Second Chance

In this episode Raphael reads a couple of extracts from his book Notorious. Inspiring people to think about those they would not normally consider deserving of a Second Chance.  Second Chance Podcast Links: Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Audible Facebook Donation Support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondchance1 Support the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Irwin was arrested at Gatwick Airport in 2007 with 1.1 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the lining of a bag he’d collected in the Caribbean. At the time he was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. He was sentenced to twelve years for drug trafficking. He served six in prison and six outside on licence. Whilst in prison Michael studied criminology and psychology and upon release he completed a ma...

Myles Harris, aka Bouncer is a content creator, sports and boxing promoter and an entrepreneur who served time in prison for robbery and drug offences. He plays on his past reputation naming sports management company ‘Wicked N Bad’. Myles’s journey to success was, like many poor and marginalised families' from inner city council estates, difficult and challenging. That’s not an excuse, it’s a...

Michael O’Brien is a survivor of one the most emblematic miscarriages of justice in Britain. Known as ‘The Cardiff Newsagent Three’ case, it has become a key point of reference for campaigners against injustice. He spent 11 years in prison before his conviction was overturned. He lost not only his freedom but everything he'd ever had, including his wife, his child, and even his health. But he...

Raphael is in conversation with associate professor David Skarbek, author of The Puzzle of Prison Order: Why Life Behind Bars Varies Around the World. An illuminating work of much interest to students of crime and punishment. Skarbek’s book digs behind the scenes of global prisons, studying the balance of power and hierarchy behind bars and how that affects prisoners. The conversation was part of...

In 1991, Darnell Philips was 19 years old when he was sentenced to 100 years in prison for raping and brutally beating a 10-year-old girl in Virginia Beach, in the USA.  In 2015, the Innocence Project based at the University of Virginia, found, and had tested, new DNA evidence that they say proves he was not at the scene of the crime. This crucial development led to Darnell being freed from prison...

In this episode, we share the inspiring story of Jessica Kent's Incredible Journey: Giving Birth in Prison, Overcoming Addiction, and Advocating for Change. Jessica Kent gave birth to her first child while serving a five-year sentence in an American prison for drug and firearm charges. After just a few days with her newborn, the authorities took the child away. But Jessica was determined to regain...

Word of warning, this episode contains details of sexual abuse that some listerners might find upsetting. Jeremy Indika is founder of ‘Something to Say’. His mission is to break the silence surrounding child sexual abuse and to create content that attracts the attention of everyone. Because this is everyone's concern. Jeremy was sexually abused by his child minder when he was just 8 years old...

Brenda Birungi aka ‘Lady Unchained’ is passionate about second chances and is an important advocate for life after prison, having been sentenced to two and a half years inside at the age of 21 for a violence offence. She’s since become a poet, facilitator, mentor, and radio host for National Prison Radio. Brenda is also the founder and creative director of Unchained Poetry, an artistic platform fo...

Colin Richards is a sex and relationship engineer and master sensual masseur. He takes a humanistic approach to sex and intimacy and see’s himself  as a sex educator and general problem solver of sex and relationship needs and challenges. He aims to help people transform their relationships and sex lives to become what they want and deserve. Working full time in this field since 2005 he has discov...

Neil Bonner was filming a documentary about piracy off a small island in Indonesia when he and a female colleague were arrested by the authorities and questioned about what they were doing. They were held for more than five months in an Indonesian prison. They were accused and threatened with charges including being a threat to national security, which carries up to 12 years in prison. In the end,...

In this episode I am speaking with Peguy Kato who devastatingly lost her son in an incident where he was stabbed 11 times. Peguy has made it her mission to provide support to families who have gone through similar experiences in honor of her son. This led to her setting up the All Champions charity which aims to prevent and protect people of all ages from knife and other serious youth violence by...

