Karyn’s presentation focused on how the failure to prioritise prevention leads to entrenched deprivation and low aspiration. We know that prisoners have high levels of substance abuse disorders and a third of prisoners have been in care. Yet we continue to tackle symptoms instead of causes.

This failure demand has a huge impact on public spending. But the cycle can be broken. We are all vulnerable to adversity, and we are all capable of changing for the better. Individuals with major vulnerabilities and few resources can sometimes achieve much better outcomes than their peers, due to their own resilience – and this is something that professionals can develop and foster. 

Karyn McCluskey is Chief Executive for Criminal Justice Scotland, and Director of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, and a board member of Simon Community Scotland and the Scottish Professional Football League. She has also worked within the NHS and HM Prisons, and with police forces in England and Scotland.

Karyn's presentation from the conference can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

Resources

Karyn McCluskey: The Lost List (PDF)