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Life After Prison
From Medical Aspirations to Leading a Social Enterprise | Sobanan Narenthiran
Zak and Jules sit down with Sobanan Narenthiran, CEO of Breakthrough, to discuss his journey from dreaming of being a doctor to navigating life after prison. Sobanan shares how his sentence impacted his family and why they’re his biggest motivation to stay out, as well as reflecting on his unexpected path to becoming a CEO, his plans for the future, and the changes he hopes to see in the criminal justice system.
This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.
Breakthrough are currently recruiting for their next bootcamp, more info can be found here: https://wearebreakthrough.co.uk/skills-bootcamp/
Useful organisations:
StandOut (London and Manchester) – Provides tailored support and mentoring for people leaving prison, helping them build confidence, secure employment, and successfully reintegrate into society.
Breakthrough (UK-Wide) – a pioneering organisation dedicated to empowering individuals from underserved and marginalised backgrounds, including those leaving prison and with criminal records, to transform their lives through education, skills development, and employment opportunities.
https://wearebreakthrough.co.uk/
ChatGPT (Online) – A tool for accessible knowledge and support, assisting people with research, learning, and personal development.
Clinks Directory (UK-Wide) – A comprehensive online resource listing organisations working to support people in the criminal justice system and their families. It provides details on services, including mentoring, rehabilitation, housing, and employment support.
https://www.clinks.org/directory
Criminal Justice Alliance (UK-Wide) – A network of organisations focused on promoting fairer criminal justice policies and practices.
https://www.criminaljusticealliance.org
Catch22 Digital Skills Academy (UK-Wide) – Provides training programs to help excluded groups access digital and tech-enabled roles.
https://www.catch-22.org.uk/find-services/digital-skills-academy/
CodeAtt (UK-Wide) – Focuses on equipping individuals, including ex-offenders, with coding skills to transition into the tech industry.
Spark2Life (London) – A rehabilitation and mentoring organisation empowering young people at risk of offending or reoffending.
St. Giles Trust (UK-Wide) – Helps people facing severe disadvantage transition from prison with support in employment, housing, and rehabilitation.
https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk
Unlock (UK-Wide) – Supports people with convictions to overcome barriers, particularly in employment and financial services.
The Paradigm Project (UK-Wide) – Tackles social inequality for young people through prevention-focused creative arts programs.
https://paradigmproject.co.uk/
Prison Reform Trust (UK-Wide) – Campaigns for fairer, more effective penal systems and supports people in prison.
https://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk
Bounce Back (London) – Trains individuals in custody and after release to secure sustainable employment.
https://www.bouncebackproject.com
Clean Slate (UK-Wide) – Helps individuals rebuild their lives with opportunities in employment and digital inclusion.
https://www.cleanslateltd.co.uk
Switch Up (Nottingham) – Provides mentoring and sports programs to help young people and adults involved in or at risk of crime.
Framework (Nottingham and surrounding areas) – Prevents homelessness, offering support to people leaving prison who are at risk of housing instability.
The Growth Company (Greater Manchester) – Delivers training and employment services, including programs for people with convictions.
Community Led Initiatives (North West) – Provides mentoring and recovery-focused programs to help individuals leaving prison reintegrate into society.
https://www.communityled.org.uk
Second Step (Bristol and South West) – A mental health and housing charity supporting individuals leaving the justice system.
The Nelson Trust (Gloucestershire) – Offers trauma-informed recovery and reintegration support for people in the criminal justice system.
Venture Trust (Scotland) – Provides personal development programs and employability training for people involved in the justice system.
https://www.venturetrust.org.uk
Turning Point Scotland (Nationwide in Scotland) – Tailored support services for individuals leaving custody, including housing and addiction recovery.
https://www.turningpointscotland.com
The Wallich (Wales-wide) – Provides housing and resettlement support for people leaving prison, helping to prevent reoffending.
