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 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

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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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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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

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

--

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

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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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. 

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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

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

--

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

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

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 produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. 

--

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

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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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. 

--

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

--

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

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. 

--

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

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. 

--

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

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

--

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 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

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.

 

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 

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

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 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

1 in 7 adults in prison were experiencing homelessness before entering custody, and fewer than half of people released from prison last year had settled accommodation on release. But what do we know about women who experience homelessness?     Phil and Paula have teamed up with the Orwell Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact to bring you another three-part 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 2024.     Host Paddy O'Connell, who is a friend of The Prison Radio Association and 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.     Episode 3 gets into some of the gritty issues and contains compelling stories, examining the issues faced by women experiencing homelessness and why data on this is so lacking. What’s being done to fill this gap?     Secret Life of Prisons   Presenters: Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie     Orwell Foundation
Host: Paddy O'Connell
Editor and Producer: Alex Grundon   Producer: Michelle Featherstone
Executive Producer: Liz Wallace     Contributors   Professor Jean Seaton, Director of The Orwell Foundation   Freya Marshall Payne, an academic focussing on women and homelessness, who has personal experience of it.   Ligia Teixeira, Founding Chief Executive of the Centre For Homelessness Impact, our partners in this podcast.   With special and heartfelt thanks to Richard Blair, George Orwell’s son, for narrating an extract of his dad’s book for the podcast.     The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness is open for entries until 31 March 2024. Entry details are available here: https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-prizes/about/about-the-prizes/reporting-homelessness/     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.

1 in 7 adults in prison were experiencing homelessness before entering custody, and fewer than half of people released from prison last year had settled accommodation on release. But what if you’re living in another country from where you were born and things start going wrong?   Phil and Paula have teamed up with the Orwell Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact to bring you another three-part 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 2024.   Host Paddy O'Connell, who is a friend of The Prison Radio Association and 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.   Episode 2 gets into some of the gritty issues around homelessness, and contains compelling stories, looking at what it’s like to be away from your home country AND without a home to live in; that’s Foreign Nationals and Homelessness.    Secret Life of Prisons Presenters: Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie   Orwell Foundation
Host: Paddy O'Connell
Editor and Producer: Alex Grundon Producer: Michelle Featherstone
Executive Producer: Liz Wallace   Contributors Stephen Armstrong, journalist, writer, trustee of The Orwell Foundation and author of The Road to Wigan Pier Revisited. Patrick, a French national who came to the UK but lost his identity papers and experienced homelessness after 30 years of having a home here. Bridget Young, Director of 'NACCOM - THE NO ACCOMMODATION NETWORK - an organisation that helps people who come to the UK from abroad who find themselves homeless. With special and heartfelt thanks to Richard Blair, George Orwell’s son, for narrating an extract of his dad’s book for the podcast.   The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness is open for entries until 31 March 2024. Entry details are available here: https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-prizes/about/about-the-prizes/reporting-homelessness/   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.

1 in 7 adults in prison were experiencing homelessness before entering custody, and fewer than half of people released from prison last year had settled accommodation on release. Many had a less than perfect start in life, finding themselves in care. There seems to be a clear link between growing up in care and experiencing homelessness.   Phil and Paula have teamed up with the Orwell Foundation and the Centre for Homelessness Impact to bring you another three-part 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 2024.   Host Paddy O'Connell, a friend of The Prison Radio Association and 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, and contains compelling stories, including one from a man who’s just been released from prison.   Secret Life of Prisons Presenters: Paula Harriott and Phil Maguire
Producer: Andrew Wilkie   Orwell Foundation
Host: Paddy O'Connell
Editor and Producer: Alex Grundon Producer: Michelle Featherstone
Executive Producer: Liz Wallace   Contributors: 
DJ Taylor - George Orwell’s official biographer; 
Kadeem - recently released from prison;
Professor Michael Sanders - Centre for Homelessness Impact and lecturer at King’s College London;
Danny Lavelle - joint winner of the Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023.   The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2024 is open for entries until 31 March 2024. Entry details are available here: https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-prizes/about/about-the-prizes/reporting-homelessness/   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.

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.

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.

 

 

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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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/

Walking the Wing, the audio drama produced in lockdown, can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/saul-hewish-726672794

This episode of The Secret Life of Prisons was funded by the University of Reading as part of the 'Sounding Out: Facilitating Incarcerated People's Involvement in Penal Policy Reform' research project led by Dr Sarah Bartley in collaboration with Rideout Creative Arts for Rehabilitation and the Prison Reform Trust.

The Department of Film, Theatre, Television at The University of Reading can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/film-theatre-television/

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

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.

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 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

 

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.