HMYOI Feltham experienced a rise in incidences of self-harm and suicides amongst young men in prison. The governor was approached by two local residents, Roma Hooper and Mark Robinson, with the idea of setting up a radio station designed to keep listeners company at night when they are at their most vulnerable. Europe’s first prison radio station was established with the launch of Radio Feltham.
In response to a growing demand from prisons to engage with prison radio, the Prison Radio Association was set up, with Phil Maguire as its founding Chief Executive. It continues to offer guidance and expertise to prisons interested in setting up and running their own radio projects.
The governor of HMP Brixton, Paul McDowell, invited the charity to set up and run a radio station in the prison. Electric Radio Brixton was launched, broadcasting programmes made by prisoners directly into the cells. Bobby Friction, Billy Bragg and Mick Jones from The Clash were among the first voices to be heard on-air, alongside men serving sentences in Brixton prison.
The PRA ran a residential conference for prison radio practitioners at the University of Warwick, offering sessions on how to make the right editorial decisions in a prison setting, practical programme-making skills, as well as the chance to share best practice with colleagues from different prison radio projects
Electric Radio Brixton re-launched as National Prison Radio, extending its reach to prison right across England and Wales. It was the world’s first national radio service for prisoners. It broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week via in-cell TV. This came as Electric Radio Brixton beats the biggest radio networks in the country to win four coveted Sony Radio Academy Awards – the first of many industry award successes.
The PRA started production at HMP Styal, working with women in the prison to produce programmes for National Prison Radio. National Prison Radio launched its daily breakfast show, Porridge, which aimed to give prisoners a soundtrack to create a positive state of mind. Porridge received a nomination for Breakfast Show of the Year at the Sony Awards in 2012.
The PRA produced Face to Face, a ground-breaking programme produced in partnership with the charity Victim Support. Broadcast on National Prison Radio and BBC Radio 4, it aimed to promote a better understanding of the impact of crime on victims, and on society as a whole. The project won a Sony Gold Award in 2012, and the Charity Partnership of the Year award at the 2012 Third Sector Awards.
The PRA supported the launch of Rise Maximum Radio inside the maximum security prison in Trinidad and Tobago. PRA Chief Executive Phil Maguire presents a programme for the BBC World Service about the launch. The founders were inspired to develop the station after their visit to National Prison Radio in the UK. Meanwhile, National Prison Radio increased its Request Show to two hours a day, to cater for the increasing number of song requests received from prisoners and their families. It won Station of the Year at the 2012 Radio Academy Nations and Regions Awards.
London’s Oldest Prison saw historian Jerry White visit HMP Brixton to talk to prisoners and staff about the changes that have taken place in criminal justice over the past 200 years. The PRA also created a monthly podcast for Phoenix Futures and was commissioned to produce content for the Samaritans, the Department for Work and Pensions, Staffordshire County Council, London Probation Trust and the BBC among many others. National Prison Radio was nominated as a Station of the Year at the 2013 Sony Radio Academy Awards
PRA producers visited Gartree, Send and Frankland prisons, as well as Kirk Lodge Approved Premises to make a very special series of programmes from the Psychologically Informed Planned Environments, or PIPEs units. These were the first of dozens of specialist programmes produced in partnership with prison staff to provide support to listeners with particular needs, with the aim of creating an inclusive and wide-ranging radio service with a purpose.
PRA Patron George the Poet made his National Prison Radio debut with a special programme for Black History Month. He has gone on to present a returning series called George’s Yard, in which he talks music, lyrics, portrayal and storytelling with National Prison Radio’s presenters.
The PRA produced a powerful documentary for BBC Radio 4 called The Abuse Trial, in which the journalist David Nolan told the inside story of the biggest historical sex abuse case ever mounted by Greater Manchester Police. David had been a victim of Alan Morris, who was convicted at the end of the trial. The programme won the international Rose D’Or prize for audio storytelling. Alongside this, we were also named Charity of the Year at the Third Sector Awards
The PRA was proud and delighted to be named Production Company of the Year by Audio UK, the industry body that supports the audio production sector, for championing the use of audio to change lives. We hired our first Employment and Training Manager to formalise the support we give to people in prison and support people into the wider broadcast industry.
Producer Katie Bilboa and writer and star Carl Cattermole teamed up to produce an innovative drama, Double Bubble, as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers posed by loan sharks. Debt can be hugely damaging for people in prison, who are often vulnerable to exploitation by unlicensed lenders. Carl Cattermole had spent time behind bars himself and wrote the drama based on things he’d seen himself on prison wings. It won gold at the 2018 ARIAS, the Oscars of the radio world.
The charity launched The Secret Life of Prisons, our flagship podcast presented by PRA Chief Executive Phil Maguire and the Prison Reform Trust’s Paula Harriott. The first four episodes chart the typical journey through prison. Subsequent series aim to illuminate one of the darkest and most mysterious corners of society
As the Covid-19 pandemic forced staff and organisations out of prisons, National Prison Radio continued broadcasting, providing vital information and updates to people locked in their cells for up to 23 hours per day. Secretary of State for Justice Robert Buckland requested an interview slot to update people on the situation, while senior staff from HM Prison and Probation Service answered our listeners’ questions every week.
An International Prison Radio Conference brought together representatives from 12 countries on four different continents to share their stories, experience and practice of prison radio. It led to the publication of the first International Prison Radio Impact Report.
In October 2022, we launched the Life After Prison podcast - the UK's first podcast by prison leavers, for prison leavers. Presented by ex-prisoners Zak and Jules, Life After Prison ensures that the 65,000 people released from UK prisons each year can continue to engage with our rehabilitative audio content.
In 2023, we formalised our post-release offer for talented radio presenters and producers leaving prison. We now offer opportunities for people to continue professionally developing alongside our experienced producers, while building their portfolios and exploring pathways into further employment and education in the broadcasting sector.
In May 2024, Free Flow was crowned Best Specialist Music Show at the 2024 ARIAS – the Oscars of the radio industry. Free Flow is hosted by the poet Lady Unchained. She plays instrumentals to National Prison Radio listeners, encouraging them to write and perform lyrics along to the music. Listeners then call National Prison Radio’s freephone voicemail to record their bars, and Lady Unchained gives feedback and encouragement.It’s slogan recognised amongst its listeners is:“It’s the show where we play the beat twice so you can get your bars right.”