Northcoders (Manchester and Leeds) – A coding bootcamp helping individuals transition into tech careers, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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: podcasts@prison.radio
✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF
🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
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Prison Helped Me Escape My Chaos - Nick Hadris
48:37|This week we’re joined by Nick Hadris. Nick’s story is one of resilience, reflection, and using personal experience to help others move forward. After spending time in prison, Nick faced the challenge of rebuilding his life and finding a new direction. Since then, he’s worked tremendously hard to turn that experience into something positive - supporting others who are coming through the system and trying to rebuild their own lives. More recently, Nick completed a 250 mile bike ride fundraiser inspired by the memory of a close friend, raising awareness and showing the power of community and purpose after prison. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Organisations RAW Talent programme - A programme by COOK Trading Ltd that supports people facing barriers to employment, including those leaving prison, into paid work. It focuses on potential over experience, offering training, support and pathways into permanent jobs. Speak to your probation officer or support worker to receive a referral.www.cookfood.netBounce Back – trains people in trades like painting, decorating, scaffolding, and helps them into work after release. 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. 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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
Losing My Partner Left Me In A Hole - Rhia Canady
50:57|This week we’re joined by Rhia a mother, a widow, and a woman who has transformed deep adversity into a driving force for change. In the aftermath of her partners death, her life took a turn, and she would soon become involved in drug activities, resulting in a 2-year prison sentence. Having personally experienced the justice system from both sides, she now dedicates her time to helping women rise beyond trauma and rebuild their lives through her organisation Fly Girl Foundation. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Organisations:Fly Girl Foundation - Empower women and girls affected by trauma and the criminal justice system. Creating safe spaces, mentoring and creative programmes to support healing, confidence and positive life change Daddyless Daughters - Support girls and young women who have been affected by family breakdown, abuse and adversity across London between the age of 14 - 30 years old. The Triangle Trust - Fund small and medium-sized organisations working within the criminal justice system. Focusing particularly on projects that support people with convictions — including women and young people — to reduce reoffending and improve rehabilitation outcomes. Working Chance (National) – Helps women with convictions get back into employment. The Shannon Trust - Helps people in prison and after release to improve reading and communication skills through peer-led learning. 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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
I Went To My Dad's Funeral In Handcuffs | Will Pendray
41:26|This week we are joined by author and poet Will Pendray. His debut poetry collection Overgrown contains extracts from throughout his sentence, where he would use poetry to work through the things he was dealing with. Whilst serving his sentence, Will began studying at Open University and would go on to complete an MA in Creative Writing. He now uses poetry to inspire change, returning to prisons and communities to share his work and story. Useful Organisations Safe Ground – Use storytelling, creative writing, and the arts in prisons to help people reflect, build identity, and support rehabilitation. Clean Break – They use theatre, writing, and storytelling to empower women affected by the criminal justice system, helping them express their experiences and build new opportunities. Longford trust - Supports people with convictions to access higher education while in prison and after release. Provides scholarships, mentoring, and employability support to help individuals build brighter futures and reduce reoffending. National literacy trust - a UK charity dedicated to improving reading, writing, speaking and listening skills among children and young people. It works with schools, communities and businesses to tackle literacy inequality and help disadvantaged pupils reach their full potential. Unbarred Press - an independent UK publisher that showcases writing and artwork created by people in prison and after release. It provides a platform for underrepresented voices, helping writers gain recognition, confidence and opportunities beyond the criminal justice system. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. 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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
Domestic Abuse Haunted My Childhood - Charlie
48:44|This week we’re joined by speaker and author Charlie-Sam Newman, whose mission is simple, ‘To help people unlock their true potential’. From a very young age Charlie had experienced traumas that would shape her adolescence. After seeking safety at a women’s refuge at the age of 3, years would follow where safety and stability were rare, and violence and abuse were often close by. Following years within the care system, she would find herself at the centre of a drugs conspiracy, facing a possible 14-year prison sentence. But a lot has changed since then and today she no longer lives in silence, using her story to inspire, mentor and empower others to unlock their true potential.Useful organisations: Radical Recruit - Help people with barriers to work secure employment and regain control of their futures. Aiding them access to fair opportunities and meaningful work. Create Future Opportunities – they support people on their rehabilitation journey and run fantastic activity hubs where community is built and futures can take shape. Support to Soar Focused on empowering individuals and organisations to reach their true potential. We create change that lasts by opening doors for those who’ve been overlooked and building inclusive teams that drive business growth and social good. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. 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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
