EP 230: The Sociology of Survival... A Conversation with Dr. Charlie Barnao
Release Date: 05/13/2025
EP 245: Creating Conditions for Success. Dianna Kalandros on Justice Innovation
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In this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, host Joseph Arvidson welcomes Dianna Kalandros, Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Coconino County, Arizona, for a conversation about collaboration, innovation, and what it means to humanize the justice system in practical ways. Dianna discusses the role of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils, the importance of bringing stakeholders together, and how local systems can respond to long-standing challenges in probation, courts, corrections, and community justice through creativity and collaboration. A central theme of the...
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EP 244: Sound, Somatics, and Rehabilitation: Caroline Georgiou on Healing Inside Prison
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n this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, host Joseph Arvidson welcomes Caroline Georgiou for a conversation unlike any we have had on the show before. Caroline is a trauma-trained counsellor, somatic movement therapist, clinical supervisor, and one of the world’s leading innerdance facilitators and trainers. Her work explores the relationship between sound, trauma, the nervous system, emotional regulation, identity, inner awareness, and human transformation — including within prison settings. Together, Joe and Caroline explore what happens when rehabilitation moves beneath words. In...
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EP 242: Responsivity in Action: LEGO®-Based Interventions with Dr. Jerrod Brown
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In this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, we welcome back Dr. Jerrod Brown for a fascinating conversation on LEGO®-based interventions with justice-involved populations. At first glance, LEGO® bricks may not seem like an obvious tool for probation, corrections, forensic mental health, or human services. But as Dr. Brown explains, structured LEGO®-based activities can provide a powerful, hands-on way to engage individuals who may struggle with traditional talk-based interventions. This conversation explores the intersection of neurodisability, responsivity, trauma-informed practice, and...
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EP 242: Responsivity in Action: LEGO®-Based Interventions with Dr. Jerrod Brown
The Criminologist
In this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, we welcome back Dr. Jerrod Brown for a fascinating conversation on LEGO®-based interventions with justice-involved populations. At first glance, LEGO® bricks may not seem like an obvious tool for probation, corrections, forensic mental health, or human services. But as Dr. Brown explains, structured LEGO®-based activities can provide a powerful, hands-on way to engage individuals who may struggle with traditional talk-based interventions. This conversation explores the intersection of neurodisability, responsivity, trauma-informed practice, and...
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The Missing Story: The Battle for Probation’s Public Image with Stephen Pitts & Imants Mozers — Part One
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The Criminologist
What if the people you supervise aren’t one fixed version of themselves… but multiple possible versions—each shaped by what gets reinforced over time? In this episode, I introduce a practical way to think about behavior change in supervision—what I’ve been developing as Quantum Desistance. This isn’t about physics. It’s a lens. A way to understand how change actually unfolds—not through one intervention, but through patterns that repeat, stabilize, and eventually become identity. We build from what you already know: The Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model Desistance theory and...
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A TIDES Update & and R-N-R Remix with Brad Bogue!!!
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EP 236: Tech, Truth, and Transformation...A conversation with Kam Stevens!
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In this powerful reunion episode, Kam Stevens returns to The Criminologist—not only as a global changemaker, but as a passionate advocate for lived experience, human dignity, and digital innovation in justice reform. Since first joining us on Episode 40 nearly five years ago, Kam’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. In this conversation, we explore his global justice work through the lens of digital equity, system transformation, and cultural healing. We talk about the evolving landscape of Justice 2.0, the power of elevating lived experience inside systems, and how Kam...
info_outlineEpisode Summary:
In a justice system often obsessed with risk scores and compliance checklists, what happens when we stop and ask a deeper question:
How have you survived?
In this powerful episode, Joseph Arvidson sits down with Dr. Charlie Barnao, sociologist, ethnographer, and professor at the University of Palermo, to explore the hidden strength behind the stories of justice-involved individuals.
Dr. Barnao spent 15 years living in a halfway house—not observing from the outside, but embedded in the day-to-day realities of those navigating the margins. His work on the Sociology of Survival offers a critical lens for probation, parole, and correctional professionals who want to truly understand resilience, identity, and change.
Together, they dive into:
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What survival looks like in environments of exclusion and stigma
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How resilience and identity are built—and rebuilt—through supervision
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Why qualitative insights (real stories) matter as much as data points
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How the wrong labels can blur the professional lens—and harm outcomes
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Direct ties to the TIDES Supervision Model pillars of Resiliency, Identity, and Social Support
This episode challenges listeners to see beyond behavior—to recognize survival as strength, and to partner with that strength to create real, lasting change.
Whether you're a probation officer, trainer, policymaker, or simply passionate about justice transformation—this conversation will reframe how you think about your work.
Guest Bio:
Dr. Charlie Barnao is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Palermo (Italy), a scholar in cultural and communicative processes, and an ethnographer dedicated to exploring social marginality, survival, and resilience. His immersive research brings critical insights into how individuals adapt to exclusion and how systems can better support real transformation.
Key Topics Covered:
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Understanding the “Sociology of Survival”
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Lessons for probation and correctional practice
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Why language matters: Labeling Theory and client identity
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Building resilience and belonging through supervision
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Embedding hope and belief into justice work
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Connections to the TIDES Supervision Model pillars
Connect with Joseph Arvidson:
🌐 The Criminologist Website
📺 Subscribe on YouTube
📧 joearvidson7@gmail.com
If you found value in this episode:
✅ Please leave a rating and review
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Because always remember, folks:
There’s no them. There’s only us.
#Desistance #TIDES #SociologyOfSurvival #TheCriminologist #ProbationInnovation #JusticeTransformation #Podcast