Managing Media in Prison

The Case of Prison Radio

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2026.5403.12
Keywords: prison radio, radio, radio management, prison, media in prison

Abstract

This study examines the governance and editorial control of prison radio across diverse regulatory environments, with a particular focus on a closed-circuit prison radio station located in one of Poland’s largest prisons. Drawing on data from the Global Prison Radio International Survey covering 48 radio initiatives across 18 countries, analysis of the mission statements of selected prison radio projects published online, interviews with prison radio representatives from India, Norway, and Australia, and a case study from a prison in Grudziądz, Poland, the research investigates how institutional structures shape content creation, access, and inmate participation. While some prison radio projects allow incarcerated individuals limited editorial freedom, many are tightly controlled, with content restricted to rehabilitative messaging and available only for the incarcerated within prisons. The study reveals tensions between security-driven media governance and the rehabilitative and expressive potential of prison radio.

Author Biography

Urszula Doliwa, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

Professor and Head of the Department of Journalism at the University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland. Her research interests focus on radio and community media. She is an author of the books Radio studenckie w Polsce [Student Radio in Poland, 2008], Radio społeczne – trzeci obok publicznego i komercyjnego sektor radiowy [Community Radio – the Third Radio Sector alongside Public and Commercial Broadcasting, 2016] and Pirate Waves. Polish Private Radio Broadcasting in the Period of Transformation 1989–1995 [2022].

References

Anderson, H. (2008). Raising the civil dead: Prisoners’ radio in Australia and Canada (doctoral dissertation, Griffith University).

Anderson, H. (2012). Raising the civil dead: Prisoners and community radio. Peter Lang.

Anderson, H. (2013). Facilitating active citizenship: Participating in prisoners’ radio. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 30(4), 292–306.

Anderson, H. & Bedford, C. (2021). Prisoner radio as an abolitionist tool: A scholactivist reflection. Journal of Alternative & Community Media, 6(1), 55–68.

Anderson, H., Bedford, C., & Doliwa, U. (2022). The evolving genre of prison-er radio: An international examination. In M. Lindgren & J. Loviglio (Eds.), The Routledge companion to radio and podcast studies. Routledge, 368–377. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002185.

Anderson, J. & Bedford, C. (2017a). Theorising the many faces of prisoner radio: Developing a holistic framework through process and product. Media International Australia, 162(1), 57–66.

Anderson, J. & Bedford, C. (2017b). What I know now: Radio as a means of empowerment for women of lived prison experience. Journal of Alterna-tive & Community Media. https://doi.org/10.1386/joacm_00029_1.

Anderson, J. & Bedford, C. (2019). On what it means to be free: Radio as a tool of desistance for formerly incarcerated women in Adelaide, Aus-tralia. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 17(1), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.1386/rjao.17.1.7_1

Bedford, C. (2015). Making waves behind bars: The story of the Prison Radio Association (doctoral dissertation).

Bedford, C. (2018). Making waves behind bars: The Prison Radio Association. Bristol University Press.

CR Community Radio (2024). Beyond the Bars. https://www.3cr.org.au/beyondthebars (access: 24.05.2026).

Carpentier, N. (2011). Media and participation: A site of ideological demo-cratic struggle. Intellect.

Community Restorative Centre. (n.d.). Jailbreak. https://www.crcnsw.org.au/jailbreak/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Desmidt, S., Prinzie, A. & Decramer, A. (2011). Looking for the value of mis-sion statements: A meta-analysis of 20 years of research. Management Decision, 49(3/4), 468–483. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741111120806.

Doliwa, U. (2013). Radio behind bars—The Polish case. Radio Journal: Inter-national Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 11(2), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1386/rjao.11.2.119_1.

Einat, T. & Nagar, G. (2023). Radio what’s new? Someone still loves you: The impact of listening to prison radio. The Prison Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855231200632

Enjolras, B. (2009). A governance-structure approach to voluntary organiza-tions. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 38(5), 761–783. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764008320030.

Hallin, D.C. & Mancini, P. (2017). Ten years after comparing media systems: What have we learned? Political Communication, no. 34(2), 155–171.

Hanusch, F. (2009). A product of their culture: Using a value systems ap-proach to understand the work practices of journalists. International Communication Gazette, no. 71(7), 613–626.

Howley, K. (2009). Community media: People, places, and communication technologies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Inside Wire. (2024). Colorado Prison Radio. https://www.coloradoprisonradio.com/about.html (access: 24.05.2026).

Jail Time Records. (2024). About. https://jailtimerecords.com/about/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Jailbreak. (2024). Prisoner Radio Network. https://prisonerradio.org/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press.

