Prison Is WORSE Than You Think

In this powerful episode of OMG Stories: Up Close, Scarlet Roberts — ex–ballet dancer, ex–prisoner and now Churchill Fellow — shares the shocking reality of her time behind bars after being jailed for perverting the course of justice. In 2019, Scarlet lied about who was driving her car to avoid losing her licence. The result: a 16-month sentence, a sudden trip through the “sweat box” prison van, and a cell door slamming shut on the life she knew. Scarlet takes us inside the courtroom theatrics, the hidden door behind the dock, and the brutal shock of 23-hour days locked in a tiny cell. She describes terrifying fire regulations, lack of basic sanitary care for women, a system that warehouses vulnerable people, and the deaths of fellow prisoners that the institution seemed determined to minimise or ignore. She also opens up about the violence she witnessed from officers, the loneliness, the noise, and the way isolation warps the human mind. But this is also a story about what happens after prison. Scarlet talks about walking out with a “stain” on her name, losing her business, and then deciding to own her story — using her experience, her background in exercise physiology and a Churchill Fellowship to push for change in how we treat mental health and offending, especially in young people. From prisoner to reformer in just two years, she now campaigns for a justice system that actually makes society safer, instead of simply locking people away and hoping for the best. From leotards to legal battles, from a Perspex dock to Parliament, this is a raw, unflinching look at prisons, punishment and what it really takes to rebuild your life. 🎙️ OMG Stories: Up Close — raw, honest conversations with extraordinary people. 🔔 Subscribe to OMG Stories: Up Close: @OMGStoriesUpClose 📌 Subscribe to OMG Stories: @OMG_stories