The Prison Radio Association (PRA) is a British prison-based charity that operates National Prison Radio, a radio station which broadcasts programmes made by and for inmates in over 100 prisons in the United Kingdom and is the world's first national radio station of its kind.[1]
Established in 2006, the PRA aims to reduce reoffending using the power of radio. Its objective is to support the education, relief and rehabilitation of offenders in custody and in the community, believing that equipping prisoners with skills and confidence is crucial in reducing reoffending rates.
Through National Prison Radio, the PRA helps provide prisoners with access to information on: accommodation; education; training and employment; health; drugs and alcohol; finance, benefits and debt; children and families; attitudes, thinking and behaviour.[2]
History
The PRA was established as a charity in 2006 by a number of people, including entrepreneur Roma Hooper OBE, advertising exec Mark Robinson and a manager at the BBC, Kieron Tilley. It was set up in response to increased interest from prisons across England and Wales in engaging with prison radio. The PRA aimed to offer guidance and expertise to prisons interested in setting up and running their own radio projects.
In November 2007, the PRA launched Electric Radio Brixton, a radio station which broadcast programmes made by prisoners directly into the cells of HMP Brixton. Following a visit to Electric Radio Brixton, Guardian columnist Zoe Williams said "This station sets a new standard not just for community radio, or charity radio, or cheap radio, but for all radio."[3]
Electric Radio Brixton broke new ground by beating the biggest radio networks in the country to win four Sony Radio Academy Awards for its programming.[4] To date, the PRA has won a total of 10 Sony Awards.
In 2009 Electric Radio Brixton re-launched as National Prison Radio, the world's first national radio service for prisoners. Part of a partnership with the National Offender Management Service, National Prison Radio began broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as an audio channel via in-cell television.
In 2010, a production centre was opened in HMP Styal, a women's prison near Manchester. Through this project, the PRA was able to feature women's voices on National Prison Radio. The project continues to generate regular content for the service targeted at women.
In 2011, the PRA produced a radio documentary for National Prison Radio in partnership with the charity Victim Support.[5] The programme featured prisoners serving sentences for violent crimes in a studio with people whose lives had been impacted by serious violence. It was produced by Marianne Garvey and presented by Professor Tanya Byron. The partnership won the Third Sector Excellence Award for Best Charity Partnership at the 2012 awards ceremony.[6]
In 2012 National Prison Radio won Station of the Year at the Radio Academy Nations and Regions Awards. In the same year, the PRA produced its first programmes for BBC Radio.
By 2013, National Prison Radio was available in 100 prisons across England and Wales.
In April 2014, the PRA opened a new production centre in HMP Coldingley, a Category C prison in Surrey, allowing even more prisoners to contribute to National Prison Radio. Later that year, Andrew Selous, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice, officially opened National Prison Radio's refurbished studios in HMP Brixton.
In 2016, in its tenth anniversary year, it was awarded Charity of the Year at the Third Sector Awards.[7]
Activities
The PRA exists to reduce crime, using the power of radio. It broadcasts radio programmes into prison cells across England and Wales 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via National Prison Radio. Programmes include information and educational materials which support HMPPS’ reducing reoffending agenda. Three-quarters of prisoners listen to the station regularly[8]
Programmes are produced by prisoners working alongside the charity's staff team of professional radio producers. The bulk of programming is produced in Styal and Brixton prisons, but in 2015, PRA staff began running pop-up radio production workshops in other prisons across the estate. Content generated from these workshops are broadcast on ‘NPR Takeover Days’. The project more than doubled the number of prisoners contributing to on-air programmes in a year, up from 475 prisoners in 2014 to 992 in 2015.
NPR broadcast its first-ever radio drama, Bound, in September 2015. Produced in partnership with BBC Radio Drama North, Bound was recorded in the BBC's drama studios and on location at HMP Styal. It told the story of a young pregnant prisoner fighting to keep her baby with her inside prison. The cast included serving prisoners and professional actors, including Sally Carman, John Henshaw and Matthew McNulty. Bound was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.[9]
In December 2016 the PRA partnered with Letters Live, who organise live events where remarkable letters are read out onstage by outstanding performers before a live audience. The event, ‘Letters From The Inside’, was held in Brixton prison chapel and featured readings of letters sent by prisoners to National Prison Radio. Performers included Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Tempest, Russell Brand, Matt Berry, Clarke Peters and Mark Strong, as well as serving and former prisoners.[10] The performance was broadcast live on National Prison Radio.
