Episodes
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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, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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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, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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Missing episodes?
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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, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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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, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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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, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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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, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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In 2021 Tony was told by a nurse in HMP Ford that she suspected he had cancer.
Over the following years, Tony has experienced frustration and fear but also received heart-warming empathy and kindness from the staff at the Fernhurst Centre at St. Richards Hospital, Chichester, and in particular from Marion Misselbrook, a Macmillan Information and Support Worker who was invited by the Governor of HMP Ford to offer support to prisoners undergoing cancer treatment.
In this very special edition of The Secret Life of Prisons, we reunite Tony and Marion to hear their emotional and at times shocking account of cancer care in prison.
What can we learn from Tony and Marion’s remarkable relationship and trust that can improve outcomes for people in prison?
We also hear from Professor Jo Armes, a researcher from the University of Surrey who contributed to a study entitled Improving Cancer Care in Prisons which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
You can download the report Improving Cancer Care in Prisons here.
The research findings have also been adapted by the Synergy Theatre Project into a film, Cancer Cells, which you can watch here.
If you are caring for someone who is receiving cancer treatment, you can find out about support you may be entitled to, as well as lots of other resources here.
To make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support visit donation.macmillan.org.uk.
Our thanks to the staff and volunteers of The Fernhurst Centre at St. Richards Hospital, Chichester for hosting our recording.
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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Ben Jones and Steve Girling are the hosts of Hold or Fold, a brand-new podcast from the Prison Radio Association that supports people who suffer from gambling addiction.
Ben and Steve both went to prison for offences linked to their gambling. After release, both men realised that there were gaps in screening for gambling addiction in prison and in the provision of services for recovery. They worked with the Prison Radio Association to start Hold or Fold as a programme on National Prison Radio. Thanks to funding from GambleAware, that programme continues to broadcast on the radio into prison cells and it's now available to listeners on the outside as a brand-new podcast.
Steve co-founded and runs Reframe Coaching, which offers support and guidance for those affected by problem gambling.
Ben has started a recovery service in Nottingham called TimeOut, which is part of the charity Double Impact.
If you're affected by gambling harms, there are a number of organisations who can help. Here are links to just a few:
Gordon Moody Reframe Coaching Gamlearn Gamfam Gamcare Bet Know More Breakeven Gambler’s AnonymousPresenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
Assistant Producer: Faye DunnThe 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
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What role does food play in the daily lives of women in prison?
Libby is the Head Chef at The Edge at Joey Orr’s, an award-winning restaurant in Liverpool. She spent time in Styal and New Hall prisons, where she had contrasting experiences of the culture around food behind bars.
You can visit The Edge at Joey Orr’s by booking a table here.
Dr. Erin Power is a Lecturer in Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University. Previously, she was a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey on a 2-year research project entitled Doing Porridge: Understanding women’s experiences of food in prison.
You can read more about Doing Porridge here.
You can order the Beyond Porridge recipe book mentioned in the podcast here.
An animation has been produced from project’s findings Here
An art exhibition from the project in partnership with Koestler Arts is entitled ‘On my Plate’
The research project was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and this episode was funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration fund at the University of Surrey.
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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Phil and Paula are outside HMP Liverpool, aka Walton Jail, to talk to passers-by about what they think of prisons and the people inside them.
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, UnlockProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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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.
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On Wednesday 22 November 2023, Rory Stewart delivered the annual Longford Lecture at Church House in Westminster.
Rory's lecture was entitled, Rhetoric vs Reality: My Journey as Prisons Minister. It addressed why politics is ill-equipped to deal with the crisis in prisons, and what we might be able to do to change this.
For more information about the Longford Trust, visit www.longfordtrust.org
This episode was originally released on this feed in December 2023
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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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.
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How to survive a life sentence
We're back in the studio with two people who have been to prison and are now outside living with a 'life licence', to talk about 'hooks for change' and the what happens as the reality of being a 'lifer' dawns on you.
They join Phil and Paula in the studio, along with criminologists Serena Wright and Ben Crewe.
Serena is a researcher and Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research on prisons and penology has focused on short-term sentences and post-release ‘frustrated desistance’ among women, and the experience of long-term incarceration among life-sentenced prisoners.
Ben is Deputy Director of the Prisons Research Centre at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. He is interested in all aspects of prison life, including prison management, staff-prisoner relationships, public and private sector imprisonment, penal power and prisoner social life.
Further reading:
Experiencing long-term imprisonment from young adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Ministry of Justice
Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Palgrave Macmillan
This episode was originally released on this feed in November 2021
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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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.
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What is it like to receive a life sentence?
We're joined by two people who have had this experience - both have been to prison and are now outside living with a 'life licence'.
They join Phil and Paula in the studio, along with criminologists Serena Wright and Susie Hulley.
Serena is a researcher and Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. Her research on prisons and penology has focused on short-term sentences and post-release ‘frustrated desistance’ among women, and the experience of long-term incarceration among life-sentenced prisoners.
