Theorising the many faces of prisoner radio: developing a holistic framework through process and product

Abstract

There is a nexus where radio and prisons meet that is yet to be explored to its full potential, both in practice and in academia. This article consolidates two separate bodies of knowledge, examining ‘prisoners’ radio’ (usually broadcast to the general public on community radio or the Internet) and ‘prison radio’ (broadcast to a prison audience within a prison setting), to propose a theoretical framework that incorporates both. It draws on two case studies from the United Kingdom and Australia and is informed by the seminal work of alternative media theorists Clemencia Rodriguez, John Downing and Chris Atton.

La radio en la prisión. Una estrategia de alfabetización mediática en beneficio del tratamiento penitenciario en España

“…Sin embargo, una vez iniciados sí podrían favorecer dicha alfabetización mediática, ya que promueven la capacidad de producir mensajes e inciden en competencias mediáticas como la de los valores, la ideología, la expresión, e incluso la estética (Ferrés & Piscitelli, 2012;Moeller, 2009). Igualmente, estas actividades comunicativas tendrían una consecuencia directa en aspectos emocionales, sociales y personales (Anderson, 2012;Anderson & Bedford, 2017;Contreras-Pulido & Aguaded, 2013).…”

“…La emoción a través de las ondas (Anderson, 2012;Anderson & Bedford, 2017) Función y papel de la palabra (Freire, 1968) Vínculo social y prosocial (Roche, 1991) El conocimiento para ser libres (Gil Cantero, 2013;Freire, 1968) Empoderamiento vs autoestigma (Goffman, 1989;Freire, 1968;Bacqué & Biewener, 2015).…”

On what it means to be free: Radio as a tool of desistance for formerly incarcerated women in Adelaide, Australia

“…Second, prior research by the authors (Anderson and Bedford 2017a) on the Radio Seeds case study (the focus of this article) theorizes the radio show as a vehicle for empowerment, a popular discourse for discussing criminalized women (Pollack 2000). Anderson and Bedford (2017a) are not alone in concluding that women's empowerment manifests itself through the act of making radio.…”

“…Second, prior research by the authors (Anderson and Bedford 2017a) on the Radio Seeds case study (the focus of this article) theorizes the radio show as a vehicle for empowerment, a popular discourse for discussing criminalized women (Pollack 2000). Anderson and Bedford (2017a) are not alone in concluding that women's empowerment manifests itself through the act of making radio. For example, Gatua et al (2010) describe community radio in Africa as a model of empowerment while Dahal (2013) highlights how community radio in Nepal fosters women's empowerment through its contributions to alternative discourses on Violence Against Women (VAW).…”

Radio What's New? Someone Still Loves You: The Impact of Listening to Prison Radio

“…Radio stations in prisons expose all inmates to contents relevant for their everyday life (Scifo, 2015). The assumption is that listening to various radio programs that encourage inmates to abandon criminal patterns of thought and behavior and to adopt normative ones instead will help them rehabilitate and reintegrate in society (Anderson & Bedford, 2017b). Several studies (i.e., Bedford, 2016; Knight & Tighe, 2017) indicate that radio programs in prison significantly contribute to promoting social values and norms and to reducing facility antisocial and criminal behaviors.…”