Life After Prison

Complete our 2025 Listener Survey: https://forms.gle/smJxoWJhr66qKG4Q7

We’d love to hear from you! Every year, we ask the Life After Prison audience to complete a short survey. Your answers help us understand what’s working, what we can improve, and they also help us show our funders the real impact of the show. It only takes a few minutes and your feedback really does make a difference.

This week on Life After Prison

It’s the third episode of our brand new mini-series!

In this episode, Jules speaks to Dr Graham Durcan – a researcher and former psychiatric nurse who has spent years working in and around prisons. Graham shares insights into:

• The biggest mental health challenges people face inside
• The barriers to getting proper support
• What needs to change if we’re serious about making rehabilitation work

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

Useful Organisations:

Spark2Life (London) – Offers mentoring and workshops to help young people and adults make positive life changes, often led by individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system.

https://www.spark2life.co.uk/

Working Chance (London) – They help women secure sustainable employment by offering workshops, career coaching, and job placement services, aiming to challenge stigma and foster inclusion.

http://www.workingchance.org

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.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: [email protected]

✉️ Write: 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.

Complete our 2025 Listener Survey: https://forms.gle/smJxoWJhr66qKG4Q7

We’d love to hear from you! Every year, we ask the Life After Prison audience to complete a short survey. Your answers help us understand what’s working, what we can improve, and they also help us show our funders the real impact of the show. It only takes a few minutes and your feedback really does make a difference.

This week on Life After Prison:

It's the second episode of our brand new mini series!

In this episode, Jules speaks to Occupational Therapist Jenny Okolo. Jenny works with people in prisons and in the community, and her focus is on how daily routines, purposeful activities, and understanding neurodiversity can all play a role in rehabilitation. In this conversation they explore what daily life inside does to someone's sense of self, how activity and structure help people rebuild and what needs to change if rehabilitation is really the goal.

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

Kenny Imafidon - https://youtu.be/qhqYDtndgL4

Jacob Dunne - https://youtu.be/Arue_f9_4Cc

Tony Olanipekun - https://youtu.be/uReUvaobmH0

Darren Murinas' Episode - https://youtu.be/pD5_BwQnN-U

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.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: [email protected]

✉️ Write: 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.

This week on Life After Prison is the first episode of our brand new mini series!

In this first episode, Jules speaks to Roland Karthaus. He’s an architect who’s looked a lot at prison design, and he’s interested in how the way prisons are built can either support rehabilitation or get in the way. She asks him about the role of rehabilitation in prison design, the cost of building new prisons versus investing in people, and what would need to change if rehabilitation really was the priority.

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

Useful organisations:

Prison Reform Trust - The Prison Reform Trust works to make the UK’s prison system fairer, more humane, and more effective — reducing unnecessary imprisonment and improving conditions for people inside and their families.

https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk/

Howard League - The Howard League campaigns for less crime, safer communities, and fewer people in prison — promoting justice, rehabilitation, and second chances for everyone.

https://howardleague.org/

Frank’s episode - https://youtu.be/6dgNgfgKwQ0

Tony’s episode - https://youtu.be/uReUvaobmH0

Joel’s episode - https://youtu.be/kLW-71YjSN4

Sobanan’s episode - https://youtu.be/kr7uO_zAPF8

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.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: [email protected]

✉️ Write: 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 episode is a little different — it’s our wrap-up for the main series. Over the last few weeks, we’ve spoken to so many incredible people who’ve opened up about their lives, their time inside, and what happened next. We’ve heard stories of resilience, moments that really shook us, and insights that challenged how we think about the system. 

In this episode, we’re looking back at those conversations — what’s stayed with us, what we’ve learned, and the bigger themes that connect them all.

We also share what’s coming next — including the mini-series we’ve been working on that will take an even deeper look at prison, the system, and its future. 

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

Useful organisations:

Working Chance (London) - Helps women with convictions into employment, offering career coaching, skills training, and support for those exploring self-employment or entrepreneurship.  

https://workingchance.org/ 

The forward Trust - Works across prisons and communities to support people overcoming addiction, offending, homelessness, and barriers to employment. 

https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/ 

Mind (UK-wide) – Provides support and advice for anyone experiencing a mental health problem.  

https://www.mind.org.uk/ 

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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.

In this episode, we explore what it’s really like coming out of prison and adjusting to life on the outside – especially for parents trying to reconnect with their children. Our guests, Faye and Toni, met while in prison and have supported each other ever since. They share their experiences of parenting after prison, navigating stigma and judgment, managing the challenges of life on tag, and how supportive friendships can make all the difference during reentry and transition. If you’re preparing for release or supporting someone coming home, this episode is full of honest insights and practical advice.

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

Useful Organisations

Spurgeons – Focus on building healthy parent-child relationships, easing the emotional, social, and financial pressures of prison life. By supporting the whole family, they help reduce reoffending, strengthen bonds, and build resilience for the future.

https://spurgeons.org/

Nepacs (North West) – Work with families, young people and children affected by the criminal justice or care systems.

https://www.nepacs.co.uk/

Storybook Dads and Storybook Mums – UK prison programmes that help parents in prison stay connected with their children by recording bedtime stories and sending them home. 

https://www.storybookdads.org.uk/

Children Heard & Seen – They offer tailored one-on-one support from trained practitioners, assistance for parents/carers, peer support groups for both children and carers, engaging online activities, fun-filled activity days and residentials, as well as practical support such as legal advice and guidance on financial well-being.

https://childrenheardandseen.co.uk/

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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.