Kaun, A. & Stiernstedt, F. (2023). Prison media: Incarceration and the infrastructures of work and technology. MIT Press.

Lewis, P.M. & Booth, J. (1989). The invisible medium: Public, commercial and community radio. Macmillan Education.

Lister, B., Mitchell, C. & O’Shea, T. (2009). Managing radio. Open University Press.

McDonald, K. (2014). Performance, power and production: A selective, critical and cultural history of the radio interview (doctoral dissertation, Bourne-mouth University).

Nanda, V. (2025, May 17). Personal communication via WhatsApp.

National Prison Radio. (2014). Prison Radio Listener Survey.

Picard, R.G. (2011). The economics and financing of media companies. Ford-ham University Press.

Pinnock, K. (2025, May 12). Personal communication via email.

Presseforbund. (2021). Vær Varsom-plakaten [The Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press]. https://presse.no/pfu/vaer-varsom-plakaten/ (ac-cess: 24.05.2026).

Prison Radio. (2025). About. https://www.prisonradio.org/about/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Prison Radio International. (2025). AMPLIFIED: Prison Radio International Newsletter. https://prison.radio/amplifying-voices-building-a-global-prison-radio-community-4/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Quintana, P. (2024). Retumba La Radio! RedEco. https://www.redeco.com.ar/nacional/comunicacion/9324-retumba-la-radio-la-voz-de-los-internos-de-la-prisin-de-esquel (access: 24.05.2026).

Radio Haren. (2024). Caliope Media. https://caliope.media/haren-prison-orders-onair-radio/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Radio Ranchito. (2023). Podcast Production Workshop. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOZlBpMfQ0rC8_nHNxp1OLQ (ac-cess: 24.05.2026).

Radio Tiempo Fuera. (2024). Spotify Podcast. https://open.spotify.com/show/09DjXLTekDmzanMjs6oblR (access: 24.05.2026).

Rodríguez, C. (2001). Fissures in the mediascape: An international study of citizens’ media. Hampton Press.

RøverRadion. (2024). Røverhuset. https://roverhuset.no/om-oss/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Tinka Tinka. (2025). Tinka Tinka Foundation. https://tinkatinka.org (access: 24.05.2026).

UIL. (2024). Radio Escolar CAJ – FM de Adentro. https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/litbase/radio-escolar-caj-fm-de-adentro-943-argentina (access: 24.05.2026).

Uncuffed. (2024). About. https://www.uncuffed.org/ (access: 24.05.2026).

Wold, K. (2025, April 28). Personal communication via Messenger.

Young, D.R. (2001). Organizational identity in nonprofit organizations: Strate-gic and structural implications. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, no. 12(2), 139–157. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.12202.

Zespół Prasowy CZSW. (n.d.). Więzienne radio. https://www.sw.gov.pl/aktualnosc/centralny-zarzad-sluzby-wieziennej-wiezienne-radio (access: 24.05.2026).

PK-54
Published
2026-09-30
How to Cite
[1]
Doliwa, U. 2026. Managing Media in Prison: The Case of Prison Radio. Perspectives on Culture. 54, 3 (Sep. 2026), 193-214. DOI:https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2026.5403.12.
Issue
Vol. 54 No. 3 (2026): Contemporary Media Management: A Multidimensional Approach to Social, Political, and Technological Contexts
Section
Media management processes, business models and technological innovations

Copyright (c) 2026 Ignatianum University in Cracow

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Autor, zgłaszając swój artykuł, wyraża zgodę na korzystanie przez Wydawnictwo Uniwersystet Ignatianum z utworu na następujących polach eksploatacji:

  1. utrwalania utworu w formie papierowej, a także na nośniku cyfrowym lub magnetycznym;
  2. zwielokrotnienia utworu dowolną techniką, bez ograniczenia ilości wydań i liczby egzemplarzy;
  3. rozpowszechniania utworu i jego zwielokrotnionych egzemplarzy na jakimkolwiek nośniku, w tym wprowadzenia do obrotu, sprzedaży, użyczenia, najmu;
  4. wprowadzenia utworu do pamięci komputera;
  5. rozpowszechniania utworu w sieciach informatycznych, w tym w sieci Internet;
  6. publicznego wykonania, wystawienia, wyświetlenia, odtworzenia oraz nadawania i reemitowania, a także publicznego udostępniania utworu w taki sposób, aby każdy mógł mieć do niego dostęp w miejscu i czasie przez siebie wybranym. 

Wydawca zobowiązuje się szanować osobiste prawa autorskie do utworu.