The Secret Life of Prisons podcast

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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. The podcast tells the hidden stories from behind bars. Paula Harriott is Chief Executive of Unlock. She spent time behind bars and now works to help those who have been to prison to contribute to the debate around crime and justice. Phil Maguire is the Chief Executive of the Prison Radio Association. He's worked in prisons for two decades and received an OBE for services to radio.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    What I Learned About Prison in Iran | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe gives the Longford Lecture 2024

    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

    55 min

  2. NOV 11

    I lost 18 stone in prison | Tyler Voase and Samy Ali

    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

    28 min

  3. NOV 4

    What can we learn about the future of criminal justice from the budget? | Matthew Torbitt and Ben Zaranko

    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

    35 min

  4. OCT 28

    Seven years in the seg | Dwaine Patterson and Claire Salama

    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

    38 min

  5. OCT 21

    Prisons and the press | David Shipley and Danny Shaw

    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

    38 min

  6. OCT 14

    My probation officer is also my colleague! | Simon Madu and Danielle Bond

    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

    32 min

  7. OCT 7

    From Cell to CEO | Paula Harriott

    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

    1h 2m

  8. SEP 30

    The Secret Life of Prisons visits the Labour Party Conference | Paul Mason and Faye Dunn

    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

    58 min
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The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate. The podcast tells the hidden stories from behind bars. Paula Harriott is Chief Executive of Unlock. She spent time behind bars and now works to help those who have been to prison to contribute to the debate around crime and justice. Phil Maguire is the Chief Executive of the Prison Radio Association. He's worked in prisons for two decades and received an OBE for services to radio.

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