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Behind the success of the Prison Radio Association is our dedicated, hardworking staff team who make the world of prison radio in England and Wales tick. Here, we get to know them and spotlight their experience of working for the Prison Radio Association.
Rachel is a Producer, based in HMP Styal. She is the genius behind our Family and Friends Request Show – our only radio show available outside of prison and she also works with people housed at the women’s prison – training them in radio production and presenting and helping them to build and broadcast content for National Prison Radio, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in prison cells. Rachel equips prisoners with skills and confidence, increasing their chances of accessing employment and education after release. Here is what she has to say about life at the Prison Radio Association:
How long have you been working at the Prison Radio Association? What were you doing before?
I’ve been at the Prison Radio Association since early 2022. I actually had my Prison Radio Association interview via Zoom from Central Australia, where I’d been living for about a decade. I worked with Aboriginal people in remote communities to produce media in their own languages to keep their language and culture strong. We ran a radio station (P.A.W Radio) that covered a huge area of the desert – it was a lot of driving when the signal went down! I had to learn to communicate in Aboriginal languages to do a half-decent job there.
Before the desert I was in Melbourne. I worked in the radio station at Vision Australia (like the RNIB) and in their audiobook studios. I also tapped into my inner activist at Community Radio 3CR, an excellent station that amplifies the voices of many marginalised communities.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
I produce the Family and Friends Request show, working alongside our excellent host, Jules and editor, Faye. I compile the script from online requests from families and friends outside (nationalprisonradio.com), and from listeners inside. We get a huge variety of requests – from marriage proposals, to anniversaries, birth announcements, friends catching up, mums telling their kids they love them, dads, grandparents, all using the show to stay in touch when they have someone serving a sentence. The range of music choices are eclectic and heartfelt. Once the show is recorded and edited, I upload it to Mixcloud and to our radio schedule so that listeners inside and outside can tune in at the same time for the show, and listen together. It’s a great show that really does help people to stay connected.
Inside Styal, a typical workday usually starts with putting the kettle on and checking on everyone’s well-being. Then we start scripting, researching, recording and editing our request shows and other music shows – which currently include Vibes and Déjà Vu. Our prisoner-producers work hard to meet production deadlines and hone new skills, but we often have plenty of laughter and even singing, as we go along.
What is the best thing about working at the Prison Radio Association?
So much! I’m really encouraged by the effect our work has on the women we work with inside Styal, and other women’s prisons we visit. We get people through the door who have had a range of life experiences, often challenging. Many have low self-esteem and most report feeling a lack of purpose in their life. But usually within one session we see people’s mood lift, their enthusiasm grow and their sense of pride skyrocket: “I never thought I could do that!”.
Listeners write in and tell our prisoner-producers that they are doing a great job; that they are helping people; that they are saving lives. This has a huge effect on well-being for all of us. My particular favourite moments are when someone who came in on day one saying they wouldn’t have a clue how to make a radio show, a few months later teaches a new starter what they have learnt, and tells them they’ll be fine. It’s powerful and excellent to see people’s growth.
What is something you wish everybody understood about the realities of working in prison?
That so often it is simply a lack of access to opportunities which has limited someone’s choices in life, and has made them take decisions which have led them into prison.
Although a handful of people will never be released from custody, prisons are just a mirror of society. They’re populated by mothers, nephews, aunties, grandsons, partners, future mentors; all people with the capacity to contribute positively back in society, in work and family life. We see so much talent and potential in prisons.
Society as a whole, communities, families and relationships outside all benefit, when people in prison can access opportunities like education, training and support.
What is your favourite podcast or radio show currently?
Clearly, I love all our Prison Radio Association podcasts! My favourite Life After Prison episode is when Zak and Jules talk with Tracy, and Zak’s mum, about what it’s like having a child in prison. I also highly recommend the Family and Friends Request Show as a great way to stay in touch!
In the car, I’m also re-listening to 13 Minutes to the Moon, Season 2: The Apollo 13 story. It’s not for everyone (!), but it has interviews with the astronauts and ground crew who were involved in a near-catastrophic mission to land on the moon. I love all the detail and the NASA terminology, but at the end of the day it’s just a very cool story about people working together to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.
What is the song that you would use to sum up your time working at the Prison Radio Association?
I would say Akon – Locked Up, because it’s definitely a popular request on National Prison Radio!
But Avicii – Hey Brother sums it up for me. It’s about the importance of being there for people, and the fact that when you’ve got good people around you, you can always get back on track, however bad things seem. We don’t play this enough – maybe I need to write in and request it!
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The Prison Radio Association is a registered charity. The Family and Friends Request Show allows people in prison to keep in touch with their loved ones on the outside. It broadcasts every Thursday at 13:00 and 19:00. If you would like to support our work, and enhance the futures of people in prison across the UK you can make a donation at prison.radio/donate.