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We welcome Kerry Daynes back to True Criminals for the second of two conversations with one of Britain’s leading consultant forensic psychologists.
Last time, we explored Kerry’s encounters with serial killer Dennis Nilsen. This time, the focus is Kerry herself and her extraordinary career spent sitting opposite some of the most dangerous and complex people in the criminal justice system.
Kerry takes us back to Wakefield Prison in 1996, when, aged just 21, she entered an intimidating and deeply misogynistic environment to begin her career in forensic psychology. She recalls interviewing men convicted of rape and murder, being deliberately locked in a cell with a killer, and learning how to manage fear, authority and control.
There are darker stories and some unexpectedly funny ones, including the convicted double murderer who repeatedly dropped his prosthetic eye into Kerry’s tomato soup. Learning not to react became a lesson in psychology she still uses today.
Kerry explains what forensic psychologists actually do, how she builds rapport with dangerous offenders without becoming their audience, and why understanding someone’s behaviour is very different from excusing it. She also discusses her approach of “rational compassion” and the importance of remaining authentic when dealing with people capable of extreme violence.
We hear about offenders who successfully deceived her, cases that got under her skin, and the day a man she was assessing stabbed her in the stomach with a kebab skewer, an incident she describes as a bad day, but not the worst of her career.
The conversation also turns to two criminals previously examined on True Criminals: conman Mark Acklom and Charles Bronson, now Charles Salvador. Kerry has worked professionally with Salvador and gave evidence at his public parole hearing. She offers her perspective on the man behind the mythology and considers how decades of imprisonment have shaped him.
Finally, Kerry talks candidly about losing her hearing, why it led her to step away from expert witness work, and why forensic psychology remains not simply a career, but a vocation.
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Discover more about Martin’s career and the cases he has covered in his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter.
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Instagram: @helenfospero
Listen to Helen’s podcast, The Convex Conversation:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575
PRODUCTION CREDITS
True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.
Executive Producer: Lee MannProducer: Russell BarnesAudio Production: BLEACHEDMusic Composition: BLEACHEDArtwork: BLEACHED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
