The Secret Life Of Prisons podcast

#Society #News #Lifeafterprison #Prisonreformtrust #Realityofprisonlife #Secretlifeofprisons #True Crime #Andrew Wilkie

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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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. The podcast tells the hidden stories from behind bars. Paula Harriott is Chief Executive of Unlock. She spent time in prison and now works to help those who have been to prison to contribute to the debate around crime and justice. Phil Maguire is the Chief Executive of the Prison Radio Association. He's worked in prisons for two decades and received an OBE for services to radio.

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The Secret Life of Prisons

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91 episoder

#Society #News #Lifeafterprison #Prisonreformtrust #Realityofprisonlife #Secretlifeofprisons #True Crime #Andrew Wilkie

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The Secret Life of Prisons

1
Why me? | Khamran Uddin and Keeva Baxter 42:59

for 1 day siden42:59

42:59

In 2013, Khamran Uddin wrote a letter to the man he had violently assaulted in a random attack on a deserted railway platform. The victim was coming home from work as he did every day when Khamran seriously injured him with a baseball bat. What followed was an extraordinary meeting which changed both their lives. Keeva Baxter is the Campaigns and Communications Manager for Why me? They're a charity that aim to advocate for the greater availability of Restorative Justice to victims and those who have committed crimes, and to improve public understanding of this radical approach to addressing harm. You can find out more about the work of Why me? here . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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The culture of sentencing | David Gauke 47:31

for 8 dage siden47:31

47:31

David Gauke is the former Conservative Member of Parliament for South West Hertfordshire, the former Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, and the Chair of the Labour government's Independent Sentencing Review. Phil and Paula ask him about the progress of the report, delve into the politics of crime and justice, and finish with challenge around the use of the terms 'offender' and 'ex-offender' which elicits a fascinating response. You can read part one of the report here . You can read David's New Statesman article from October 2024 here . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Talent development | Richie Makepeace and Nancy Prentice 37:00

for 15 dage siden37:00

37:00

Richie Makepeace was just trying to keep his head down and get through his prison sentence in HMP Brixton when he was offered a job in the prison's radio production training workshop. Like many people in prison, he was really worried about whether he would be able to find employment. But after release he got offered a job helping to deliver National Prison Radio's Outside In traineeship, and is now part of the Prison Radio Association's staff team working to train others who have recently been released from prison themselves. Nancy Prentice is the Prison Radio Association's Head of Talent Development. Her job is to spot people inside prison who might benefit from continued training in radio production after release. She oversees the Outside In traineeship and the podcast that showcases the work of the trainees. You can listen and subscribe to the Outside In podcast here . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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The most serious development in decades | Michael Kennedy and Ian Vandersluys 33:27

for 22 dage siden33:27

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Spice, a name for a group of synthetic drugs that have gripped prisons over the past decade, are said by researchers at Middlesex University's Drug and Alcohol Research Centre to have played a role in almost half of all non-natural deaths in prisons over a five year period. Michael Kennedy had already used spice on one occasion before he went to prison. For him it was a way of self-medicating for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But in prison he was fully in its grip. During a music technology class in HMP Stoke Heath he wrote a song imploring people to avoid spice. He's now clean, and is a volunteer for the Forward Trust , who support people to break the cycles of addiction and crime. You can listen to Michael's track Mamba Attack here . Ian Vandersluys is Head of Safety at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, having worked for almost three decades in prisons. He describes some of the shocking scenes that have accompanied the rise of synthetic drugs, the impact it has on staff and prisoners, and some of the ways prisons tackle the epidemic. Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Diagnosis | Scout Tzofiya Bolton and Michelle Walsh 40:52

