His radio debut may have been only a few months ago, but in that time Philip, a young man with a broad grin and a genial delivery that holds your attention, has come a long way. “When I listen [to my early shows], I can hear that I was a bit overexuberant. Now, I take my time and make sure that my recording levels are right, that things fade in and out correctly,” he says.

Philip’s progress from novice to accomplished broadcaster is exactly what you would expect of a keen intern on a national radio station. But to appreciate the measure of his achievement, you need to understand its context. For Philip is an intern in the literal sense; he is a prisoner at Her Majesty’s Prison Brixton, in the Brixton district of London, England.

From his window at the radio studio, the view is bleak: It’s the prison yard where inmates exercise surrounded by coils of barbed wire. But inside, prospects are bright nonetheless. National Prison Radio, Philip’s employer, is an awardwinning station. The service is the brainchild of the Prison Radio Association (PRA), a UK charity. It’s based at HMP Brixton, a men’s prison dating from the 19th century, and HMP Styal, a women’s prison near Manchester. From these two locations, National Prison Radio broadcasts to more than 100 prisons in England and Wales, aided only by 13 radio professionals, hired by the PRA to work with the prisoners. (For security reasons, and to avoid offending victims, the station doesn’t broadcast on a publicly available frequency.)

[For more of this story, written by Alicia Clegg, go to https://ssir.org/articles/entry/radio_for_good]