Show Notes
Please note this episode contains discussion on domestic abuse and sexual assault.
This week Edwina looks at justice through a literary lens by speaking to Harriet Still, the curator of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex exhibition. In this episode Harriet explores one of Hardy’s most famous works, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and highlights how this novel sparked conversations around the world on violence against women, consent, and justice.
Influenced by his experience at 16 of witnessing the execution of a woman found guilty of murdering her abusive husband, Hardy brought his feelings on this injustice to the writing of Tess.
Edwina and Harriet reflect on how radical a character like Tess was in 1851 when the novel was published, and how her treatment can speak to the experiences of women today, including those in the justice system.
Hardy's Wessex, The landscapes that inspired a writer is open until 30th October. Visit the Wessex Museum’s website for more information: www.wessexmuseums.org.uk/what-we-do/exhibitions-events/thomas-hardy-exhibition/
Follow Wessex Museums on Twitter @WessexMuseums
Read more about the One Small Thing charity here.
Twitter - @OSTCharity
This podcast is created and produced by The London Podcast Company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from JUSTICE with prison philanthropist Edwina Grosvenor
In this episode, we hear from Anouschka Rajah, Research and Analysis Manager at More in Common and joint author of the 2025 Course Correction report on public attitudes to criminal justice. More in Common was founded in the aftermath of the tragic murder of Jo Cox MP in 2016 and carries out public opinion research to inform politicians, policy makers and the media on how communities across the country view major issues facing society, including crime and justice.
In this episode, we hear from Dame Vera Baird about how to harness momentum following the publication of the Women’s Justice Board report in March. Dame Vera explains why she is optimistic for the future of women’s justice and calls for a co-ordinated approach involving multiple government departments and the commitment of key ministers to take reforms forward.
In this episode, Edwina speaks to Jacob Dunne about his journey from prison to becoming a leading voice in criminal justice reform. They talk about his phenomenal memoir Right From Wrong, which was turned into the Olivier award winning play Punch (www.punchtheplay.com) by James Graham (@misterjamesgraham).
In this episode, we hear from Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester responsible for safer and stronger communities. In this discussion, Edwina and Kate explore how Greater Manchester is reshaping its response to domestic abuse and housing. Kate outlines an innovative housing scheme that protects survivors’ priority on social housing lists when they move across Greater Manchester, and new orders that enables survivors to stay in the family home while perpetrators are housed elsewhere.
In this episode, we explore the stigma associated with being a woman in prison with Jules Rowan, the co-host of the Life After Prison podcast. In this discussion Edwina and Jules discuss the barriers women face when they leave prison and the systematic change needed on fundamental issues such as housing for women in contact with the justice system. Jules’ describes her journey from serving a prison sentence to becoming a personal trainer and talks about how the justice system is a scary and lonely place to be at the age of 19 with minimal legal help or understanding of the system. They discuss how important it is to empower women to be able to tell their own story - in order to shift the stigma and re-define their journey - which in so many cases includes childhood trauma, abuse, substance use, lack of support and poverty.