Phil Bowen leads the organisation, setting and overseeing the implementation of its overarching strategy. Prior to being Director, Phil spent the majority of his career in the British civil service, working for the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and as a delivery adviser to the Prime Minister on criminal justice reform.
pbowen@justiceinnovation.org | 07816 967361 | Twitter:@PhillipBowen45
Ellie Butson is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial administration, human resources policies and general operation of the Centre including managing and developing relationships. Prior to working at the Centre, Ellie has acted as the office manager for a number of charities as well as a referral administrator in oncology clinical trials.
Sophie Carter is in charge of our family justice practice work, and FDAC area of focus, here at the Centre. Sophie has extensive frontline and operational experience within family justice having previously managed an FDAC team. Sophie also brings a wide range of experience and knowledge from her previous roles working within criminal justice and community support services, particularly in relation to substance misuse, offender management and working with victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse.
Lydia sits within the research team, predominantly focusing on the Centre’s women in justice work and exploring ways in which women’s experiences of the justice system can be improved. She is an intersectional feminist and has previously studied feminist research methods and violence against women and girls. Before her role at the Centre, Lydia worked in policy research at the British Red Cross and in the Social Research Institute at Ipsos.
Jenny works at Community Advice, a service based within Highbury Corner Magistrates Court. She provides a range of advice, information and support to court users. Jenny has a MSc in Psychology and as a qualified teacher, has considerable experience in the education sector.
Claire Ely is in charge of our criminal justice practice work. This currently involves areas of focus such as: youth diversion, criminal problem solving courts, adult diversion, out of court disposals and community advice services. Claire has extensive frontline experience of the criminal justice system from her time as a probation officer.
As Innovative Practice Officer, Bami works collaboratively with practitioners to support and enhance innovations currently taking place within the Criminal Justice System, particularly in youth and adult diversion and out of court disposals. Bami has frontline experience working as a police officer for the Metropolitan Police and as a caseworker for a gangs and violence prevention charity
Clare is the Family Justice Coordinator and supports the Head of Family Justice Practice to deliver the Centre's Family Justice programme of work, including coordinating training and events. Clare also provides support to Family Drug and Alcohol Courts by responding to practice queries. She has previous experience working for various organisations, mainly in the healthcare field.
ckavanagh@justiceinnovation.org | 07496 874 553 (text only)
Jason strengthens partnerships across the criminal justice system, bringing together key stakeholders, including people with lived experience to develop quality diversionary practice. Using his knowledge and experience from a former career in Policing, Jason brings a unique blend of practical and evidence based experience gained from innovating policy design and its implementation throughout the UK.
Carla works within the research team at the Centre, carrying out qualitative research with service users and practitioners, and is currently supporting the pre-court diversion and court fine projects. Part of this involves gathering insight around the barriers to access and engagement with diversion for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability , who are disproportionately being processed into the formal criminal justice system rather than diverted.
She has previous experience working within the social research space, with a particular interest in migration.
Michelle manages Community Advice, a service based within Highbury Corner Magistrates Court which provides a range of advice, information and support to court users. Michelle holds a BSc in Social Work and has experience in the social work field.
communityadvice@justiceinnovation.org | 07941510242
Vicki oversees the Centre's work across multiple areas of focus, including: pre-court disposals and diversion, family justice and FDAC, women in justice, and community advice services. In addition, Vicki is responsible for overseeing the essential services of the Centre and acts as the organisation’s safeguarding lead. Vicki has wide-ranging knowledge and experience of operations and practice in the criminal justice sector through her previous role as a senior education leader in a young offender institution and her academic studies in Youth Justice.
Carmen Robin-D’Cruz works to research, develop and test new approaches to justice system practice, particularly in the youth justice system. She is responsible for identifying evidence of effective practice and producing practical evidence-led recommendations for service delivery that can be implemented and evaluated. Carmen graduated with a degree in Law, and went on to work as a Research Advisor at the University of Edinburgh and Research Assistant at Reading University’s School of Law.
Lucy supports the Centre’s policy and influencing work, and helps to develop the thinking on how to make a fairer and more effective justice system. She has previous experience working in third sector communications, including time spent in Brussels where she combined her passion for cycling and policy at a European cycling network.
Suzanne leads the Centre's practice work on women in justice and court reform, including procedural fairness and criminal problem-solving courts. Previously, Suzanne worked as a frontline practitioner having worked in both the male and female prison estates and in youth justice, working with young people involved in or at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system.
As head of Evidence and Data, Stephen leads our research team, ensuring that our work is rigorous and provides insights that can have a real impact on the criminal justice system. He is particularly interested in the use of non custodial sentences and has worked on the role of the probation service and problem-solving courts. He is currently leading a project on the use of court fines as well as co-ordinating our use of research evidence around Family Drug and Alcohol Courts.