The Secret Life of Prisons podcast (Prison Radio Association)

Can you make lasting friendships in prison?

In episode two of our new series, Phil and Paula talk about the ups and the downs of making friends inside.

They're joined by guests Rob and Mike aka Boats, who made friends during their time in HMP Rochester and now co-host the podcast, Banged Up. Rob and Boats share stories of how they met and let us in on the secret to staying mates on the outside.

You can listen to all fourteen episodes of Banged Up here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenters: Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott
Guests: Rob and Boats
Producers: Louisa Adams and Andrew Wilkie

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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In January 2024 the Chair of the Bar Council, Sam Townend KC, issued a warning about the plummeting number of guilty pleas being entered at defendants' first court appearances. Phil and Paula zoom in on this crucial moment in the judicial process to understand why this trend could be catastrophic for a justice system already struggling to cope.

Sarah Magill is a criminal defence barrister from Lincoln House Chambers, who talks about what's happening on the ground in courtrooms across the country.

Louis was released from prison in 2023 after serving a sentence for drugs offences. He describes how he pleaded and why it then took a year for the matter to be settled.

Watch Sam Townend KC's address at Lincoln's Inn here.

Read about Sarah Magill's work here.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Matthew Torbitt is a writer and broadcaster. A period of homelessness as a young man led to involvement in crime, for which he received a sentence. These experiences fed a political awakening and a career working with the Labour Party.

Matthew now writes and tours television studios commentating on politics. He joins us down the line from Washington DC.

Ben Zaranko is a Senior Research Economist for the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He is about to start work on a major research project using new data from the Ministry of Justice to assess the economic impacts of the justice system. 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

1 in 7 adults in prison were homeless before entering custody, and fewer than half of people released from prison last year had settled accommodation on release.

Phil and Paula have teamed up with the Orwell Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact to bring you this brand news series looking at the intertwined issues of homelessness, social deprivation, crime and justice.

Down, Not Out is the companion podcast to The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023.

Host Sangita Myska, who is also a judge of the new prize, talks to experts and people who've experienced homelessness, to get a better idea of the scale of the problem and how it might be solved.

This episode focuses on the many forms of modern homelessness and their impact.

Secret Life of Prisons
Presenters: Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie

Orwell Foundation
Host: Sangita Myska
Reader: Malorie Blackman OBE
Producer: Alex Grundon
Executive Producer: Liz Wallace

Contributors: Nic Woods, Leanna Fairfax (Centre for Homelessness Impact) and Stephen Armstrong (Journalist and author of The Road to Wigan Pier Revisited and Trustee, The Orwell Foundationndation)

The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023 is open for entries until 17 April 2023.

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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How to survive a life sentence

We're back in the studio with two people who have been to prison and are now outside living with a 'life licence', to talk about 'hooks for change' and the what happens as the reality of being a 'lifer' dawns on you.

They join Phil and Paula in the studio, along with criminologists Serena Wright and Ben Crewe.

Serena is a researcher and Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research on prisons and penology has focused on short-term sentences and post-release ‘frustrated desistance’ among women, and the experience of long-term incarceration among life-sentenced prisoners.

Ben is Deputy Director of the Prisons Research Centre at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. He is interested in all aspects of prison life, including prison management, staff-prisoner relationships, public and private sector imprisonment, penal power and prisoner social life.

Further reading:

Experiencing long-term imprisonment from young adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Ministry of Justice

Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Palgrave Macmillan

This episode was originally released on this feed in November 2021

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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If you have been to prison you are fourty times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. 

Michael Sloane spent three decades in and out of prison, addiction and homelessness. He was once given a tent to live in on release from prison. He now studies politics at Ruskin College in Oxford.

Matt Gannon is from the Centre for Homelessness Impact, a charity that uses data to understand the factors that lead to homelessness and improve the lives of those who are most at risk.

Find out more about The Centre for Homelessness Impact

You can read the report Prison Discharge and Homelessness here.

You can read The Ballad of Rochester Jail by M A Sloane here. 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Regular presenters Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott discuss how the lockdown is impacting people in prison, and what we on the outside can learn about prison from life under lockdown.

They're joined by the journalist Raphael Rowe, who served more than a decade in prison before his conviction was overturned, and Michaela Booth who received a four year sentence in 2011.

Also joining the show is regular guest, the poet Mr Gee.

www.prison.radio
www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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On Tuesday 7 May 2024 National Prison Radio, the world's first national radio station for people in prison, won an incredible SIX awards at the Radio Academy ARIAS, the 'Oscars' of the radio industry.

Phil and Paula take us into the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, to hang with the National Prison Radio team and soak up the atmosphere.

Ali Ali won Bronze for Best New Presenter. He's the host of Porridge, National Prison Radio's breakfast show. 

Lady Unchained is a poet, speaker, mentor and the host of Free Flow, the National Prison Radio show 'where we play the beat twice so you can get your bars right'. 

Marianne Garvey is the Managing Editor of National Prison Radio.

Arthur Hagues is Head of Content Innovation at the Prison Radio Association and producer of some of that award-winning content.

Listen to A Proposal For Resisting Darkness – a drama produced in partnership with Clean Break Theatre Company and nominee for Best Drama.

Full list of National Prison Radio winners:

Bronze for Takeover Tuesdays in the Best New Radio Show category
Bronze for Life After Prison in the Grassroots category
Bronze for Ali Ali in Best New Presenter
Silver for National Prison Radio’s Rock Show in the Best Music Entertainment Show category
Silver for Zak and Jules in the Best Speech Presenter category
Gold for Lady Unchained and her Free Flow show in Best Specialist Music.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

How to survive a life sentence

We're back in the studio with two people who have been to prison and are now outside living with a 'life licence', to talk about 'hooks for change' and the what happens as the reality of being a 'lifer' dawns on you.

They join Phil and Paula in the studio, along with criminologists Serena Wright and Ben Crewe.

Serena is a researcher and Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research on prisons and penology has focused on short-term sentences and post-release ‘frustrated desistance’ among women, and the experience of long-term incarceration among life-sentenced prisoners.

Ben is Deputy Director of the Prisons Research Centre at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. He is interested in all aspects of prison life, including prison management, staff-prisoner relationships, public and private sector imprisonment, penal power and prisoner social life.

Further reading:

Experiencing long-term imprisonment from young adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Ministry of Justice

Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Palgrave Macmillan

What role does food play in the daily lives of women in prison?

Libby is the Head Chef at The Edge at Joey Orr’s, an award-winning restaurant in Liverpool. She spent time in Styal and New Hall prisons, where she had contrasting experiences of the culture around food behind bars.

