We are delighted to be working in partnership with Sony Music UK’s Social Justice Fund to develop and deliver a ground-breaking skills development programme for women leaving prison. This project is the only one of its kind in the UK.
In 2020, Sony Music created the Global Social Justice Fund in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. The Fund supports anti-racist initiatives in Britain, addressing structural inequality for lasting change. They focus their support on three core pillars: education and skills, criminal justice and rehabilitation, and civic and community engagement.
Earlier this year, we built a partnership with the Sony Music UK Social Justice Fund team that would allow us to work towards these shared aims and visions; in particular focusing on education and skills as a vessel for rehabilitation within the criminal justice system.
As a charity, the Prison Radio Association is dedicated to using the power of radio and podcasts to connect people who have experience of being in prison, to education, community, and a sense of belonging.
From our radio studios behind the walls of HMP Styal in Cheshire and HMP Brixton in London, we broadcast National Prison Radio – the world’s first national radio station for people in prison, founded in 2009. The content is produced and presented by serving prisoners who are trained and mentored by our team of professional radio producers. This makes National Prison Radio a by prisoner, for prisoner service.
With Sony Music’s support, we now have the opportunity to supercharge our work with female prisoners through the development of our post-release offer for women leaving HMP Styal. This will be the first time we’ve offered a distinct pathway, including paid opportunities, for women leaving prison to continue their radio production skills development.
We currently offer one-to-one training and mentoring in radio production and presenting to women housed at HMP Styal. This is the only radio project in a women’s prison in the UK and one of only four internationally.We currently offer one-to-one training and mentoring in radio production and presenting to women housed at HMP Styal. This is the only radio project in a women’s prison in the UK and one of only four internationally.
Four days a week women work with our in-prison team to develop technical, digital and life skills while building confidence and the ability to communicate, work with others, and meet deadlines in a workplace environment. The audio content they produce is broadcast into every prison cell across England and Wales, providing advice, support and community to thousands of prisoners.
Previously however, once these women left prison we did not have a dedicated opportunity for them to continue engaging with radio production, continue developing skills alongside our team and continue making life-changing radio content to benefit those still inside. Due to the generosity of Sony Music’s support through the Social Justice Fund and their belief in our work, this will now change.
Sony Music’s support will help us to expand our project to offer post-release opportunities for women leaving HMP Styal for the very first time. Women will now be able to continue producing radio from our studio which is on prison grounds but not inside the gate, or remotely. This will provide flexibility to allow those involved to work around their other commitments, responsibilities and aspirations.
While producing these shows, they will be able to gain further experience and build new skills; working on shows across the National Prison Radio schedule and, with support from our staff team, finding further opportunities for paid employment in the sector.
This is a huge leap forward for us and our project at HMP Styal, only made possible through the support of Sony Music UK’s Social Justice Fund. We are so proud to be working in partnership with such a forward thinking group of people and we look forward to sharing our joint achievements and progress.
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The Prison Radio Association is a registered charity. We work with women at HMP Styal and men at HMP Brixton to create award-winning, rehabilitative radio, while supporting them to build confidence, skills and networks that can pave pathways into better futures beyond bars. 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.