Prison Policy Director, Ministry of Justice

Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

As Prison Policy Director, Marie leads the Ministry of Justice’s work to ensure that prisons protect the public by holding prisoners safely and securely while they serve sentences handed down by the courts – and by tackling the underlying causes of offending by promoting rehabilitation and reform.

Marie’s career since joining the Civil Service 15 years ago – and before that working at the Advertising Standards Authority – has focussed on making policy, regulation and systems work more fairly for people. Her first Civil Service role was in the Ministry of Justice, ensuring that companies managing claims for accidents and missold payment protection insurance were suitably regulated to protect claimants. She then led work at the Office of Fair Trading and Competition and Markets Authority to stop children’s online games from taking unauthorised payments – leading change with Apple, Google, the European Commission and the international consumer protection community. At DCMS, she directed broadband and mobile policy, overseeing the passage of the Digital Economy Act and working with broadband providers to increase digital connectivity across the country and ensure consumers are treated fairly. Defra came next, where she led on land use policy – making changes so that the planning system could support housebuilding and environmental improvements in tandem, and overseeing a review into England’s National Parks to make them more accessible, profitable and green. Before re-joining the Ministry of Justice in 2022, she led on policy at the Crown Prosecution Service, encompassing rape and serious sexual assault, domestic abuse, victims and witnesses, and post-pandemic criminal justice system recovery.

Marie graduated from Cambridge University with a music degree, and subsequently received a distinction in her Postgraduate Diploma in Law from BPP University. Outside work, she is a keen choral singer and pianist. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband, although her native Teesside will always feel like home.