i read a series of books by jeffrey archer called a prison diary. i'd read these after reading similar memoirs from prisoners in canada, the united states and thailand and was absolutely floored at how much more forward the british prison system is. still barbaric and ineffective for the most part, Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) if well ahead of the sorry prison systems in north america.

recently a new program in the prisons in england has been launched with the help of the BBC:

How pleasing it was, however, to hear the news last week of the launch of the Prison Radio Project, which took place in HMP Winson Green (another penal establishment with a grim reputation). The BBC was standing tall as the main sponsor of the project, ensuring its success with donations of redundant analogue radio equipment and proudly announcing that it expects to roll out the programme in conjunction with all 39 BBC local radio stations.

Prisoners are to be taught the skills necessary via CD-roms produced by the Prison Radio Project, and by master classes provided by local BBC producers. The ambition of the Project, involving a partnership between the BBC, the Prison Radio Association, the Prison Service, Community Service Volunteers and local education establishments, is eventually to achieve the installation of a radio station in every prison in the country.

SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Society | Doing airtime

could you imagine cnn doing something similar in the united states? hah. right.

technorati tags:HMPS, BBC, british, prisons, radio