64. Underworld Aristocracy: Who chooses solitary confinement?

John McAvoy’s biological father passed away shortly before he was born, leaving him to be raised by a community of women.

As a child, John loved history, was bright and ambitious and wanted to leave his mark on the world. He also happened to be Micky McAvoy’s nephew, a notorious criminal and the mastermind behind Brinks-Mat, the biggest gold heist in UK history.

Soon what started as a childhood dream to own British Telecom turned into a career as an armed robber. But John turned it all around in prison where he found a love for sport. This is the inspiring and unlikely story of a man who went from spending one full year in solitary confinement, or 'segregation' as it’s called in the UK to being a Nike sponsored athlete.

In this episode of Bad People, Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss The Nelson Mandela Rules and the concept of ‘engineered segregation’.

CREDITS Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen Producer: Simona Rata Music: Matt Chandler Editor: Rami Tzabar Academic Consultant for The Open University: James Munro #BadPeople_BBC Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins

Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.