You can visit The Edge at Joey Orr’s by booking a table here.

Dr. Erin Power is a Lecturer in Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University. Previously, she was a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey on a 2-year research project entitled Doing Porridge: Understanding women’s experiences of food in prison.

You can read more about Doing Porridge here.

You can order the Beyond Porridge recipe book mentioned in the podcast here.

An animation has been produced from project’s findings Here

An art exhibition from the project in partnership with Koestler Arts is entitled ‘On my Plate’

The research project was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and this episode was funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration fund at the University of Surrey.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In April 1990, Strangeways prison in Manchester was subject to disorder and protests that lasted weeks.

It was the longest prison disturbance in British history.

This is a deep-dive into the events leading up to that day, the disturbance itself, and the aftermath. 

It includes interviews with then-governor Brendan O'Friel, former prison officer Steve Whitfield, criminologist Professor Joe Sim, former prisoner and now Guardian journalist Eric Allison, and journalist David Nolan, plus archive news recordings from the time.

The 25 Days in April episodes were produced in partnership with the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, and were funded by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust.

A brand new series of The Secret Life of Prisons starts Monday.

Listen to this sneak preview of some of the voices we'll be hearing through this series, bringing you the real-life drama of life behind bars.

Subscribe or Follow this feed.

www.prison.radio

Sarah Moore was exposed to the most dangerous situations imaginable during a seven-year period in which she disappeared from her family's life. She wanted to protect them from the effects of her chaotic lifestyle and mental ill-health, both of which she struggled to manage. 

She is now a criminal justice practitioner working at Anawim, a Women's Centre in Birmingham.

Sonya Ruparel is the Chief Executive of Women in Prison, a charity that supports women affected by the criminal justice system and campaigns to end the harms associated with the imprisonment of women.

You can submit evidence to the Independent Sentencing Reivew here.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In Episode 4, Paula and Phil hear stories about the road back out of prison, in The Release. Ruth Devent and Peter Yarwood both share their stories of being released and the bumpy path that followed. James Timpson, CEO of Timpson, reveals the many reasons his company chooses to employ people released from prison.

Carl Cattermole writes and delivers a powerful piece on being released and the poet Mr Gee performs an original poem about life after prison.

A new virus grips the world.

Echoes tells the true stories of four people whose lives were changed forever.

Echoes is a unique drama, originally broadcast on National Prison Radio, the world's first national radio station for prisoners.

The script is created entirely from the words of the real people portrayed.

Actors are listening to the recordings through headphones and repeating what they say.

It was filmed and recorded entirely on location in HMP Brixton. You can watch the film on the Prison Radio Association's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/1XbfV_96QX0

CAST:
Lizzie - Natalie Perera
Sophie - Harriet Madeley
Pank - Mark Knightley
George - Deven Moda

SCRIPT: Harriet Madeley
PRODUCER: Andrew Wilkie

Echoes is a co-production between Crowded Room and the Prison Radio Association

www.thisiscrowdedroom.co.uk

www.prison.radio

In 2021, the legendary TV screenwriter Jimmy McGovern released a three-part drama set in a men's prison, called Time on BBC1. In 2023, he followed it up with a brand new series set in a women's prison.

Like the first series, it was widely said to be the most realistic depiction of the complexity and nuance of prison life ever seen on British television. 

Secret Life of Prisons co-host, Paula Harriott, advised the writers during the development of the new series, and in this episode you can hear which bits of the plot came directly from her experiences of prison.

To kick off this brand new run of Secret Life of Prisons, Phil and Paula are joined by Jimmy along co-writer Helen Black to talk about the series.

Series 2 of Time is available to watch on BBC iPlayer:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p09fs2qh/time

In 2021 Tony was told by a nurse in HMP Ford that she suspected he had cancer.

Over the following years, Tony has experienced frustration and fear but also received heart-warming empathy and kindness from the staff at the Fernhurst Centre at St. Richards Hospital, Chichester, and in particular from Marion Misselbrook, a Macmillan Information and Support Worker who was invited by the Governor of HMP Ford to offer support to prisoners undergoing cancer treatment.

In this very special edition of The Secret Life of Prisons, we reunite Tony and Marion to hear their emotional and at times shocking account of cancer care in prison.

What can we learn from Tony and Marion’s remarkable relationship and trust that can improve outcomes for people in prison?

We also hear from Professor Jo Armes, a researcher from the University of Surrey who contributed to a study entitled Improving Cancer Care in Prisons which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

You can download the report Improving Cancer Care in Prisons here.

The research findings have also been adapted by the Synergy Theatre Project into a film, Cancer Cells, which you can watch here.

If you are caring for someone who is receiving cancer treatment, you can find out about support you may be entitled to, as well as lots of other resources here.

To make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support visit donation.macmillan.org.uk.

Our thanks to the staff and volunteers of The Fernhurst Centre at St. Richards Hospital, Chichester for hosting our recording.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

We're back with a new series of the Secret Life of Prisons podcast.

In this first episode, presenters Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott reunite to talk about the power of writing - both in prison and after release.

They hear from a special panel, hosted by poet Mr Gee, where guests Jerelle, Dee and Jeanno share their experiences of prison through their writing.

This episode was originally made for the Bare Lit Festival, an independent, annual festival of stories, celebrating the work of creatives of colour. You can find out more about Bare Lit and listen to sessions from this year's festival here.

Presenters: Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott
Guests: Mr Gee, Jerelle, Dee and Jeanno
Producers: Louisa Adams and Arthur Hagues

In Episode 1 of The Secret Life of Prisons, hosts, Phil Maguire and Paula Harriot hear stories about The Arrival into prison. They hear from poet and performer, Brenda Birungi (aka Lady Unchained), music entrepreneur Curtis Blanc and former MP and conservative cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken, about their respective arrivals into prison.

This special episode of The Secret of Prisons was recorded live at the Longford Lecture at Church House, in London, on Thursday 21st November. The 2019 Longford Lecture was given  by the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian, Lord Blair of Boughton, to a packed audience. Lord Blair spoke to presenters Phil Maguire and Paula Harriot before speaking on stage, alongside the broadcaster Jon Snow, a Longford trustee and chair of the event. Lord Blair’s lecture implored all political parties in the election campaign to back a “systematic, holistic review” of the criminal justice system, which he argued was “not yet actually broken but it is so neglected as to be a matter of serious national concern.”

The creative arts in prison aren't just a 'nice-to-have'. For some they can be a passport to freedom and even a lifesaver.