for 29 dage siden40:52

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Scout Tzofiya Bolton is a poet, activist, radio producer and the author of The Mad Art of Doing Time . She went to prison in 2023 where she received excellent care for the mental health conditions that led to her offence. You can read Scout's recent article for The Guardian here . You can listen to Scout's documentary for BBC Radio 4, entitled The Ballad of Scout and the Alcohol Tag . Scout's latest book, The Mad Art of Doing Time , is available from Broken Sleep Books . Michelle Walsh is a key worker at the Merseyside Women's Team for the Together Women project. She supports women with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health conditions after release from prison and advocates on their behalf. You can find out more about the work of Together Women here . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Sentencing: A Primer | Tim Owen KC 34:00

for 5 weeks siden34:00

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Tim Owen KC is a criminal barrister who has sat as a Deputy High Court Judge. He is a co-host of Double Jeopardy: The Law and Politics Podcast . You can find the sentencing guidelines for all offences heard in the Magistrates and Crown Courts on the Sentencing Council website . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Telling stories | Mickey Dehara and Max Porter 41:41

for 6 weeks siden41:41

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Mickey Dehara is a screenwriter who has frequently collaborated with the director Guy Richie, including playing a starring role in the film Snatch . He served a prison sentence in the early 2010s when he got involved with National Prison Radio and won the Sandford St. Martin and Jerusalem Awards for a dramatisation of the Good Friday story which he wrote and starred in. On release from prison he set up Films4Life which aimed to change people's lives through the medium of film-making. Max Porter is the award-winning author of several novels, including Grief Is A Thing With Feathers which is currently being adapted into a film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He delvers storytelling workshops in palliative care settings, prisons and war zones. He has recently returned from Palestine where he worked with people caught up in the conflict, and he is the Writer in Residence at HMP Erlestoke. Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Moral blindness | Jamie Bennett and Andrew Morris 49:44

for 7 weeks siden49:44

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Jamie Bennett is is the author of a new book which looks at the challenges of managing prisons. He is Prison Contracts Group Director at His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. He has been Governor of Morton Hall, Long Lartin, Grendon and Spring Hill prisons. Andrew Morris served a sentence in HMP Spring Hill while Jamie was the Governor there. After release, he founded the New Wave Trust which aims to provide mentorships for young black men. He's a Trustee at the Howard League for Penal Reform and for the Raphael Rowe Foundation. He's also worked as an assessment officer at the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. Read more: Managing Prisons: Managerialism, Austerity and Moral Blindness by Jamie Bennett Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Prison in numbers | Dr. Kimmett Edgar 49:27

for 8 weeks siden49:27

49:27

In November 2024, Janey Starling from the charity Level Up, called out the presenter of LBC's breakfast show Nick Ferrari live on air for his apparent ignorance of the facts around the imprisonment of women. In response to that interview, we invited friend of the podcast Dr. Kimmett Edgar to the studio to help us understand what the numbers can tell us about prisons and the people who live in them. Kimmett is a former Senior Research Officer at the Oxford Centre for Criminological Research and was Head of Research at the Prison Reform Trust. After finishing this podcast, why not listen to Paula's appearance on BBC Radio 4's Feedback ? Some data sources from this programme: You can find prison population statistics from His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service here . Data on reoffending rates is published here . Data on ethnicity in the prison popuation can be found here . Details of the running costs of individual prisons is published by the Ministry of Justice here . Analysis of government spending and performance of prisons by the Institute for Government is published here . A study of the impact of short custodial sentences on reoffending was released by the Ministry of Justice here . An international comparison of prison populations from the Council of Europe is published here . The evidence review of the impact of imprisonment on families is published by the charity Clinks here . Data on the causes of death of people in prison published by the Office for National for National Statistics can be found here . Ministry of Justice data on self harm in prison is published here . A BBC News report on the links between prison and homelessness can be found here . You can find a treasure trove of data about prisons in the annual Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile, published by the Prison Reform Trust . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Spending Christmas outside San Quentin | Greg Eskridge and Eli Wirtschafter 32:24