This episode is in collaboration with the Longford Trust who provide financial and mentoring support to young serving and ex-prisoners. The Longford scholarship assists in giving them a second chance to pursue a degree at university. Up until now all of my guest interviews have been recorded remotely thanks to Covid, but on this occasion I was able to meet Sean in person. After gaining qualificati...

This episode is in collaboration with the Longford Trust, who provide financial and mentoring support to young serving and ex-prisoner. It gives a second chance to pursue degrees at university. The Longford Scholarships were first awarded in 2004 and have supported more than 300 young serving and ex-prisoners.  In this episode I am speaking with Victoria Ebun, who was arrested at 18 before she had...

Jason Flom is an American music industry executive and CEO of Lava Records, Lava Music Publishing, and Lava Media. He previously served as Chairman and CEO at Atlantic Records, Virgin Records and Capitol Music Group. He is personally responsible for launching acts such as Kid Rock, Katy Perry, Lorde, and Greta Van Fleet. He has been described as one of the most successful record men of the past 20...

Thomas Duncan Bell is a truly inspiring mental health campaigner and speaker.  Growing up in an extremely volatile environment, Thomas has fought adversity and fear since he was old enough to remember it.  He’s battled drug and alcohol addictions and destructive relationships in the past and is now the primary mental health champion in the UK’s Institute of Directors. Suffering from an extreme for...

In this episode I’m speaking with Junior Smart who was arrested in his mid twenties for possession of several kilograms of crack cocaine. Junior was left homeless after his mother died of a stroke, causing him to go into depression and become suicidal, planning to kill himself. On that day, an officer slid an envelope under the door of his cell containing photos of past family get-togethers. Junio...

WARNING: This story contains details some listeners may find distressing. Clare Topcu and her young son were the victims of a burglary and vicious attack by a group of young men who broke into her farmhouse by removing roof slates and climbing into her home through the roof. Both she and her young son were beaten and bound with tape before the burglars made their escape. It was a terrifying ordeal...

After being caught attempting to smuggle cocaine from St lucia to Canada, Emily O’Brien was sentenced to four years in a federal prison. Determined to make the best out of a negative situation, she created Comeback Snacks while serving her sentence: a company that was inspired by her fellow inmates’ love for popcorn and their specific flavouring choices for the snack. By being able to map out a ne...

On this Episode Raphael answers questions sent to him by listeners. The questions range from how dangerous it is hosting the Netflix series Inside The World's Toughest Prisons to  what were the challenges smuggling diamonds as an undercover investigative journalist.   Support the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The host Raphael is on a short holiday break in Spain so was unable to record an in depth chat with a guest. So, recording  from under a duvet and pillows in a hotel room, in this episode Raphael shares his own story on how he started his career from a chance meeting with a senior editor at the BBC. Support the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British born actor Jessica Allain left her family and home in London to take a chance in LA. Her move was hard and at times desperate but it started to prove successful. She appears in the Netflix hit The Laundromat, alongside Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas, a film directed by award winning director Steven Soderbergh. Yet, as a black female actor she is still having to endure shocking comments f...

Falling in love with a prisoner who will never be free is not the typical fantasy of most women growing up. However, love knows no limits. When Laynara and Aaron Howerton fell in love, they knew it would change both of their lives forever. Aaron has joined us previously for two episodes, discussing his life in prison. Now we hear from his fiancee on the outside - Laynara - about the harsh realitie...

Jeff Korzenik is Chief Investment Strategist for one of America’s largest banks. This man is responsible for the investment strategy and the allocation of over $40 billion in assets. His insights into the economy, markets, manufacturing, and the workforce is invaluable. His book Untapped Talent is the first of it’s kind to inform and inspire business leaders to broaden their hiring to this populat...

Aaron Johnson is passionate about diverting young offenders away from a life of crime because he is all too familiar with what it’s like to be criminalised. He works for Divert, a Metropolitan Police custody programme designed to help get young offenders into work or education. The project has helped change the path young offenders find themselves on by offering them alternatives. Aaron is one of...