James has spent every birthday for the last decade in the same place. Prison. He hasn’t been in jail continuously during this time but, like so many others, has been in and out with predictable regularity, so much so that he has had always ended up back inside as the year turns to mark the anniversary of his birth. He was 29 on his last birthday and I meet him in HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow.

Softly spoken, with a thick Glasgow accent, the mandatory red jumper, which signifies that he has been convicted - as opposed to the blue worn when awaiting trial - hangs loosely on his thin frame. His fluorescent trainers are one of the few visible ways in which he can demonstrate his individuality in an institution where you’re given a number. The figure reflects where you come in the chronology of prisoners admitted to the jail.

I’m in the prison to help deliver today’s lesson, which is hip-hop. Not a subject taught in schools, but then many of the men I work with haven’t had much of a formal education. Instead, they’ve learnt lessons during their young, formative years that most of us can’t begin to imagine and certainly wouldn’t want for our........

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