Money Mondays

It’s the final episode of Money Mondays so Zak & Emma have put their heads together to put everything they have learned over the past couple of years in to one episode….no mean feat There have been many issues that have been raised time and time again so we have included a whistle stop tour of each of these with signposting to the episodes where we covered the subject in more detail - Consider...

Rough-sleeping on release is linked to a 70.9% proven reoffending rate.  In this episode Zak & Emma hear from the brilliant Andy Shelton and Jay Arnold of ‘ Foundation 2 Change ’ who share their own incredible journeys and talk about practical steps, emergency options and how lived-experience services can stop a release into homelessness turning into a return to custody.  Zak has his...

In this episode, Zak & Emma are joined by the brilliant Beth from ‘ The Wise Group ’ - Beth supports people inside prison and through the gates with all their finance, benefit and debt needs. Beth tells us how she works with people in prison, why this support is so necessary and give us the lowdown on court fines - What they are, how they work and the best ways of dealing with them The Wise Gr...

After a well earned rest, Zak & Emma are back to help you fix up your finances!  Money Mondays is here to support you if you're in prison via 'National Prison Radio' or if you’re on the out and you’ve been through the Criminal Justice System  On this episode, we hear from the excellent Ryan from the ‘Prison Reform Trust’ - The Prison Reform Trust is an independent UK charity working...

Getting out of prison can be a joyous time but it can come with added pressures. You may want to make up for lost time and spoil everyone rotten, but the last thing you want is to wind up in debt for the start of the new year Fear not though, Zak & Emma are here with some practical tips on how to negate the Christmas cash grab and how to sensibly maintain control of your finances  USEFUL...

Back on episode 28, almost 16 months ago we heard from Laudjah who was fresh out of prison. He told us of how he was adapting to life on the out and the financial challenges that come with this transition - He shared how he was having to curb his love of the finer things and how he was committed to turning over a new leaf Now, he’s got a job he loves, he’s moved out of the hostel and he’s saving f...

This week on Money Mondays, Zak and Emma turn their attention to care leavers inside custody focusing on what support you’re still entitled to, and the practical cash help that can make a real difference.  Zak & Emma explain how local authorities and prison teams should be working together to keep your pathway plan, Personal Adviser and pre-release support active while you’re inside Plus,...

Getting out of prison can be one of the best experiences but can also be tinged with worry - Where are you going to go? How do you get there? What about employment etc etc  As Zak says, it can be a bit of a rollercoaster but if you plan effectively and get things in place BEFORE release it can make life that little bit easier. On this episode, Zak shares what his first few days outside of pri...

In this episode, Zak & Emma are exploring the link between money habits and reoffending. Those with stable finances are much more likely to keep on the straight and narrow after release, so what good practices can you work into your life to make this more possible? Zak shares what changed for him and how his motivation and focus allowed him to switch to a legitimate lifestyle saying his ‘finan...

Back in 2023, we released an episode titled ‘£19 Billion in Unclaimed Benefits’ - Some 18 months later and this figure has grown to an incredible £25 Billion - So why is this the case and just what are people missing out on? As ever, Zak & Emma are here to help as they are looking at the most commonly missed benefits, some you may never have heard of, and how you can find out if you’re eligibl...

It’s ‘ Talk Money Week ’ which is kind of our thing! On this episode Zak & Emma discuss how their relationship with money, and talking about it, has changed. Emma tells us some of the many benefits of having a conversation about your cash and Zak tells us what this looks like on the inside. Meanwhile, it is the first episode of ‘Moral of the Story’ with Money Ready . We hear Sam’s story about...

The Virtual Campus is available prison wide and can help you with skills, courses and much more. You can usually access it either in the education department and/or the library On this episode we are once again joined by the fabulous Laura from The Lloyd's Academy to tell us all about the brand new financial literacy courses and programmes that have been added to the Virtual Campus. From using a d...