Saul Hewish has visited over 100 prisons in his long career as a the founder and Artistic Director of Rideout, a charity that runs creative arts for rehabilitation. He joins Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott in a series of conversations with people who, in one way or another, found their creative calling in prison.

Lee Cutter's fantastic art can be found here: http://www.leecutter.com

Brenda Birungi's poetry can be found at: https://www.unchainedpoetry.com 

Rideout's homepage is: https://rideout.org.uk/

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 introduced a fast-track process for delivering justice that deal with the most minor summary offences. It's called the Single Justice Prodcedure, and at the time it was said to be simply a modification of existing legal processes.

A defendant is sent a notice through the post which states that if you don't respond with a guilty or not guilty plea within 21 days, the case will be dealt with in your absence and you could receive a criminal record. 

The journalist Tristan Kirk from the London Evening Standard has uncovered a series of apparent injustices connected to the Single Justice Procedure, and he joins us today to tell us the stories of vulnerable people who have received criminal convictions despite having clear mitigation.

Alongside him is Dr Jo Easton is Interim CEO and Head of Policy at Unlock, which is a charity that supports people with criminal records. She previously worked at the Magistrates Association. She explains why the principle of justice without transparency can be so damaging.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

You can apply to see your criminal record through a Subject Access Request to the Criminal Records Office:
https://acro.police.uk/s/acro-services/subject-access  

Get more details about the work of Unlock:
https://unlock.org.uk

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them find ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Phil Magure is joined by Zak and Jules, the hosts of the Prison Radio Association's brand new podcast Life After Prison.

If you've been to prison, or if you know someone who has, Life After Prison is building a community of people who can support each other through the experience of release and reintegration to society.

Click here to watch Life After Prison on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/by2wkIfNcTE

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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In the months leading up to the next general election, the Secret Life of Prisons will be bringing you an occasional series featuring guests who have knowledge and insight into politics and the role criminal justice is likely to play as the major players fight for our votes.

We will be asking each guest to identify five things we should all be looking out for as the political campaigning ramps up.

Louisa James is our first guest. A political journalist and a member of the Westminster lobby, she is the Political Correspondent for ITV's Good Morning Britain.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Simon Madu was released from prison in 2021 after serving twelve years in prison. He remains 'on licence' and must report to his probation officer regularly as part of his continuing sentence.

However, Simon is also a member of staff at His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, as the Engagement Lead for a pioneering project called Engaging People on Probation (EPOP). As such, his probation officer is also a colleague in the probation service.

Simon's role is to support 'peer mentors' – people who have experience of the justice system who volunteer to offer support and guidance to others who are coming out of prison.

Danielle Bond is the Peer Mentor Coordinator for EPOP.

Simon and Danielle explain the positive role peer mentors can play in the life of people released from prison. Peer mentors are all people who have been to prison or been subject to probation supervision. They are on the front line of efforts to help people avoid committing further offences after release from prison.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons starts a new era on Monday, with the first of our all-new weekly episodes.

Every Monday Phil and Paula will be dropping into your feed to bring you the the insights of people live in prisons, who work in prisons, and who study prisons.

We'll be updating you on the latest developments in prisons and criminal justice and hearing stories from the hidden world behind bars.

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them find ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

1 in 7 adults in prison were homeless before entering custody, and fewer than half of people released from prison last year had settled accommodation on release.

Phil and Paula have teamed up with the Orwell Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact to bring you this brand news series looking at the intertwined issues of homelessness, social deprivation, crime and justice.

Down, Not Out is the companion podcast to The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023.

Host Sangita Myska, who is also a judge of the new prize, talks to experts and people who've experienced homelessness, to get a better idea of the scale of the problem and how it might be solved.

This episode gets into some of the gritty issues around homelessness, including the scarcity and precarity of food… and sex.

Secret Life of Prisons
Presenters: Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie

Orwell Foundation
Host: Sangita Myska
Reader: Malorie Blackman OBE
Producer: Alex Grundon
Executive Producer: Liz Wallace

Contributors: Charlston Aslet and Professor Jean Seaton, Director, The Orwell Foundation

The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023 is open for entries until 17 April 2023.

Entry details are available here.

You can also enter by post. The address is The Orwell Foundation, IAS, University College London, WC1E 6BT. Please include a contact number or email address for someone who can reach you, if you can.

David Shipley served a prison sentence for fraud. He had never known anyone who had come into contact with the criminal justice system prior to his conviction. His sentence was eye-opening for him. He became 'radicalised' by the experience and promised himself he would do everything he could after release to talk as widely as possible about the reality of imprisonment.

He now writes a regular column in The Spectator magazine and appears widely on TV, radio and in the press.

Danny Shaw was a Home Affairs Correspondent for BBC News, covering crime and justice stories, for more than 30 years. He later became a senior political advisor to Yvette Cooper, the then shadow Home Secretary, ahead of the general election. He’s now a freelance journalist with bylines in the Daily Telegraph, the Times, the Guardian and the New Statesman to name just a few.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In episode 2 of The Secret Life of Prisons, Phil and Paula hear what it's like to live in The Cell. Wrongly-imprisoned journalist Raphael Rowe and author and blogger David Breakspear share their stories of living in a cell. 

Carl Cattermole is an award-winning dramatist and author, he writes and delivers a powerful piece about living in prison. Dr Kimmett Edgar reflects on the true meaning behind prison related headlines and statistics. And poet, Mr Gee, delivers his poem at the end of the episode, written during the recording.

The Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool was built in 1846 and was the first structure in Britain to be constructed from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world.

It was also the venue for the 2024 Labour Party Conference, and Phil and Paula took the opportunity to return to Liverpool to listen to James Timpson, a newly-appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice, for the first time since his appointment.

Journalist and conference veteran Paul Mason explains what the Labour Party Conference is all about, while our fantastic Assistant Producer Faye Dunn gives her view on her very first conference, coming just two months after her release from prison.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Sean Henry received multiple prison terms through his early adult life. But receiving a long sentence for a serious offence when his son was just two months old, Sean discovered a different perspective on his own life and the way he had been acting.

With precious support from key people in his life, including his son's mother and their extended family, Sean gradually but decisively made the changes that have transformed his future. His son is now an adult and Sean is able to reflect on why things turned out for him the way they did. 

Sean now works for Sussex Prisoners Families, as well as working with young people who are at risk of following the path Sean followed.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

George the Poet is a spoken word performer and recording artist. His acclaimed podcast series, Have You Heard George's Podcast?, became the first non-US podcast to win the Peabody Award. He is a long-time advocate and campaigner for a fairer justice system.

This episode was recorded at the 2021 Longford Lecture, an annual event run by the Longford Trust which supports people in the justice system with education and mentoring. 

