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The Prison Radio Association’s flagship series is back with three more in-depth interviews from people who have been to prison.
Dr. Sally Tilt and Dr. Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists who spend their days working in prisons with people convicted of the most serious offences.
We send close to 100,000 people to prison each year. The annual cost of criminal behaviour is estimated by the Home Office to be around £60 billion.
Now in its fourth series, Behind the Crime is a chance to hear some of the remarkable stories of people who have been to prison. The aim is to understand why it happened – both the immediate events but also the long-term patterns of behaviour that may have begun in early childhood.
In series 4 we feature three brand-new stories:
Liam
Liam was picked up by the police on the way to his grandmother’s grave. He was in possession of a bladed article and some cannabis. His life had hit rock bottom and he says he was on his way to take his own life at the location where his beloved grandmother is buried.
He received a prison sentence.
Liam is a young transgender man. His parents struggled with poverty, disability and addiction issues. Liam was removed from his home and taken into local authority care at an early age. This was the start of an unbelievably chaotic chain of care placements, violent outbursts, runaways and encounters with the police.
Sobanan
Sobanan was struggling to manage his money at university, and got involved in dealing small amounts of cannabis to fellow students to top up his income. A bright, likeable young man, his business-mind allowed him to scale the operation. But, it came crashing down when the police discovered what was going on.
Sobanan was sent to prison, where he experienced shocking living conditions. But he also found ways to thrive and remain safe, using his charm and his sharp mind.
David
David Martindale can remember the moment he turned his back on crime. The police were all over his front garden, and he was about to be arrested for his involvement in drug dealing in his home town of Livingston.
His childhood was violent – but it was also dominated by football. He was a gifted player, but didn’t have the sort of homelife that might have propelled him to football stardom. Instead he got involved with local rivalries and a lifestyle that led him to a young offender institution.
Years later, he was back inside, this time serving a long sentence for dealing cocaine.
Yet at his lowest moment, he found an inner resolve that led him to turn his back on crime, focus on his future and end up managing a top-flight football team. His first match in charge of Livingston FC in the Scottish Premier League was in front of 60,000 fans at Parkhead, home of Celtic FC.
This is an astonishing story about reaching the top against the odds.
Behind the Crime is a co-production with BBC Long Form Audio. There are 12 episodes available to listen to on BBC Sounds, and it will be returning in 2025 for a brand new series.
Behind the Crime is produced by the Prison Radio Association – a registered charity. Our programmes and help people to cope with life inside prison and thrive on release. If you would like to support our work, and enhance the futures of people in prison across the UK you can make a donation at prison.radio/donate.