Susie is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. She is interested in how young people are affected by the criminal justice system, particularly their experiences of criminalisation and imprisonment. Her recent work focuses on the application of ‘joint enterprise’ by criminal justice practitioners (including lawyers and the police) and the impact of this legal doctrine on young people.
Further reading:
Experiencing long-term imprisonment from young adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Ministry of Justice
Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood (Wright, Crewe, Hulley): Palgrave Macmillan
This episode was originally released on this feed in November 2021
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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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.
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In June 2024 a group of people with a wealth of experience of probation gathered for a one-day workshop at Liverpool John Moore's University as part of the Rehabilitating Probation project. The workshop aimed to envision what probation services might look like in the future.
Phil and Paula spoke to several workshop participants, including people who had worked in, studied and been supervised by probation.
In this week's episode we hear those conversations, followed by reflections from two academics who have played a leading role in the project: Dr. Matthew Millings from the School of Justice Studies at Liverpool John Moores University; and Professor Nicola Carr from the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham
Rehabilitating Probation
This is the second of three episodes looking at the future of probation. A third will be released later in the year.
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate.
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
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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.
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What can we make of the most recent announcements on prison policy? And what are we likely to see from a Starmer government over the longer term?
Lord Ken Macdonald KC was Director of Public Prosecutions immedately before Sir Keir Starmer took up that position. Since then he's been a practicing criminal defence barrister and been involved in the development of criminal justice policy, especially in relation to terrorism and national security. He is currently Chair of the Orwell Foundation and President of the Howard League for Penal Reform.
He is also a co-host of Double Jeopardy - the law and politics podcast.
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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We need your help! Please visit www.prison.radio/survey to tell us about yourself and what you want to hear on The Secret Life of Prisons. Thank you.
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Duewaine Marshalleck-Baker spent many years in prison, and during those sentences he witnessed and perpetrated violence. During his last sentence he worked on National Prison Radio and we're proud to call him a friend of the Prison Radio Association.
Conroy Harris is the Chief Executive of A Band Of Brothers, a charity that was born out of concern at the escalation of self-destructive behaviour among young men, which looks to find solutions to the sort of violence that takes place on prison wings.
https://abandofbrothers.org.uk
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate.
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
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We need your help! Please visit www.prison.radio/survey to tell us about yourself and what you want to hear on The Secret Life of Prisons. Thank you.
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Caroline was released from prison with low hopes for the future. Then she met a probation officer from a surprising background and with her support she built a successful life for herself. Caroline is now a co-researcher on a research project being run by Liverpool John Moores University and the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton looking at the future of probation services.
Professor Lawrence Burke (Lol Burke) is a Professor in Criminal Justice at Liverpool John Moores University and previously worked as a probation practitioner.
A further two episodes will be released later in the year.
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate.
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
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We need your help! Please visit www.prison.radio/survey to tell us about yourself and what you want to hear on The Secret Life of Prisons. Thank you.
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Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. In this very special episode he tells us about his time in prison, and how others serving sentences reacted when he told them he was innocent.
Emily Bolton is Andrew's solicitor and the founder of Appeal, a charity that challenges wrongful convictions and campaigns for a fairer justice system
www.appeal.org.uk
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
The Secret Life of Prisons is produced by a charity, the Prison Radio Association. To make a donation please visit prison.radio/donate.
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
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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.
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In general election week, the Secret Life of Prisons finishes our series of guests who have knowledge and insight about the role criminal justice plays in politics as the major players fight for our votes.
We've asked this week's guest to ask the organisations who work closest to prisons what they'd like to see from our next government.
Anne Fox is Chief Executive of Clinks, which represents hundreds of charities and voluntary sector organisations that work with people in prison and their families. She has worked in the voluntary sector in the Republic of Ireland and in the UK since 1999. She joined Clinks in 2015.
www.clinks.org
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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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.
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James Phillips was in prison in 2014 when he first heard National Prison Radio's Rock Show. He decided he was going to become its next host, and managed to get a transfer to the prison where the show was based.
Fast forward 10 years, he had been released from prison, joined the Prison Radio Association's staff team, and his show had become the most inventive, innovative, riotous music show on any radio station, anywhere. He won Gold for Best New Presenter at the ARIAS – the Radio Academy Awards, which are the radio industry's 'Oscars'.
Last year James received a diagnosis of terminal cancer.
In true Rock Show spirit, James took his listeners, the Rock Show Family, on the journey with him. That journey came to an end in May 2024.
To remember James, and to introduce the uninitiated to the joys of National Prison Radio’s Rock Show, and the magic that James would create using nothing but sound and the spirit of rock music, Phil and Paula are joined by Ollie Brookes (the producer of the Rock Show) and Scout Tsofiya Bolton (a paid-up member of the Rock Show Family while she was in prison).
Presenters:
Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association
Paula Harriott – Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform TrustProducer: Andrew Wilkie
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
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