For more information on the Longford Trust, visit www.longfordtrust.org.

Echoes - brand new drama coming to the Secret Life of Prisons this Friday at 5pm.

Watch the filmed version here: youtu.be/1XbfV_96QX0

Happy Christmas from The Secret Life of Prisons!

On Wednesday 22 November 2023, Rory Stewart delivered the annual Longford Lecture at Church House in Westminster. And like every year, National Prison Radio was there to broadcast the lecture into prison cells across England and Wales.

For this special edition of The Secret Life of Prisons, Phil and Paula introduce that programme, as broadcast to listeners behind bars.

The show was hosted by Paula alongside Zak, who is a presenter of our sister podcast Life After Prison.

Rory's lecture was entitled, Rhetoric vs Reality: My Journey as Prisons Minister. It addressed why politics is ill-equipped to deal with the crisis in prisons, and what we might be able to do to change this.

For more information about the Longford Trust, visit https://www.longfordtrust.org.

How should we look after young people inside?

Phil and Paula hear from Courtney, who went to prison when she was a teenager. She reveals the emotional trauma of being locked up and reflects on the role prison played in rebuilding her life.

Earlier this year Courtney featured in the first episode of our sister podcast, Future Prison, where she shared her experiences with Dr Hegla Swindenbank, Executive Director for Youth Custody Services at the Ministry of Justice, and Dr Giles McCathie, Lead Psychologist for Youth Custody Services.

You can listen to all seven episodes of Future Prison here, including a brand new episode following up those conversations six months on.

Presenters: Phil Maguire, Paula Harriott and Hilary Ineomo-Marcus
Guests: Courtney, Dr Helga Swindenbank and Dr Giles McCathie

This episode contains references to self harm and suicide.

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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Alcohol tags, or sobriety tags, have been being trialled as a way of dealing with alcohol-related disorder for some years. Now, increasingly, they're being given to people released from prison on licence as a way of reducing their risk of reoffending. What are they, how do they know if you've been drinking, what's it like wearing one ... and most importantly, do they work?

Scout Tzofiya Bolton was released from prison just a few days ago, and she’s wearing a sobriety tag right now.

Danny Herbert successfully completed 6 months on a sobriety tag after being released from prison last year. He's approaching one year out of prison, which is the longest he's stayed out of prison for many years.

Patrick Connelly is Head of Contract Management for the Electronic Monitoring programme at His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Additional Production: Ellen Orchard and Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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What is it like to receive a life sentence?

We're joined by two people who have had this experience - both have been to prison and are now outside living with a 'life licence'.

They join Phil and Paula in the studio, along with criminologists Serena Wright and Susie Hulley.

Serena is a researcher and Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research on prisons and penology has focused on short-term sentences and post-release ‘frustrated desistance’ among women, and the experience of long-term incarceration among life-sentenced prisoners.

Susie is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. She is interested in how young people are affected by the criminal justice system, particularly their experiences of criminalisation and imprisonment. Her recent work focuses on the application of ‘joint enterprise’ by criminal justice practitioners (including lawyers and the police) and the impact of this legal doctrine on young people.

Further reading:

Experiencing long-term imprisonment from young adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Ministry of Justice

Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Palgrave Macmillan

This episode was originally released on this feed in November 2021

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Coronavirus pandemic led to many restrictions to all of our lives. For people in prison the restrictions were particlarly severe. The biggest impact was felt when all social visits were halted for many months, meaning people serving custodial sentences weren't able to see their families, friends and loved-ones in person.

In response, the Prison Service introduced video calls.

In this special episode, presenters Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire get the inside track on how this roll-out happened, what the impact was and what the future may hold for video call technology in prison.

They're joined by:

Dr Anna Kotova - Lecturer in Criminology at the School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham;

Tracy O'Donnell - host of the Family and Friends Request Show on National Prison Radio, and mother of two sons in prison;

Tim Lloyd - Head of Family Services at HM Prison and Probation Service.

They also hear from Stephen, who was in prison during the height of the lockdown and describes how those calls worked from inside prison.

Thanks to the Sir Halley Stewart Trust for funding the research.

This episode was recorded in April 2022.

We need your help! Please visit www.prison.radio/survey to tell us about yourself and what you want to hear on The Secret Life of Prisons. Thank you.

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Caroline was released from prison with low hopes for the future. Then she met a probation officer from a surprising background and with her support she built a successful life for herself. Caroline is now a co-researcher on a research project being run by Liverpool John Moores University and the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton looking at the future of probation services.

Professor Lawrence Burke (Lol Burke) is a Professor in Criminal Justice at Liverpool John Moores University and previously worked as a probation practitioner.

A further two episodes will be released later in the year.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

What is it like to receive a life sentence?

We're joined by two people who have had this experience - both have been to prison and are now outside living with a 'life licence'.

They join Phil and Paula in the studio, along with criminologists Serena Wright and Susie Hulley.

Serena is a researcher and Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research on prisons and penology has focused on short-term sentences and post-release ‘frustrated desistance’ among women, and the experience of long-term incarceration among life-sentenced prisoners.

Susie is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. She is interested in how young people are affected by the criminal justice system, particularly their experiences of criminalisation and imprisonment. Her recent work focuses on the application of ‘joint enterprise’ by criminal justice practitioners (including lawyers and the police) and the impact of this legal doctrine on young people.

Further reading:

Experiencing long-term imprisonment from young adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Ministry of Justice

Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Palgrave Macmillan

How does it feel to spend Christmas Day in prison?

Phil and Paula talk about the difficulties of being locked up over Christmas and the little things that help with getting through the day.

They're joined by former National Prison Radio presenter Duewaine and poet Brenda Birungi, aka Lady Unchained, who share their memories of Christmas in prison.

Presenters: Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott
Guests: Duewaine and Lady Unchained
Producer: Louisa Adams

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

This week we are participating in The Big Give, a national fundraising campaign. 

So in this week's show, we wanted to introduce you to five people who went to prison and now all have careers in broadcasting, thanks to their work with the Prison Radio Association.

Ali Ali is National Prison Radio's breakfast show host and the winner of a silver award at the 2024 ARIAS in the Best New Voice category.

Jules Rowan is one of the multi award-winning hosts of Life After Prison, our podcast for people who have been released from prison.

Nico Constantinou was in prison this time last year, where he learned about radio production. After he was released he took part in our Outside In traineeship and is now working at BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Garth St Clair is the founder of Rise Maximum Radio, which broadcasts from Arouca Maximum Security Prison near Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobage.

