Noel ‘Razor’ Smith has done some terrible things. A key player of the criminal underworld in South London in the 1970s and 1980s. A ‘horrible bastard’ by his own account. Today he is fifteen years out of prison with no intention of going back. In a failing British prison system there is one place that works. That helps criminals like Mr Smith to reform and rehabilitate. In this episode of the Weekend Intelligence, public-policy correspondent Tom Sasse finds out about His Majesty’s Prison Grendon – ‘the secret hidden under the staircase’. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.