Impact
The PRA has developed a robust evaluation methodology with support from the BBC and RAJAR, which operates the UK's official audience measurement system for the radio industry. A significant proportion of NPR's audience is surveyed regularly throughout the year to gather data on the impact of individual campaigns and overall audience levels.
National Prison Radio has a potential listener base of around 80,000 people. Listeners tune in for 10.4 hours a week on average. 76% of prisoners listen regularly. In 2015, more than 6,400 letters were sent to National Prison Radio by prisoners and more than 3,100 song requests and messages of support were sent in by prisoners’ friends and families.
85% of prisoners say National Prison Radio's programmes have helped them to think about making a positive change to their lives.[11]
Staff and patrons
Key staff include Phil Maguire OBE (CEO) and Andrew Wilkie (Deputy CEO).
His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service, which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales.
His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison in Thamesmead, southeast London, England. The prison is used in high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the prison grounds is the High Security Unit (HSU), which consists of 48 single cells. It is run by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been called "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" due to the long-term detention of terrorism suspects without charge.
HM Prison Birmingham is a Category B men's prison in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, England, operated by HM Prison and Probation Service.
HM Prison Lindholme is a Category C/D men's prison located near Hatfield Woodhouse in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Lindholme is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated in close proximity to Hatfield and Moorland prisons
HM Prison Downview is a women's closed category prison. Downview is located on the outskirts of Banstead in Surrey, England, and is immediately adjacent to the southern boundary of Belmont in Greater London. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated in proximity to High Down Prison for men.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons and Young Offender Institutions.
HM Prison Wolds was a Category C men's prison, located south-west of Everthorpe, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The prison was operated by G4S, and was situated next to HMP Everthorpe. The two neighbouring prisons were merged in 2014, and renamed HM Prison Humber.
HM Prison Brixton used to be a local prison but has been since 2012 a Category C training establishment men's prison, located in Brixton area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner-South London. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
HM Prison Whatton is a Category C men's prison, located in the village of Whatton, near Bingham in Nottinghamshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and houses males convicted of sexual offences.
HM Prison Lowdham Grange is a Category B men's private prison, located in the village of Lowdham in Nottinghamshire, England. The prison is currently operated by Sodexo Justice Services.
HM Prison Grendon is a Category B men's prison, located near the village of Grendon Underwood, in Buckinghamshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is jointly managed with HMP Spring Hill which is situated next to Grendon.
St Giles Trust is a charity that works with people facing disadvantages such as homelessness, long-term unemployment, an offending background, addiction, severe poverty and involvement in gangs.
HM Prison Thameside is a Category B men's private prison in the Thamesmead area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, England. Thameside Prison is operated by Serco and is situated next to Belmarsh and Isis prisons.
The Clink Restaurant concept was founded by Alberto Crisci in 2009 and are a major part of The Clink Charity's prisoner rehabilitation initiatives. The charity aims to break the cycle of crime by changing attitudes, creating second chances and reducing reoffending rates.
National Prison Radio is the world's first national radio station for prisoners. It is run by the Prison Radio Association, a charity, in partnership with His Majesty's Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week to prisoners in over 100 establishments across England and Wales. Prisoners receive the service as an audio channel via in-cell TV systems. It is available to over 80,000 prisoners.
Radio Feltham was the first prison radio station in Europe, operating in HM Prison Feltham, a male juvenile prison and Young Offenders Institution in west London that housed up to 800 boys between the ages of 15 and 21.
Storybook Dads is a non-profit charity in the UK founded by Sharon Berry and first launched in HM Prison Dartmoor in 2003. The charity enables serving prisoners and detainees to record bed time stories which can then be sent home to their children, and aims to maintain connections between serving prisoners and their families. In women's institutions the project operates under the name Storybook Mums.
Key4Life is a British charity launched on 14 June 2013 to help reduce youth reoffending through the delivery of a rehabilitation programme to those in prison and those at risk of going to prison. Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson, the England and Bath Rugby players, have pledged their support to Key4Life, the young offender rehabilitation charity. The charity tries to assist young men in prison who may be having difficulty in not returning to a life of crime and becoming some growing statics of reoffending youth in the UK. Since the charity started, the 23 young adults that Key4Life have worked with, 8% have reoffended which is much better than the national average of 74%.
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The Safer Living Foundation (SLF) is a British charity focused on reducing sexual offending and reoffending through rehabilitative and preventative initiatives. It operates in Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
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