The Secret Life of Prisons podcast

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. -- 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. -- 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. -- 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. -- 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

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