Reginald Dwayne Betts spent more than eight years in prison. Today he's a Yale Law graduate, a MacArthur Fellow, and a poet. His nonprofit works to build libraries in prisons so that more incarcerated people can find hope.
Nov 22
171. Measuring Pollution on Parallel Earths
<p>Michael Greenstone knows it’s corny, but he wants to make the world a better place — by tracking the impact of air quality, developing pollution markets in India, and … starting a podcast, which Steve says proves he’s over the hill.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong> ... Show More
56m 1s
Dec 2023
Open Prisons
Adrian Turner joined the prison service 1988 as a prison officer, working at Ashford Remand Centre. He subsequently worked at HMP Full Sutton, HMP Norwich, HMP Whitemoor, PSC Newbold Revel, HMP Lindholme, HMP Channings Wood, HMP Gloucester, HMP Eastwood Park, HMP Bristol, HMP Sud ... Show More
55m 48s
Jul 2019
Shaka Senghor Session: Things I Learned in Prison You Can Apply to Your Life
<p>In a live appearance at UCLA’s Royce Hall, author, mentor and criminal justice activist Shaka Senghor uses his powerful story to share the surprising universal life lessons he learned in prison. At the age of 19, Shaka was sent to prison for second-degree murder. After being i ... Show More
25m 33s
Apr 2021
America’s solitary inmates
Since the pandemic struck, millions around the world have endured lockdowns, with many finding it hard to tolerate long periods indoors. But what if lockdown meant years on end spent entirely alone, in a single room, sometimes no bigger than a large elevator? In many US states, j ... Show More
26m 28s
Dec 2023
Christmas Special | Rory Stewart Live at Church House, London | Longford Lecture 2023
<p>Happy Christmas from The Secret Life of Prisons!</p> <p>On Wednesday 22 November 2023, Rory Stewart delivered the annual Longford Lecture at Church House in Westminster. And like every year, National Prison Radio was there to broadcast the lecture into prison cells across Engl ... Show More
58m 37s
Jun 2024
As a teenager, John was jailed for assaulting someone and stealing their bike. That was 17 years ago – will he ever be released?
Indeterminate sentences are devastating to mental health, but prisoners with mental illness are less likely to be released. The result is a vicious cycle whereby the most vulnerable inmates often have the least chance of getting out – as John’s case shows. By Sophie Atkinson. Hel ... Show More
40m 59s