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The Thought Show: Life After Life for US Ex-Prisoners

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Factual: Life Stories

Digital Life after Life

24/05/2018 GMT

Life After Life for US Ex-Prisoners

BBC World Service - The Thought Show, Life After Life for US Ex-Prisoners

Preparing Long Term  Prisoners for High-Tech Life After Jail in the United States

Preparing long term prisoners for high-tech life after jail in the United States; does being taller make you a pro-basketballer; and why do people chase immortality?

Ex-prisoners in the US are struggling to cope with the online world after years in jail.

We hear from recently released so-called juvenile lifers who find themselves grappling with social media and other aspects of life online. The prison authorities and family members have had to ease them into it – with mixed results.

If you’re 6’8” in the US – what are your chances of playing professional basketball? Tim Harford looks at the likelihood that former FBI Director James Comey – or any very tall person - might have made it as a pro in the NBA. He speaks to data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz who has crunched the numbers on height, class and race to find out who is more likely to make it as a basketball superstar. 

The transhumanist movement believes that science is close to finding a cure for aging and that within decades we will have beaten death. Chloe Hadjimatheou asks why some people chase immortality and what exactly are the lengths they will go to.

Photo credit: Getty Images

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