Recent changes mean you can now potentially move to Open Prison with 5 years left of your sentence rather than 3 meaning more time to adapt back to society, strengthen family ties and earn a real wage/save some money Zak tells us how his time in Open helped him and we also hear from his ‘Life After Prison ’ co-host Jules who explains what it meant to her to be able to work out in the community&nbs...

Children can often be a huge motivator for those leaving prison to turn their lives around. While it is important to restore those bonds that could have suffered during this absence it is also important to help the next generation to feel more confident around their finances.  81% of young people in the UK are worried about money and their personal finances (Up from 60% in 2016) - So what can...

Paying for things has never been more convenient. Gone are the days when it’s cash or bust, now you can pay with cards, phones and even watches! While having all of this flexibility is undoubtedly a positive thing, imagine having to acclimatise to this modern world with no experience of it. This is the situation being faced by people leaving prison up and down the country.  With this in mind,...

On this episode, Zak & Emma are joined by Nicola from ' Money Ready ' - Money Ready is a financial education charity dedicated to creating a financially fluent population. They believe that financial literacy should be considered a right for all because the language of money is a language for life.  Nicola talks about the work they do, how they are supporting people in prison and why it's...

Money Mondays returns for a brand new series… Following on from our employability mini-series at the end of the last series, we’re looking at what happens when you DO land that job, and in particular, what you can expect come pay day! You might be in receipt of a pay slip for the very first time, or you may have a load tucked away in a drawer and never given them a second thought. On this episode...

Around 30% of people in prison have a learning difficulty or disability which can make managing your finances that much more challenging.  Here to help are the fantastic organisation ‘ Dosh ’ who believe “that everyone should have personalised support to use their money in the way they want and for the things they enjoy” and they have been “committed to promoting independence around money for...

This is the last episode of our employability mini-series. A huge thank you to all the people, organisations and charities who have been involved with this series  GXO Logistics actively works with ex-offenders and prisoners through partnerships with organisations like Tempus Novo and New Futures Network . These collaborations aim to provide employment opportunities and support networks for i...

Following hot on the heels of our entrepreneurial mini-series Zak & Emma are spending the next few episodes looking at employability; How to find a job, how to prepare for one and who can help you along the way… Siyanda first came across Kier while in prison. The idea of working in construction didn’t really appeal to her but she was encouraged to attend a focus group by an officer. During the...

Following hot on the heels of our entrepreneurial mini-series Zak & Emma are spending the next few episodes looking at employability; How to find a job, how to prepare for one and who can help you along the way… Going for a job interview can be a nerve-wracking experience at the best of times, but what about if you have a criminal record to contend with too? On this episode Zak & Emma will...

Following hot on the heels of our entrepreneurial mini-series Zak & Emma are spending the next few episodes looking at employability; How to find a job, how to prepare for one and who can help you along the way… On this episode, Zak & Emma are joined by Richard and Paul from ‘ Clean Slate Solutions ’ who work in partnership with social value driven employers across Teesside and North Yorks...

Following hot on the heels of our entrepreneurial mini-series Zak & Emma are spending the next few episodes looking at employability; How to find a job, how to prepare for one and who can help you along the way… On this episode, Zak & Emma welcome Beckie from Greggs on to the show. Beckie heads up Greggs’ ‘Fresh Start’ programme which gives opportunities to people with convictions both wit...

Following hot on the heels of our entrepreneurial mini-series Zak & Emma are spending the next few episodes looking at employability; How to find a job, how to prepare for one and who can help you along the way… In this episode Zak & Emma are focussed on job hunting. Zak tells us about his own experience of finding a job inside prison, what it was like and why it's so important to get stru...

Following hot on the heels of our entrepreneurial mini-series Zak & Emma are spending the next few episodes looking at employability; How to find a job, how to prepare for one and who can help you along the way… In this episode Zak & Emma are joined by Steve & Val from the brilliant Tempus Novo. Using their 60+ years of prison service experience they set up Tempus Novo in a bid to help...