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The Untold

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The Untold: Leaving Prison

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The Trials of Gunner John Gough

09/01/2017

Leaving Prison

BBC Radio 4 - The Untold, Leaving Prison

Craig has spent most of his life locked up: can he finally put his offending behind him?

Grace Dent follows the work going on at Forest Bank Prison as Craig prepares for his October release. He is determined to stay drug free this time round and to build a life outside.

With unique access to Craig and the team working with him in Forest Bank, Producer Sue Mitchell records for six months before the October release date. Drug worker Paul Curran helps Craig navigate some of the issues behind his heroin and cocaine use and equips him with new ways of coping with the pressures he might face when he's free. He is now 36 and has been in and out of custody for most of his life, starting with an eight year sentence when he was just seventeen.

Forest Bank, on the outskirts of Manchester, prides itself on the close links between the drug unit in the prison and the community team ready to take over on release. Craig's partner has had enough of raising three children on her own and wants him to finally get settled: some of the work involves family meetings as the couple discuss what life might be like. Another strong element rests with two former prisoners, themselves ex-addicts, who now work mentoring Craig and others as they detox on the wing and embark on therapy and group work.

The recordings reveal the struggle Craig faced following the murder of his older brother and how drugs became his way of coping with the pain. On his last release he was doing well until he lost his job and after that things quickly deteriorated. This time round he feels better able to cope with knock-backs and is working on his temper, his expectations and how his hopes for a normal life can be realised. As his release date draws near listeners are taken into his cell as he packs and waits: will this be the time he finally manages to start his life in earnest.

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