The Fantastic Faye Dunn was in Styal prison near Manchester in November 2022 when she was approached by the National Prison Radio team to take part in a programme. Since then she's worked incredibly hard to develop her skills and has impressed the team so much that she now works full-time for the charity on a range of shows, including being the Assistant Producer of this podcast!

If you donate to us before Tuesday 10 December, your donation will be doubled! To make a donation, go to prison.radio/biggive.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In April 1990, Strangeways prison in Manchester was subject to disorder and protests that lasted weeks.

It was the longest prison disturbance in British history.

This concluding episode looks at what's happened in the 30 years since the Strangeways riots, asking fundamental questions about what prison is for. 

Featuring:

Strangeways governor Brendan O'Friel;
Lord Woolf;
Professor Joe Sim;
Former prisoner and journalist Eric Allison;
Professor Elaine Player;
Dr David Scott;
Safe Ground's Charlotte Weinberg.

The 25 Days in April episodes were produced with the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, and funded by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust.

Phil and Paula speak to the two presenters of BBC Radio 4's series Behind the Crime.

Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa Hocken have decades of experience working in prisons as forensic psychologists.

HM Prison and Probation Service is the biggest employer of forensic psychologists in the UK, and this episode looks at the role they play in people's pathway through the justice system.

We also hear clips from several episodes of Behind the Crime, as Sally and Kerensa give us the inside track on what these stories can tell us about how we administer criminal justice.

You can listen to all episodes of Behind the Crime on BBC Sounds:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019r5c/episodes/player 

The Prison Radio Association is the charity that produces this podcast. Our day job is running National Prison Radio, which is the world's first national radio station for people in prison. It broadcasts 24/7 into the cells of 80,000 people in prison across England and Wales.

Last night, Thursday 26 November, we attended not one, but TWO award ceremonies. Both online.

One was the Criminal Justice Alliance Media Awards, and the other was the Audio Production Awards, one of the major dates in the UK media calendar. It was hosted by Jeremy Vine and Snoochie Shy.

It was an amazing night, and we wanted to tell our listeners in prison all about it. We also wanted to give you the chance to hear some of what makes National Prison Radio special.

Presenters: Andrew Wilkie and Brenda Birungi
Guests: Hilary Ineomo-Marcus, Anthony Olanipekun, Nancy Prentice, Jerelle Forbes, Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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James Phillips was in prison in 2014 when he first heard National Prison Radio's Rock Show. He decided he was going to become its next host, and managed to get a transfer to the prison where the show was based.

Fast forward 10 years, he had been released from prison, joined the Prison Radio Association's staff team, and his show had become the most inventive, innovative, riotous music show on any radio station, anywhere. He won Gold for Best New Presenter at the ARIAS – the Radio Academy Awards, which are the radio industry's 'Oscars'.

Last year James received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. 

In true Rock Show spirit, James took his listeners, the Rock Show Family, on the journey with him. That journey came to an end in May 2024.

To remember James, and to introduce the uninitiated to the joys of National Prison Radio’s Rock Show, and the magic that James would create using nothing but sound and the spirit of rock music, Phil and Paula are joined by Ollie Brookes (the producer of the Rock Show) and Scout Tsofiya Bolton (a paid-up member of the Rock Show Family while she was in prison).

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

We need your help! Please visit www.prison.radio/survey to tell us about yourself and what you want to hear on The Secret Life of Prisons. Thank you.

--

Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. In this very special episode he tells us about his time in prison, and how others serving sentences reacted when he told them he was innocent.

Emily Bolton is Andrew's solicitor and the founder of Appeal, a charity that challenges wrongful convictions and campaigns for a fairer justice system

www.appeal.org.uk 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

--

Despite having lots of time to spare during a sentence, people in prison face very many barriers to pursuing education, and particularly further education. Some people manage to overcome these barriers, and the Longford Trust is a key source of support.

In 2011 Chris Walters was arrested in Taiwan for a drugs offence. After seven years on bail, Chris received a prison sentence and was flown to the UK to serve out his sentence. His remarkable story brought him into contact with the Longford Trust. He now works on their fundraising team, and he's completing a law degree at the University of Edinburgh. 

Peter Stanford is the Director of the Longford Trust, who provide grants and mentorships to people in prison and after release to pursue higher education.

https://www.longfordtrust.org

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

--

On Wednesday 22 November 2023, Rory Stewart delivered the annual Longford Lecture at Church House in Westminster. 

Rory's lecture was entitled, Rhetoric vs Reality: My Journey as Prisons Minister. It addressed why politics is ill-equipped to deal with the crisis in prisons, and what we might be able to do to change this.

For more information about the Longford Trust, visit www.longfordtrust.org 

This episode was originally released on this feed in December 2023

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

On 5 October 2015, Nigel Poor, a photographer who worked in San Quentin State Prison in California, and Earlonne Woods, who was serving a long sentence in the same prison, came up with an idea that would ultimately secure Earlonne's freedom.

They're the presenter/producers of Ear Hustle, the multi award-winning, global podcast hit from Radiotopia that tells the daily stories of prison life.

In this final episode of the series, they join Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott to share reflections on prison, the media and freedom.

Check out Ear Hustle at www.earhustlesq.com

In 2004, Paula was imprisoned for eight years for a drugs offence. 

Twenty years later, she is the trailblazing Chief Executive of a prominent national charity, being cited multiple times for her pioneering work in the criminal justice sector by none other than the Minister of State for Justice, and noted by The Times of London as an 'intutitive broadcaster'.

In today's emotional episode, Paula fills in the space over those two decades to describe the enormous challenges that come with being released from prison, and what she's learnt from the events that have led to her becoming a leading light in the campaign for a better justice system.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Ben Jones and Steve Girling are the hosts of Hold or Fold, a brand-new podcast from the Prison Radio Association that supports people who suffer from gambling addiction.

Ben and Steve both went to prison for offences linked to their gambling. After release, both men realised that there were gaps in screening for gambling addiction in prison and in the provision of services for recovery. They worked with the Prison Radio Association to start Hold or Fold as a programme on National Prison Radio. Thanks to funding from GambleAware, that programme continues to broadcast on the radio into prison cells and it's now available to listeners on the outside as a brand-new podcast.

Steve co-founded and runs Reframe Coaching, which offers support and guidance for those affected by problem gambling.

Ben has started a recovery service in Nottingham called TimeOut, which is part of the charity Double Impact.

If you're affected by gambling harms, there are a number of organisations who can help. Here are links to just a few:

• Gordon Moody
• Reframe Coaching
• Gamlearn
• Gamfam
• Gamcare
• Bet Know More
• Breakeven
• Gambler’s Anonymous

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

--

In June 2024 a group of people with a wealth of experience of probation gathered for a one-day workshop at Liverpool John Moore's University as part of the Rehabilitating Probation project. The workshop aimed to envision what probation services might look like in the future. 

