Prisoners' Radio

Defining Prisoners' radio is no easy task. Each program has its own unique format and there are [Page 422]minimal, if any, formal networks linking such ventures. Broadly speaking, there are two distinct types of Prisoners' radio; those that primarily focus on providing information about prison issues and those that mainly play requests and dedications. This being said, it is quite common for programs to act as a hybrid, incorporating both to varying degrees.

An all-encompassing definition should include at least some of the following: song requests to and from prisoners, their families and friends, often with accompanying personal messages; news stories, interviews, documentaries, and other information that relates to prison and justice issues; and broadcasting from either inside a detention center or working with those directly affected to produce their own content. Prisoners' radio can also involve former prisoners, social justice activists, and/or government representatives as well as radio broadcasters and the occasional prison staff member.

There is, however, a third category, namely a closed-circuit radio station within the institution. In Britain, two national prison radio networks have connected internal stations with formal education and training, and the U.K. Prison Radio Association was recognized for such work with four prestigious radio awards in 2009, against competition that included the BBC.

Internationally, radio that operates for, or by, prisoners and broadcasts to the wider public exists almost exclusively within the community radio context. This is not surprising given the noncommercial nature of Prisoners' programming. In addition, the laws governing Prisoners' access to the media, and journalists' access to the incarcerated, are complex and daunting, and as a result, there are few examples of government or commercial broadcasters facilitating media for prisoners.

This does not mean to say that Prisoners' radio should belong exclusively to the domain of community broadcasting, or that mainstream radio stations do not at times produce high-quality programming that deals with prison issues. The community broadcasting sector does, however, focus on community participation and, therefore, seems to be better equipped and perhaps more prepared to address the issues of prisoners directly.

When prisoners can to engage in their own radio production, they can be viewed as participating in a form of meaningful community activity, which might be beneficial to the prisoners themselves and the wider audience (including family and friends). As such, Prisoners' radio has the potential to be citizens' media in action.

On the most basic of levels, program content might be dictated by requests and letters that drive program narratives, either directly or by providing comment and ideas for the presenters' spoken word contributions. At its most interactive, Prisoners' radio works directly with prisoners to produce content and (in limited situations) whole broadcasts that can be heard outside of the immediate prison community. Beyond this, there is also the participation of other communities of interest to consider—that of friends and family, activist and support organizations as well as the broadcasters themselves and the wider listening audience.

An alternative criminal justice discourse is promoted through the actual program content, contributing to multiple levels of public sphere activity. Whereas request and letter-based programs cater to a localized (and specialized) audience, information-based shows tend to broadcast to a wider, global community. Prisoners' radio programs act to create counter-publics, because they expose alternative ideas about prison and criminal justice to a wider audience, seeding the wider public sphere. This is important, considering the dearth of information circulating about prison and Prisoners' issues in mainstream media.

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