What Happens When You Leave Prison? Life After Release Explained

Dr Tania Rodrigues and Natalie Miller join Dr Marianne Trent to discuss what happens when someone leaves prison, why the first 48 hours after release are the most dangerous, and how homelessness, trauma, institutionalisation and lack of support contribute to reoffending. We explore real experiences of people leaving custody, the emotional toll on staff, the challenges with probation and GP registration, and why short sentences often cause more harm than good. This episode offers a clear, compassionate look at life after prison and is particularly useful for aspiring psychologists, forensic practitioners and anyone interested in rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. #prisonreform #traumainformed #prisonrelease Highlights 00:00 - Setting the scene and the reality of post release homelessness 01:06 - Introducing Dr Tania Rodrigues and Natalie Miller 02:12 - Why people rarely enter prison from stability 03:08 - The gap between internal progress and external life circumstances 04:13 - Who actually picks up the pieces when someone hey baby, just leaves now, loves lots, x x custody 05:40 - The fallacy of believing release is a linear journey 07:30 - Short sentences, women in custody, and family breakdown 08:25 - Lack of time to build trust and its impact on psychological work 10:23 - Why every prison session may be the only session 12:27 - Prison is often too unsafe for trauma focused therapy 14:22 - Staff anxiety and helplessness when people are suddenly released 16:06 - The contradiction between punishment buildings and rehabilitation goals 18:18 - Housing, instability and the struggle to register with a GP 19:37 - How losing homes, jobs and family ties worsens outcomes 21:17 - Imagining the fear and uncertainty of having nowhere safe to go 22:35 - Staff emotional experiences and the weight of safeguarding 26:37 - Public perceptions of prisoners and the reality of low level offences 29:04 - Institutionalisation, safety and why some people reoffend to return 32:38 - Unstructured freedom and the overwhelm of sudden autonomy 35:44 - How tiny things like controlling a light become enormous 36:29 - The importance of trauma informed practise across all justice roles 39:40 - Why prisons reflect societal failings rather than ‘bad people’ 41:22 - Stigma, inequality and the real barriers facing prison leavers 44:27 - Final reflections on compassion, accountability and community safetyLinks: Links 📲 To check out the book we mention by Chris Daw KC Justice on Trial head to: https://amzn.to/4i5H3bW 🫶 To support me by donating to help cover my costs for the free resources I provide click here: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support 📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0 📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97 💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/membership-interested 🖥️ Check out my brand new short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/short-courses ✍️ Get your Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/supervision 📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent 💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved: If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes. If you'd like to learn how to record and submit your own audio testimonial to be included in future shows head to: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/podcast and click the blue request info button at the top of the page. Hashtags: #aspiringpsychologist #dclinpsy #psychology #assistantpsychologist #psychologycareers #podcast #psychologypodcast #clinicalpsychologist #mentalhealth #traineeclinicalpsychologist #clinicalpsychology #drmariannetrent #mentalhealthprofessional #gettingqualified #mentalhealthprofessionals #traineepwp #mdt #qualifiedpsychologist #traineepsychologist #aspiringpsychologists #wellbeing Mentioned in this episode: Sponsored by WriteUpp Tap to Pay This episode is sponsored by WriteUpp. Their Tap to Pay app turns your smartphone into a card reader, helping private practitioners take secure payments without additional hardware. Use code MARIANNE30 for a free 30-day trial and 30% off your first 6 months at this link: https://writeupp.com/?refid=142336