Phil and Paula spoke to several workshop participants, including people who had worked in, studied and been supervised by probation.

In this week's episode we hear those conversations, followed by reflections from two academics who have played a leading role in the project: Dr. Matthew Millings from the School of Justice Studies at Liverpool John Moores University; and Professor Nicola Carr from the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham

Rehabilitating Probation

This is the second of three episodes looking at the future of probation. A third will be released later in the year.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In 2021, the legendary TV screenwriter Jimmy McGovern released a three-part drama called Time on BBC1. People living and working in prisons have almost universally agreed that it's the most astonishingly realistic depiction of prison life they've ever seen. 

National Prison Radio listeners were aware it was in the planning two years ago, when they broadcast a talk Jimmy gave at HMP Erlestoke describing the writing process.

In this episode, Phil and Paula are joined by Jimmy along with the Executive Producer Tom Sherry to discuss the complexities of depicting prisons on the small screen. We also hear that clip from Jimmy's talk behind bars.

Time is available to watch on BBC iPlayer:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p09fs2qh/time

Jamie Bennett is is the author of a new book which looks at the challenges of managing prisons. He is Prison Contracts Group Director at His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. He has been Governor of Morton Hall, Long Lartin, Grendon and Spring Hill prisons.

Andrew Morris served a sentence in HMP Spring Hill while Jamie was the Governor there. After release, he founded the New Wave Trust which aims to provide mentorships for young black men. He's a Trustee at the Howard League for Penal Reform and for the Raphael Rowe Foundation. He's also worked as an assessment officer at the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Read more:
Managing Prisons: Managerialism, Austerity and Moral Blindness by Jamie Bennett

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In this episode, Paula and Phil talk about the importance of the telephone in prison, and what better way to do that than to call up a few friends of the podcast?

Peter Yarwood, Chief Executive of Red Rose Recovery, author Rich Jones and Kemi Ryan, co-founder of Reformed Development, explain what the phone meant to them while they were in prison.

And Dr Kimmett Edgar, Head of Research at the Prison Reform Trust, is back to tell us more about how the pandemic has affected the ways people inside can speak to their loved ones.

Presenters: Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott
Guests: Peter Yarwood, Dr Kimmett Edgar, Rich Jones and Kemi Ryan
Producers: Louisa Adams and Andrew Wilkie

Mickey Dehara is a screenwriter who has frequently collaborated with the director Guy Richie, including playing a starring role in the film Snatch. He served a prison sentence in the early 2010s when he got involved with National Prison Radio and won the Sandford St. Martin and Jerusalem Awards for a dramatisation of the Good Friday story which he wrote and starred in. On release from prison he set up Films4Life which aimed to change people's lives through the medium of film-making.

Max Porter is the award-winning author of several novels, including Grief Is A Thing With Feathers which is currently being adapted into a film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He delvers storytelling workshops in palliative care settings, prisons and war zones. He has recently returned from Palestine where he worked with people caught up in the conflict, and he is the Writer in Residence at HMP Erlestoke.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

--

Under David Cameron's austerity government between 2010 and 2015, the number of prison officers in England and Wales fell by more than a quarter. Many experienced officers took voluntary redundancy. In the years since, the prison service has been recruiting new officers to fill the gaps – often young and inexperienced.

Gen Glaister was one of those recruits, joining the prison service in 2016, aged 23. She says it was an incredibly rewarding job and a privilege to do, but she left after less than two years. She's written a memoir of her time in the prison service called The Prison Officer: The Inside Story of Life Behind Bars. She is determined to change the public's approach to people in prison, and to get the UK excited about justice reform.

Nathan Parker is a mentor and trainer of prison officers, through his work with the Rees Foundation. He was 19 when he was sent to prison for four years, around the same time Gen was working the landings. He was fully aware of how young many of the prison officers were.

The Prison Officer by Gen Glaister is available to order here.

Find out more about the Rees Foundation.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is returning, featuring stories from behind bars. 

Ahead of our new series, we'll be releasing a two-part deep-dive documentary, 25 Days In April, telling the story of the longest prison disturbance in British history - the Strangeways riots of 1990.

Part one, released on Thursday 10 September, will go through the events of April 1990, with vivid archive recordings from the site.

Part two, released on Thursday 17 September, will expand on what's happened in the 30 years since Strangeways.

Subscribe to this feed to hear this, and more from the Secret Life of Prisons.

We need your help! Please visit www.prison.radio/survey to tell us about yourself and what you want to hear on The Secret Life of Prisons. Thank you.

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Duewaine Marshalleck-Baker spent many years in prison, and during those sentences he witnessed and perpetrated violence. During his last sentence he worked on National Prison Radio and we're proud to call him a friend of the Prison Radio Association.

Conroy Harris is the Chief Executive of A Band Of Brothers, a charity that was born out of concern at the escalation of self-destructive behaviour among young men, which looks to find solutions to the sort of violence that takes place on prison wings.

https://abandofbrothers.org.uk

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Dwaine Patterson spent 22 years in prison. For seven of those years he was one of a handful of people detained in Close Supervision Centres (CSCs).

CSCs are prisons within prisons, housing those people said to be the most dangerous and disruptive in the entire prison system.

In this remarkable interview, Dwaine describes what it was like to be deemed so dangerous that seven prison officers in riot gear plus a dog handler were required just to unlock his door.

Claire Salama is a solicitor who specialises in the law around imprisonment. She works for the Howard League for Penal Reform and has represented several people who have been housed in CSCs and other segregation units.

You can contact the Howard League's legal advice line here.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Tyler Voase was released from prison in the summer of 2024. 

He first went into jail in 2022 weighing over 40 stone, and with the support of a well-thought-through and timely intervention from gym staff he reinvented himself, losing 18 stone while in HMP Feltham.

Samy Ali is a Physical Education Instructor (PEI) at HMP Feltham, and he was the member of staff who knocked on Tyler's cell door one day to offer him a job working in the gym. 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In episode 3 of The Secret Life of Prisons, Paula and Phil ask what's it like to visit a family member in prison? Author of the award winning blog 'Prison.bag', Josie Bevan and her daughter Tala, talk about being regular prison visitors.

Carl Cattermole delivers a powerful piece on prison visits, poet Mr Gee performs an original poem written during this recording and Dr Kimmett Edgar reflects on the truth behind the headlines and the statistics. 

