inside the jury room to reveal what it’s really like to sit on a capital case, the intense pressures and moral dilemmas jurors face, the regret some carry for years, and how the experience can leave a lasting mark long after the trial ends.
Kaigan Carrie is a criminologist, exploring what life is really like for prison officers. To follow her work, connect with her below.
LinkedIn: Kaigan Carrie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaigancarrie/)
Instagram: @evolvingprisons (https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fevolvingprisons%3Figsh%3DbDdyMWY0ZHg0Y3I4&data=05%7C02%7C%7C7432985b749f48fd06a708de34eaf3d4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639006380859795738%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aOaxfIVu82k3IYWQaLSS%2FnlU95F5rkzS5Racj3z%2FiBw%3D&reserved=0)
14 Jan 2026
Execution: the toll on execution workers
Chiara Eisner, an investigative journalist who interviewed 26 execution workers to understand how their work affects them, tells us how she gained access to these workers - despite their identities often being kept secret - how they are selected for these roles, and what she learned about the physical and mental health toll execution work can take on those involved.
Kaigan Carrie is a criminologist, exploring what it's really like to be a prison officer. Connect with her below:
LinkedIn: Kaigan Carrie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaigancarrie/)
Instagram: @evolvingprisons (https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fevolvingprisons%3Figsh%3DbDdyMWY0ZHg0Y3I4&data=05%7C02%7C%7C7432985b749f48fd06a708de34eaf3d4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639006380859795738%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aOaxfIVu82k3IYWQaLSS%2FnlU95F5rkzS5Racj3z%2FiBw%3D&reserved=0)
Who has been a guest on Evolving Prisons
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Craig Wylde
Philip Ingram MBE
Wayne Campbell
James Bull
Ray Donovan
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
36 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
53
Social presence
91
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Host of Evolving Prisons?
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