What happens when both of your parents go to prison during your teenage years? Thousands of children experience this every year, but it’s something that’s rarely spoken about. In this episode, Natasha Harris shares her story of growing up with both parents in prison at 15 – the lack of communication, the stigma, and the lasting impact it had on her life. She also talks about why she’s now using her voice to raise awareness for children of prisoners.

We’re also joined by Sarah Burrows, founder of Children Heard and Seen, a charity dedicated to supporting children and families affected by parental imprisonment. Together, they explore the hidden struggles of these children and what needs to change to make sure they’re no longer overlooked.

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

Useful organisations: 

Children Heard & Seen – They offer tailored one-on-one support from trained practitioners, assistance for parents/carers, peer support groups for both children and carers, engaging online activities, fun-filled activity days and residentials, as well as practical support such as legal advice and guidance on financial well-being.

https://childrenheardandseen.co.uk/

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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.

This week on Life After Prison, we speak with Dr Kenny Imafidon – entrepreneur, author, and criminal justice advocate from Peckham, London. At 18, Kenny was on remand facing joint enterprise charges and became the first person in the UK to complete A-levels in prison. After being acquitted, he wrote the influential Kenny Report and co-founded ClearView Research to amplify unheard voices. He is also the author of That Peckham Boy and has been recognised with an MBE, an honorary doctorate, and listed in Forbes 30 Under 30.

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

JENGbA (Joint Enterprise: Not Guilty by Association) – Grassroots campaign fighting unjust convictions under joint enterprise. 

https://jengba.co.uk/ 

Spark Inside – Runs life coaching programmes in prisons to help young people unlock their potential. 

https://www.sparkinside.org/ 

Spark2Life – Committed to preventing youth offending and promoting emotional wellbeing in children and young adults (11–30 years old), particularly those facing exclusion, exploitation, or criminal justice involvement.

https://www.spark2life.co.uk/

The forward Trust – Works across prisons and communities to support people overcoming addiction, offending, homelessness, and barriers to employment. 

https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/ 

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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.

You might remember today’s guest from way back in Series 1 – back then, he shared how music and therapy helped him rebuild his life after prison and launch a youth music charity. Since then, so much has changed. Anthony Olanipekun (aka Tony Supreme), stepped back from being a CEO after hitting burnout, focused on his mental health and sobriety, got married, and built new businesses — including Soul Surge Wellness, supporting young people and men in prison. Now, he’s teaming up with National Prison Radio on a brand-new show, Cellmate to CEO. In this conversation, we get into burnout, healing, growth, and what it really takes to build a balanced, purpose-driven life after prison.

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

Useful organisations:  

The Kings Trust Enterprise Program - Offers business training, mentoring, and start-up support for young people aged 18–30, including those with criminal records. 

https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/how-we-can-help/support-starting-business

Enterprise Exchange (Brighton) - Trains and mentor people with convictions to become successful entrepreneurs. Not only Providing business support, but also helping to build the confidence and self esteem 

Working Chance (London) - Helps women with convictions into employment, offering career coaching, skills training, and support for those exploring self-employment or entrepreneurship. 

https://workingchance.org/ 

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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 guest is Isaiah James – also known as Resilient Lion. He spent years in and out of prison, starting from the age of 15, and was deep in gang life — thinking that was the only path available to him. But during his last sentence, something shifted. He found faith, got serious about fitness, and started focusing on self-development to change his life. Since coming out, he’s launched Freedom Through Fitness, spoken and done workshops in prisons, and recently ran around every single prison in London to celebrate breaking the cycle of re-offending. 

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

Useful organisations:  

Untapped - Combine fitness coaching with entrepreneurship training for disadvantaged and justice-involved young people.  

https://www.fitforlifeyouth.co.uk/ 

XO Bikes (London) - Trains and employ ex-offenders as bicycle mechanics, providing prison-based training and post-release work opportunities to reduce reoffending and support community reintegration. 

https://xobikes.com/

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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 on Life After Prison, we’ve got Margs, Beanos, and Loons from the No Behaviour podcast joining us. These three keep it real with honest, no-filter chats about life on the streets of London — and they’ve all been to prison themselves. It’s actually the most guests we’ve ever had in the studio at once, so it's gonna be a lot of energy! 

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

Useful organisations:  

The Big House Theatre Company – Work with at risk youth, offering theatre and media training, whilst helping participants develop confidence and storytelling skills  

https://thebighouse.uk.com/ 

Stretch Charity – Work people affected by the criminal justice system, delivering hands-on projects in digital storytelling, filmmaking, photography, and creative writing, helping individuals tell their own stories in powerful ways. 

https://stretch-charity.org/ 

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.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: [email protected]  

✉️ Write: 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.