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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Charlie Taylor is His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons. His role is to report back to the government on conditions in prisons across England and Wales. While his team encounters many serious problems in prisons on their travels (see our recent episode 'Urgent Notification'), they also see examples of prisons whose culture creates calmness and postiive engagement.

These prisons tend to have lower levels of violence and are safer, more humane environments. 

What can we learn from these prisons?

HM Inspectorate of Prisons has recently published a report, 'Improving Behaviour in Prisons', asking this very question.

Marc Conway contributed to the report. He is a criminal justice consultant through his organisation Fair Justice. He spent many years in and out of prison, encountering the very good and the very bad along the way. He was released for the final time in 2018.

Read the report by HM Chief Inspector of prisons here.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In November the Sentencing Academy, a charity that aims to improve public understanding of sentencing in England and Wales, released a piece of research entitled 'Who is in prison and what is the purpose of imprisonment?'.

It concluded that most people know very little about prisons.

To test these findings, Phil and Paula went to stand outside the Central Criminal Court in London, better known as the Old Bailey, to ask Londoners about their views on crime, prisons and the people who live in them.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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In the March 2024 budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said the government will seek to "prioritise proposals that deliver annual savings within five years". What does this mean for prisons and the criminal justice system, having to deal with rising numbers and facing increasingly complex challenges?

Grace Blakeley is a journalist and author. She previously sat on the Labour Party’s National Policy Forum which is responsible for policy development. Before that she worked for the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Grace Blakeley's new book Vulture Capitalism is available here.

Vicky Pryce was a civil service economist and is now Chief Economic Advisor for the Centre for Economics and Business Research. She’s a visiting professor at Birmingham City University and at King’s College London. Vicky served a prison sentence in 2013, where she saw first-hand how the prison system works, and she is now a Trustee of the charity Women in Prison and also Patron of the charity Working Chance, which is the UK’s only employment charity solely for women with convictions.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

This Friday on Secret Life of Prisons - we'll be releasing a Lockdown Special.

What can we learn from prisons about lockdown? And what can we learn from lockdown about prisons?

Presenter Phil Maguire will be joined as usual by Paula Harriott, poet Mr Gee, and guests who know what it's like to be locked up - both in prison and out.

Subscribe to Secret Life of Prisons, and check your feed this Friday for the Secret Life of Prisons - Lockdown Special.

Phil and Paula are outside HMP Liverpool, aka Walton Jail, to talk to passers-by about what they think of prisons and the people inside them.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

In our final episode of the year, guests Duewaine and Brenda are back with Phil and Paula to talk about the significance of New Year in prison.

They're joined by Marc Conway who, having spent roughly fifteen New Year's Eves inside, discusses how attitudes towards the celebration vary.

Presenters: Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott
Guests: Duewaine, Brenda Birungi aka Lady Unchained and Marc Conway
Producer: Louisa Adams

In November 2024, Janey Starling from the charity Level Up, called out the presenter of LBC's breakfast show Nick Ferrari live on air for his apparent ignorance of the facts around the imprisonment of women.

In response to that interview, we invited friend of the podcast Dr. Kimmett Edgar to the studio to help us understand what the numbers can tell us about prisons and the people who live in them.

Kimmett is a former Senior Research Officer at the Oxford Centre for Criminological Research and was Head of Research at the Prison Reform Trust.

After finishing this podcast, why not listen to Paula's appearance on BBC Radio 4's Feedback?

Some data sources from this programme: 

• You can find prison population statistics from His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service here.
• Data on reoffending rates is published here.
• Data on ethnicity in the prison popuation can be found here.
• Details of the running costs of individual prisons is published by the Ministry of Justice here.
• Analysis of government spending and performance of prisons by the Institute for Government is published here.
• A study of the impact of short custodial sentences on reoffending was released by the Ministry of Justice here.
• An international comparison of prison populations from the Council of Europe is published here.
• The evidence review of the impact of imprisonment on families is published by the charity Clinks here.
• Data on the causes of death of people in prison published by the Office for National for National Statistics can be found here.
• Ministry of Justice data on self harm in prison is published here.
• A BBC News report on the links between prison and homelessness can be found here.
• You can find a treasure trove of data about prisons in the annual Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile, published by the Prison Reform Trust.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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As we approach the next general election, the Secret Life of Prisons is bringing you guests who have knowledge and insight about the role criminal justice plays in politics as the major players fight for our votes.

We've asked this week's guest to come up with five pieces of advice for the next government to improve our justice system.

Andi Brierley is an author and educator. He was the editor of last year's book, The Good Prison Officer. He spent several years in prison as a young person, serving time for offences fuelled by a drug addiction. Today he teaches at Leeds Trinity University and he trains prison officers through the Unlocked Graduates programme.

Find out more about Unlocked Graduates here.

The Good Prison Officer

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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Last week we heard the story of Hilary, who grew up in the UK and has a British wife and children. After receiving a prison sentence, he almost got deported to Nigeria, a country with which he barely has any connections. 

Sophie was in the reverse position. Born in the UK but growing up in the US from the age of 6, she had no other links with her birth country. Imprisoned for 12 months, she found herself on a flight to Heathrow with two Homeland Security Agents.

Sophie's story is emotional, but like Hilary's, it also has a happy ending.

Chris Stacey is Chief Executive of Prisoners Abroad, the charity that helped Sophie and helps thousands of British nationals and their families each year.

www.prisonersabroad.org.uk

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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Hilary Ineomo-Marcus was days away from release from HMP Brixton in 2014 when he found out that he wasn't going home. His immigration status was being questioned and he was being considered for deportation.

Hilary had moved to the UK from Nigeria as a child with his family. He had gone to primary school, secondary school and university in the UK. He had returned to Nigeria once in his whole life. He had married a British woman and had British children. 

He committed a fraud for which he served a severe punishment in prison.

But from 2014 he spent 10 years and tens of thousands of pounds fighting a legal battle with the Home Office to prevent his deportation to a country with which he had no ties.

Hilary is a Trustee of the Prison Radio Association, and in this episode he describes his experience and ... finally ... is able to tell us about the happy ending to his story.

Miranda Sawyer is a journalist and broadcaster. She is the radio and podcast critic for the Observer newspaper. She has known Hilary for most of his time fighting this battle. She has supported him and become his good friend.

In this emotional episode, we hear what it takes to battle the Home Office and win.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Greg Eskridge was released from San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in California, formerly known as San Quentin state prison, on 23 July 2024 after serving 30 years and 25 days.

In prison Greg became a founding member of the Uncuffed radio program and podcast, a project run by the public radio station KALW.

Greg now works full-time as Uncuffed’s first Leadership Fellow, preparing him for leadership roles in the project. 

