“Stop. Look. Listen.”

That’s the advice Rodney would give his younger self.In Part 2, he describes losing control after his father’s death, serving a life sentence, navigating prison politics, and confronting the reality of the harm he caused.

He also speaks about the moment something shifted - when doing good felt different to being feared.From rowing thousands of miles on a gym machine for charity to studying behind bars, Rodney found purpose where he once sought status.

This episode is honest, reflective and challenging. It asks whether prisons educate in the right way, why young men are groomed into crime, and what it really means to take responsibility.

If you believe change is impossible, listen to this first.

A Curious Matter Production

https://curiousmatter.co.uk

“If you’ve never lived it, it’s hard to explain - but it felt like belonging.”

Rodney’s story isn’t about crime for the sake of it. It’s about what happens when trauma goes unspoken, emotions are buried, and violence becomes a language. In this episode of Hope in Hell, he talks openly about his childhood, the pull of identity and reputation, and how prison life both hardened and eventually reshaped him.

The conversation moves through fear, masculinity and survival, before turning towards responsibility, recovery and the importance of seeing real examples of change within communities. It’s a powerful reminder that people don’t start out wanting to cause harm - but they can end up there when no other path feels visible.

This episode asks difficult questions about punishment, rehabilitation and what society chooses to invest in.

A Curious Matter Production

https://curiousmatter.co.uk

Wearing the Mask of Fearlessness, Hope in Hell, prison podcast UK, childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, trauma and violence, masculinity and fear, false respect, prison life UK, life sentence story, criminal justice system UK, rehabilitation, restorative justice, youth crime UK, ex offender story, HMP Wormwood Scrubs, HMP Deerbolt, HMP Acklington, HMP Low Newton, HMP Garth, HMP Frankland, football in prison, sport and rehabilitation, trauma recovery, breaking the cycle of crime

What happens when you want to go to prison… and the system never lets you leave?

In this powerful episode of Hope in Hell, Ricky tells the unfiltered story of growing up surrounded by violence, being drawn into crime from childhood, and receiving an IP(Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence that changed his life forever.

Raised in the North East, Ricky was exposed to prison culture before he was even a teenager. Violence felt normal. Prison felt inevitable. What he didn’t expect was an indefinite sentence that would follow him long after release, through strict licence conditions, recalls, mental health struggles, and the constant fear of being sent back inside.

Ricky speaks candidly about:

• Growing up where violence was everyday life
• Wanting to go to prison – and deeply regretting it
• Life inside some of the UK’s most dangerous prisons
• The psychological toll of IP sentences
• Addiction, recall, and the trauma of loss
• Finding purpose, redemption, and saving lives through fitness

Now a husband, father of four, and founder of RuthlessFitness, Ricky has helped transform hundreds of lives, both in person and online. His story is raw, uncomfortable, and deeply human – but it is also one of hope.

This episode shines a light on the real impact of IPsentences, the failures of the justice system, and what rehabilitation actually looks like when it works.

⚠️ Content warning: This episode contains discussions of violence, prison life, mental health, suicide, and substance misuse.