Life After Prison

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 did to secure work upon leaving prison.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

In this episode Josh talks about disclosure – if you need support with this, please check out the Disclosure episode of Life After Prison: Getting Out with Debbie Sadler from Unlock who explains more about when and how to disclose a conviction.

Useful organisations:

• CALM
• CALM helpline – 0800 58 58 58 (open 5pm-midnight)
• Samaritans
• Samaritans helpline – 116 123 (24 hours)
• MIND
• CodeAtt
• Code 4000
• Tempus Novo
• Prison Reform Trust
• Bounce Back
• St Giles Trust
• Catch 22 gangs services which are self-referrable:
• Wolverhampton Resettlement - Age 18 – 30 (Wolverhampton) 
• London Gang Exit – Age 16 – 24 ( London)
• Straight Up – Age 16 – 30 (Birmingham and Solihull)
• Catch22 Employability Support. Click on “view all related services” to see a list of services.
• Employment4All
• Unlock

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

• Support and Action Women's Network
• Working Chance
• Catch 22 gangs services which are self-referrable:
• Wolverhampton Resettlement - Age 18 – 30 (Wolverhampton) 
• London Gang Exit – Age 16 – 24 ( London)
• Straight Up – Age 16 – 30 (Birmingham and Solihull)

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

• CALM
• CALM helpline – 0800 58 58 58 (open 5pm-midnight)
• Samaritans
• Samaritans helpline – 116 123 (24 hours)
• CAMS
• MIND
• SSAFA
• Project Nova
• Care After Combat
• Veterans Gateway
• Family Action
• PACT

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 about recall and MAPPA and tells us what she thinks needs to change.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

• NACRO
• Unlock
• Clinks Directory
• Advance
• Women In Prison

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

• Arts Admin
• Sound Delivery Media
• National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance
• Advance
• Arkbound Foundation
• Women In Prison

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sit Down is back with Series 2 next week on Thursday 26th January.

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building your confidence up again when you've spent time inside can be tough: Whether it’s navigating social situations, knowing what to say in a job interview, or feeling like people are judging you for your conviction. In this episode Zak and Jules break it down with some help from other people who've been behind the door.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Organisations mentioned: 

• CALM
• CALM helpline – 0800 58 58 58 (open 5pm-midnight)
• Samaritans
• Samaritans helpline – 24 hours a day all year round on 116 123
• MIND
• MIND Infoline number – 0300 123 3393 (provides an information and signposting service. Open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday except for bank holidays.)
• SHOUT – text for free any time on 85258
• NHS Mental Health Services
• Spark Inside
• Switchback

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in today’s episode that has helped you, or if you just want to get in touch, please do.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing or starting education after leaving prison can be a challenge. Here, Scott from the Shannon Trust explains the importance of education, what the challenges might be, and what options are out there.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Organisations mentioned: 

• Shannon Trust
• Read Easy
• National Careers Service
• National Careers Service Hotline – 0800 100 900
• WEA
• Open University
• NACRO

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in today’s episode has encouraged you to pick up education again, or if you just want to get in touch, please do.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s Sit Down features Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, hosts of the massive US podcast Ear Hustle. Ear Hustle started inside San Quentin Prison while Earlonne was still serving his sentence and it documents life inside the prison, something no other podcast has done before. Since coming out, Earlonne continues to make the show with Nigel, as well as campaigning for prison reform. Here, we hear the story of how exactly Ear Hustle came to be, why Nigel is so interested in prison work, and the similarities and differences between UK and US prisons.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

• NACRO
• Unlock
• PACT
• Clinks Directory
• Irene Taylor Trust
• Koestler Arts
• Samaritans
• Samaritans helpline – 116 123 (24 hours)
• Survivors UK
• CALM
• CALM helpline – 0800 58 58 58 (open 5pm-midnight)
• Women In Prison
• Advance

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Ear Hustle:

Website – https://www.earhustlesq.com/

Socials – @earhustlesq

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Morrissey from NHS England joins us to explain how to register with a GP, talk about the NHS Reconnect service and how to access it and provides information about where else you can go for support for different healthcare needs.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Organisations mentioned: 

• How to register with a GP surgery
• If you have problems registering with a GP surgery you can:
• Call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 22 33 or contact your local Healthwatch
• Groundswell GP Registration Toolkit
• Groundswell 'My right to healthcare' cards
• The NHS website
• Get help for your symptoms - NHS 111 website or call 111 from your phone (calls are free). Call 111 to speak to someone if you need to:
• discuss complex medical problems
• discuss worries about a long-term condition
• get end-of-life care, or report a death
• report child protection or vulnerable adult concerns
• Other ways to contact 111 if you have a hearing problem or need help in other languages
• Support from your local pharmacy
• Frank (Drug Helpline) Help & Advice
• Mental Health Charity MIND
• Citizens Advice

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in today’s episode that has helped you, or if you just want to get in touch, please do.

💬 DM us: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and Twitter

📧 Email us: [email protected]

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.