Prison Radio Association
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| Founded | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Roma Hooper OBE |
| Type | Charitable organisation |
| Registration no. | 1114760 |
| Location |
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| Origins | Electric Radio Brixton |
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Key people
|
Roma Hooper OBE (Founder/Chair) |
| Mission | |
| Website | www |
Roma Hooper OBE (Founder/Chair)
Phil Maguire (Chief Executive)
Patrons:
The Prison Radio Association (PRA) is a British prison-based charity that operates National Prison Radio, a radio station which broadcasts programmes made by and for inmates in over 100 prisons in the United Kingdom and is the world's first national radio station of its kind.
Established in 2006, the PRA aims to reduce reoffending using the power of radio. Its objective is to support the education, relief and rehabilitation of offenders in custody and in the community, believing that equipping prisoners with skills and confidence is crucial in reducing reoffending rates.
Through National Prison Radio, the PRA helps provide prisoners with access to information on: accommodation; education; training and employment; health; drugs and alcohol; finance, benefits and debt; children and families; attitudes, thinking and behaviour.
The PRA was established as a charity in 2006 by entrepreneur Roma Hooper OBE, in response to increased interest from prisons across England and Wales in engaging with prison radio. The PRA aimed to offer guidance and expertise to prisons interested in setting up and running their own radio projects.
In November 2007, the PRA launched Electric Radio Brixton, a radio station which broadcast programmes made by prisoners directly into the cells of HMP Brixton. Following a visit to Electric Radio Brixton, Guardian columnist Zoe Williams said “This station sets a new standard not just for community radio, or charity radio, or cheap radio, but for all radio.”
Electric Radio Brixton broke new ground by beating the biggest radio networks in the country to win four Sony Radio Academy Awards for its programming. To date, the PRA has won a total of 10 Sony Awards.
In 2009 Electric Radio Brixton re-launched as National Prison Radio, the world’s first national radio service for prisoners. Part of a partnership with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), National Prison Radio began broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as an audio channel via in-cell television.
In 2010, a production centre was opened in HMP Styal, a women’s prison near Manchester. Through this project, the PRA was able to feature women’s voices on National Prison Radio. The project continues to generate regular content for the service targeted at women.
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Wikipedia