Life After Prison

We've a new series of Life After Prison coming for you this Thursday, but while you are waiting for that we wanted to introduce you to a new podcast from National Prison Radio called Money Mondays.  Money Mondays is presented by Life After Prison's very own Zak, alongside Emma from Quids In and if you've been through the Criminal Justice System and need help to fix up your finances then 'Money Mon...

LAP Introduces, The Secret Life of Prisons, Letters To Myself Life After Prison will be back with you soon but while we are finalising series 4 in the studio, we thought we would share some episodes of another podcast here. It’s called The Secret Life of Prisons and is made by our colleagues at the Prison Radio Association. This episode is all about the power of words. They hear from a special pan...

Life After Prison will be back with you soon but while we are finalising series 4 in the studio, we thought we would share some episodes of another podcast here. It’s called The Secret Life of Prisons and is made by our colleagues at the Prison Radio Association. This episode is all about youth custody.  How should we look after young people inside? Phil and Paula hear from Courtney, who went to p...

Life After Prison will be back with you soon but while we are finalising series 4 in the studio, we thought we would share some episodes of another podcast here. It’s called The Secret Life of Prisons and is made by our colleagues at the Prison Radio Association. This episode is all about the friends that you make in prison.  Can you make lasting friendships in prison? In this episode of The Secre...

Life After Prison will be back with you soon but while we are finalising series 4 in the studio, we thought we would share some episodes of another podcast here. It’s called The Secret Life of Prisons and is made by our colleagues at the Prison Radio Association. This episode is all about Lifers and is part 2 of a mini series.  How to survive a life sentence. We're back in the studio with two peop...

Life After Prison will be back with you soon but while we are finalising series 4 in the studio, we thought we would share some episodes of another podcast here. It’s called The Secret Life of Prisons and is made by our colleagues at the Prison Radio Association. This episode is all about lifers and is part one of two. What is it like to receive a life sentence? We're joined by two people who have...

He’s just released his debut album Worlds End FM, recently played at Glastonbury, and is getting played on Radio 1 and 2. But life wasn’t always like this for Hak Baker. Here, he tells Zak and Jules the story of how he learnt to play guitar while in prison, and how he’s turned it into a successful career since coming out. If you want to hear more from Hak, check out this episode of our sister podc...

As a young person, Julie Muir struggled with addiction and was often in and out of prison as a result. While she was in for the final time, she met a peer supporter who inspired her to get clean inside, and she hasn’t looked back since. Julie is now Director of Recovery at The Forward Trust, the same organisation that helped her when she was inside. Here she shares her story of what it’s like to h...

Tracey started out playing online bingo and ended up stealing over one million pounds from her employer to fund a gambling addiction. Here, she tells Zak and Jules about what led to her confession, what experiencing prison in your 50’s is like, and how becoming a peer support worker while inside led her to the work she does now with St Giles Trust. Almost a quarter of people in prison have reporte...

This episode features forensic psychologist Sally Tilt and Dean Cramer, who spent six years inside. Alongside Zak and Jules, they discuss the long term mental impact that being inside has on someone, and the positives and negatives that they have carried over to their life after prison. If you're interested in more on this topic, in this episode of our sister podcast The Secret Life of Prisons, Dw...

In this episode Zak and Jules sit down with Jules’ dad, Graham, and Gasconi, who became a dad the day before he went inside. They discuss how prison affected these relationships, what they did to get through it and where they are today. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Useful organisations: A Fairer Chance Storybook Dads Children Heard and Seen...

Zak and Jules sit down with the CEO of HMPPS, Amy Rees to ask her about how prison officers are trained, how prisoner complaints are dealt with inside and ask some important questions about licence conditions and recall. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Useful organisations: Clinks Directory Prisoners Families Helpline – 0808 808 2003 Longford T...

Zak and Jules speak to award-winning lash technician Shanice Lee about the importance of being open and honest about her past, her time in prison and where she found the confidence to start her own business and the resilience that she’s needed to keep going. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Useful organisations: Prince’s Trust Women’s Work Housi...

Gary Mansfield never thought someone like him could be an artist, but after taking a punt on an art class in prison, he found himself hooked. After writing to artists like Tracey Emin while in prison, Gary found the confidence to pursue art as a career when he got out. Here, he talks about why he makes the work he does and how the art community helped him along the way. This podcast is also availa...

While The Sit Down is taking a short break, we bring you Touch Road, a brand new mini-series about life after release from prison. Three people tell their stories of life after walking through the gate. In this final episode, we find out how their stories end. If you have recently been released from prison, there are lots of organisations that can support you: Mental Health CALM CALM helpline – 08...

While The Sit Down is taking a short break, we bring you Touch Road, a brand new mini-series about life after release from prison. Three people tell their stories of life after walking through the gate. In episode two we hear about the ups and downs that come with the first few days of life on the outside. If you have recently been released from prison, there are lots of organisations that can sup...

While The Sit Down is taking a short break, we bring you Touch Road, a brand-new mini-series about life after release from prison. Three people tell their stories of life after walking through the gate. In episode one we hear all about how they prepare for release, and how it feels to step out of jail for the first time once their sentence is over.   If you have recently been released from prison,...

The friends you make in prison can help you to survive your sentence, and achieve success when you get out. This week we Sit Down with Nigel and Rony, two of Zak’s friends that he made during his time in prison. All three credit their success in rebuilding their lives on the outside, to the people they’ve surrounded themselves with since their release. Here they talk about changing their mindset p...

Before going inside, Ali never thought he’d end up working in radio. But, after taking an interest in National Prison Radio, he eventually started working for the station while inside. Now, Ali works as a producer and presenter for NPR but on the outside. Here he talks about how his listeners shape his show, what he’s learned since joining the station and what he gets out of having a creative job....

While in prison, Darren Murinas took a cooking class where he was encouraged to be a peer mentor, and upon release his passion for helping others using his lived experience grew. Eventually Darren founded Expert Citizens CIC, an organisation that puts lived experience at its core to help improve services using the expertise of those who’ve been there. This podcast is also available as a video – ju...

Software engineer Josh Rolland didn’t know how to code before he went inside. Now, he’s the co-founder of CodeAtt, a Not For Profit Organisation that teaches coding to prison leavers and young people at risk of crime and helps them get jobs. Here he talks to Zak and Jules about the challenges of growing up with ADHD, how he went from doing an accounting degree to spending time inside, and what he...

Nequela Whittaker once aspired to be South London’s biggest drug dealer. Today she’s a youth worker, author and mentor who is passionate about working with young people and, as she puts it, being “part of the solution”. She shares her story about how she got involved in crime, ended up in a Scottish prison and what made her want to leave her old lifestyle behind. This podcast is also available as...

Author, workshop facilitator and father Rich Jones sits down with Zak and Jules to talk about the impact that his time inside had on his sons and what he’s done to work on that relationship. As an ex-soldier, Rich also shares his experience about readjusting to life after prison vs life after the army and tells us about the work he does with veterans in prison. This podcast is also available as a...

Usually on The Sit Down, we speak to someone who has been inside themselves or is close to someone who has. This episode is a little bit different, as we sit down with the outgoing Chief Probation Officer Sonia Flynn. The CPO is responsible for 18,000 probation workers across England and Wales – a role that Sonia has held since 2017. Here she reflects on her time on the role, answers questions abo...

We’re back with series 2 of The Sit Down! And what better way to kick off than with poet, author, radio host and workshop facilitator, Lady Unchained. Here she talks to us about how her poetry kept her out of trouble while inside, breaking down the stereotype of being an “ex-offender” and what advice she’d give to people just getting out. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Lif...