MOBO Award Winner Reflects On Prison and Future Plans - Scorcher
50:26|Today on the couch, we’re joined by someone whose story goes beyond music. A respected voice in UK rap for over 20 years, he’s starred in Top Boy and worked with Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen. He’s been through the criminal justice system and come out the other side, using his voice to reflect, rebuild, and speak the truth. Since returning, his consistency and talent have earned him the 2025 MOBO Award for Best Grime Act. This conversation isn’t just about bars or fame – it’s about accountability, growth, and what life really looks like after prison.This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Useful organisations: Changing Tunes – Uses the power of music‑making to support people in prison, young offenders and those post‑release. Key 4 Life – Work with young people at risk of offending or reoffending, using education, mentoring, and employment support to help them build positive futures.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: podcasts@prison.radio ✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF 🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
Prison Governor Answers All Live From HMP Brixton
56:11|Today’s episode is a bit different – because we’re inside HMP Brixton, recording in front of a live audience of the men who live here. And we’re joined by the Governor of Brixton herself. Usually, we hear stories from people with lived experience, but today we’re exploring things from the other side: why she wanted this role, what it was like stepping into Brixton, and what day-to-day life looks like as a governor. This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. 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: podcasts@prison.radio ✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF 🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
I Went To Prison At 40 & Came Out A New Woman - Karen
47:52|Complete our 2025 Listener Survey: https://forms.gle/smJxoWJhr66qKG4Q7We’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.Today, we’re joined by Karen Howell-Ball – a lived-experience speaker whose journey is one of real transformation. After serving time at Askham Grange Prison, Karen rebuilt her life from the ground up. She’s now using her experiences of abuse, trauma and criminal exploitation to help others break free from those same cycles. In this episode, we’ll hear how Karen turned her pain into purpose, what life after prison looked like for her, and how she’s now empowering young people and women to find hope and success beyond the justice system.This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Useful organisations:Advance – Support for women affected by the criminal justice system, domestic abuse, and trauma. They run women’s centres across London and help with housing, employment, and wellbeing. https://www.advancecharity.org.uk Women in Prison – Advocacy and support for women in the justice system. They focus on helping women rebuild their lives after release and campaign for reform. https://www.womeninprison.org.uk Refuge – The UK’s largest domestic abuse organisation offering safe accommodation, a 24-hour helpline, and online support. https://www.refuge.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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
A 2 Year IPP Sentence Has People In Prison For Nearly 20 Years - Marc Conway
47:01|Complete our 2025 Listener Survey: https://forms.gle/smJxoWJhr66qKG4Q7We’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.Today, we’re joined by Marc Conway. Marc’s story is remarkable: from serving his first sentence at 15 and spending years on an IPP - a sentence with no set release date - to turning his life around inside prison, working in therapeutic and reform-focused environments, and now advocating for change to help others trapped by the system. We discuss his journey through prison, what life is really like on licence, and the work he’s doing now to shine a light on the IPP system and inspire hope for others still serving.This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. Useful Organisations:UNGRIPP - Campaigns on behalf of prisoners and ex-prisoners serving the Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP) in England and Wales. Prison Reform Trust - a UK charity that works independently to create a fairer, more humane, and effective justice system by researching, advising, and campaigning for prison and sentencing reform. Kestrel Theatre Company - Create and deliver interactive performances and workshops, often using drama to support education, community engagement, and social change.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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/
2 Times Sunday Bestseller, After 3 Years In Prison - Jon Watts
52:00|Complete our 2025 Listener Survey: https://forms.gle/smJxoWJhr66qKG4Q7We’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.Today, we’re joined by Jon Watts – better known to many as Chef Jon. Jon’s story is incredible: from serving time in a young offenders’ institute, where he became the first prisoner to complete all three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, to working with Jamie Oliver (while still in prison), writing a Sunday Times bestselling cookbook, and appearing on national TV. We discuss his journey through prison, how cooking became a lifeline, and the work he’s doing now to inspire others leaving the system. Useful Organisations:Clink Charity - A charity reduces reoffending by training and rehabilitating prisoners through real-work experience in its restaurants, cafés, and gardens to help them build skills and employment opportunities after release. Liberty Kitchen - A social enterprise that supports ex-offenders by providing culinary training and employment opportunities through its street food and catering projects, helping people rebuild their lives and reduce reoffending. Food Behind Bars – Food education in prisons – improving food quality, cooking skills, growth and wellbeing This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube. 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: podcasts@prison.radio✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/