Eli Wirtschafter is the Program Director for Uncuffed and got to know Greg through his work behind the walls of San Quentin. He trains people in California prisons how to produce radio and podcasts, developing professional broadcasting skills and creating shows.

Listen to the Uncuffed podcast.

The Secret Life of Prisons wishes you a very happy Christmas. We'll be back in the new year with weekly shows dropping every Monday.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

--

People in prison are more likely to encounter a bereavement than the wider population, and are more likely to have experienced a catalogue of loss. Prison chaplains are ususally the people who break the news of a death.

What is it like to experience loss in prison?

Why is it so important for prison staff to confirm the accuracy of the news?

What risks can these traumatic events pose to prison security?

How do prison chaplains handle the repeated trauma of passing on this news?

The Rev Phil Chadder was Senior Chaplain at HMP Brixton for many years, and estimates he's broken this sort of news many hundreds of times. He now trains new prison chaplains in how to break the news of a death to a prisoner, teaching how to handle this incredibly difficult and sensitive situation.

Richie spent many years in prison, including a spell in HMP Brixton where he got to know Phil Chadder. During his time in prison he lost two close relatives.

Read Prison Service Instruction 05/2016: Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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In general election week, the Secret Life of Prisons finishes our series of guests who have knowledge and insight about the role criminal justice plays in politics as the major players fight for our votes.

We've asked this week's guest to ask the organisations who work closest to prisons what they'd like to see from our next government.

Anne Fox is Chief Executive of Clinks, which represents hundreds of charities and voluntary sector organisations that work with people in prison and their families. She has worked in the voluntary sector in the Republic of Ireland and in the UK since 1999. She joined Clinks in 2015.

www.clinks.org 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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What can we make of the most recent announcements on prison policy? And what are we likely to see from a Starmer government over the longer term?

Lord Ken Macdonald KC was Director of Public Prosecutions immedately before Sir Keir Starmer took up that position. Since then he's been a practicing criminal defence barrister and been involved in the development of criminal justice policy, especially in relation to terrorism and national security. He is currently Chair of the Orwell Foundation and President of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

He is also a co-host of Double Jeopardy - the law and politics podcast.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

Phil and Paula introduce a VERY special show for Christmas.

Lady Unchained is one of the best-known voices behind bars. She's the host of Free Flow - a weekly show on National Prison Radio that encouranges listeners to call in with their lyrics, performed to backing tracks that they play on the radio.

'It's the show where we play the beat twice so you can get your bars right.'

She's also the author of Behind Bars - an anthology of poetry written during and after her prison sentence.

In this special show, recorded live at Libereria in London to mark the release of her book, she's interviewed by Jules Rowan, who has also spent time in prison and is now the host of our hugely successful sister podcast Life After Prison.

We hear debut performances from two young artists who Brenda has nurtured - Aliyah Ali and Tamar. Plus, we hear an amazing clip from Free Flow of a listener who took the bars he recorded in prison and turned them into a professionally-produced track.

Thanks to the team at Second Home for organising and hosting the event.

You can buy Behind Bars here: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/behind-bars-on-punishment-prison-release/9781914240317

Tim Owen KC is a criminal barrister who has sat as a Deputy High Court Judge. He is a co-host of Double Jeopardy: The Law and Politics Podcast. 

You can find the sentencing guidelines for all offences heard in the Magistrates and Crown Courts on the Sentencing Council website.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association is a charity that runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

On Monday 11 November 2024, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe delivered the annual Longford Lecture at Church House in Westminster. 

Nazanin was imprisoned in 2016 at the end of a family visit to Iran, accused of plotting to overthrow the government by running courses in journalism that the Iranian regime said aimed to train people to spread propaganda against Iran.

She vehemently denied these charges but remained in prison until 2022.

In this year's emotional Longford Lecture, she tells us what she learnt from the experience and explains her passion for penal reform.

For more information about the Longford Trust, visit www.longfordtrust.org 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

1 in 7 adults in prison were homeless before entering custody, and fewer than half of people released from prison last year had settled accommodation on release.

Phil and Paula have teamed up with the Orwell Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact to bring you this brand news series looking at the intertwined issues of homelessness, social deprivation, crime and justice.

Down, Not Out is the companion podcast to The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023.

Host Sangita Myska, who is also a judge of the new prize, talks to experts and people who've experienced homelessness, to get a better idea of the scale of the problem and how it might be solved.

This episode focuses on some of the possible solutions to homelessness. It contains vivid experiences of homelessness that are upsetting and graphic.

Secret Life of Prisons
Presenters: Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie

Orwell Foundation
Host: Sangita Myska
Reader: Malorie Blackman OBE
Producer: Alex Grundon
Executive Producer: Liz Wallace

Contributors: Chris Lynam; Christina Lamb (Journalist and author of The Prince Rupert Hotel for the Homeless) and Stephen Armstrong (Journalist and author of The Road to Wigan Pier Revisited and Trustee, The Orwell Foundation)

The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023 is open for entries until 17 April 2023.

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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In February 2024 a report on conditions in HMP Bedford by HM Inspectorate of Prisons described the prison as holding people in "some of the worst conditions the inspectors had ever seen".

The inspectors issued an Urgent Notification, which raises immediate, urgent concerns with the Secretary of State for Justice. It was the fifth Urgent Notification issued in 12 months, and HMP Bedford became the third establishment to receive two Urgent Notifications.

What's happening in these prisons? And what can be done to improve conditions?

Andrea Coomber KC is a barrister and Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform – a charity that campaigns for better conditions in prisons.

Sobanan Narenthiran runs a social enterprise called Breakthrough which aims to tackle the root causes of crime. Sobanan was imprisoned in 2017 when he was a student at Plymouth University and found himself in HMP Exeter – another prison that has received two Urgent Notifications.

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

HMP Bedford inspection report (2024): https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/Bedford-web-2023.pdf

HMP Exeter urgent notification (2018):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/urgent-notification-for-hmp-exeter

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them find ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760

The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

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As we approach the next general election, the Secret Life of Prisons is bringing you guests who have knowledge and insight into politics and the role criminal justice is likely to play as the major players fight for our votes.

We're asking each guest to identify five things we should all be looking out for as the political campaigning ramps up.

Dominic Grieve was the MP for Beaconsfield. He was Shadow Justice Secretary in the years before the 2010 general election, and was appointed Attorney General under David Cameron. 

Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust

Producer: Andrew Wilkie

The Prison Radio Association runs National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people serving prison sentences. We employ people in prison to develop their skills, find their best voices and help them discover ways to lead crime-free lives after release.

Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760