for 10 weeks siden32:24

32:24

Greg Eskridge was released from San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in California, formerly known as San Quentin state prison, on 23 July 2024 after serving 30 years and 25 days. In prison Greg became a founding member of the Uncuffed radio program and podcast, a project run by the public radio station KALW . Greg now works full-time as Uncuffed’s first Leadership Fellow, preparing him for leadership roles in the project. Eli Wirtschafter is the Program Director for Uncuffed and got to know Greg through his work behind the walls of San Quentin. He trains people in California prisons how to produce radio and podcasts, developing professional broadcasting skills and creating shows. Listen to the Uncuffed podcast. The Secret Life of Prisons wishes you a very happy Christmas. We'll be back in the new year with weekly shows dropping every Monday. Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Outside the Old Bailey 39:41

for 11 weeks siden39:41

39:41

In November the Sentencing Academy, a charity that aims to improve public understanding of sentencing in England and Wales, released a piece of research entitled ' Who is in prison and what is the purpose of imprisonment? '. It concluded that most people know very little about prisons. To test these findings, Phil and Paula went to stand outside the Central Criminal Court in London, better known as the Old Bailey, to ask Londoners about their views on crime, prisons and the people who live in them. Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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I disappeared for seven years | Sarah Moore and Sonya Ruparel 38:38

for 12 weeks siden38:38

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Sarah Moore was exposed to the most dangerous situations imaginable during a seven-year period in which she disappeared from her family's life. She wanted to protect them from the effects of her chaotic lifestyle and mental ill-health, both of which she struggled to manage. She is now a criminal justice practitioner working at Anawim , a Women's Centre in Birmingham. Sonya Ruparel is the Chief Executive of Women in Prison, a charity that supports women affected by the criminal justice system and campaigns to end the harms associated with the imprisonment of women. You can submit evidence to the Independent Sentencing Reivew here . Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Six people who were in prison and now work in radio | Ali, Jules, Nico, Garth, Faye ... plus Paula 44:19

for 13 weeks siden44:19

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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. This week we are participating in The Big Give , a national fundraising campaign. So in this week's show, we wanted to introduce you to five people who went to prison and now all have careers in broadcasting, thanks to their work with the Prison Radio Association. Ali Ali is National Prison Radio 's breakfast show host and the winner of a silver award at the 2024 ARIAS in the Best New Voice category. Jules Rowan is one of the multi award-winning hosts of Life After Prison , our podcast for people who have been released from prison. Nico Constantinou was in prison this time last year, where he learned about radio production. After he was released he took part in our Outside In traineeship and is now working at BBC Radio 1Xtra. Garth St Clair is the founder of Rise Maximum Radio , which broadcasts from Arouca Maximum Security Prison near Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobage. The Fantastic Faye Dunn was in Styal prison near Manchester in November 2022 when she was approached by the National Prison Radio team to take part in a programme. Since then she's worked incredibly hard to develop her skills and has impressed the team so much that she now works full-time for the charity on a range of shows, including being the Assistant Producer of this podcast! If you donate to us before Tuesday 10 December, your donation will be doubled! To make a donation, go to prison.radio/biggive. Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn Registered Charity in England & Wales 1114760 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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Parenting from behind bars | Sean Henry 33:18

for 14 weeks siden33:18

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Sean Henry received multiple prison terms through his early adult life. But receiving a long sentence for a serious offence when his son was just two months old, Sean discovered a different perspective on his own life and the way he had been acting. With precious support from key people in his life, including his son's mother and their extended family, Sean gradually but decisively made the changes that have transformed his future. His son is now an adult and Sean is able to reflect on why things turned out for him the way they did. Sean now works for Sussex Prisoners Families, as well as working with young people who are at risk of following the path Sean followed. Presenters: Phil Maguire – Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association Paula Harriott – Chief Executive, Unlock Producer: Andrew Wilkie Assistant Producer: Faye Dunn 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The Secret Life of Prisons

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What I Learned About Prison in Iran | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe gives the Longford Lecture 2024 55:17

for 15 weeks siden55:17