We run National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio station for people in prison. National Prison Radio (NPR) reaches up to 80,000 people behind bars across England and Wales, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Every year we travel around the country to collect feedback on prison wings from people who listen to NPR, and those who don’t. We ask them questions about how they engage with the radio and how our programmes have influenced them. These questions are also asked via an annual survey, sent out nationally in the prison newspaper Inside Time.
This is the impact National Prison Radio is having on people in prison across England and Wales:
The content for National Prison Radio is presented and produced by serving prisoners housed at HMP Brixton and HMP Styal. They are offered one-to-one training by our experienced in-prison staff.
Last year, we offered radio production training to 28 people across the two prison sites.
Our training enables individuals in prison to develop valuable skills that extend across the creative industries. It empowers people to find their voices, build confidence and unlock new passions.
We nurture production and presenting talent within prisons, giving people the opportunity to develop valuable skills. We are committed to supporting those who have worked with us on National Prison Radio after their release, providing opportunities for further professional development and paid traineeships through our talent development programme.
Last year, we offered 205 days of paid employment in production and presenting roles to eight people who had recently left prison.
We also offer support to people post-release via our podcast Life After Prison.
92% of Life After Prison listeners report that the podcast increases their
awareness of available
support services.
86% of listeners say the podcast
makes them feel motivated
to make positive changes
in their lives.
77% of listeners have taken
positive action after being
inspired by something they
heard on Life After Prison.
We produce podcasts and programmes that engage wider audiences, helping listeners understand the
experience of imprisonment. By shining an honest light on the criminal justice system, we foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and potential solutions within it.
Over the 12 month period, our podcasts were listened to 267,580 times.
Read more about our impact on society
Prison Radio International has been established to develop support for radio and audio projects around the world that work with people who are, or have been, in prison. We aim to help governments to see the value in supporting prison radio and we aim to help power-holders see the value in putting people in prison at the heart of prison radio development.
We now have 56 radio projects involved in Prison Radio International’s community network, spanning 24 countries across the world.
Read more about our impact globally
We are so proud of what we have achieved across this 12 month period. Thank you to everyone who has believed in our work, supported our work, contributed to our work, and championed our work.
Together, we can continue to use the power of radio and podcasts to change lives behind bars and beyond.
