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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Current Affairs Executive, Hugh Levinson brings his editorial expertise to the monthly prison radio programme - ‘Outside In’. It reflects life on the ‘outside’ for former inmates, and is made by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ producers as a result of a collaboration between ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Outreach and .

NPR is the world’s only national prison radio system and is available across most cells in English prisons. It trains inmates at four centres in the skills of radio production and presentation.

The results from NPR are great – it features a lively schedule which starts with the breakfast programme – inevitably titled “” – along with books programmes, request shows and specialist music output. They have won numerous awards, and have a cardboard box filled with hundreds of letters from prisoners across the country. What they didn’t have and couldn’t make was a programme about life on the outside. What is it like to leave prison? What are the opportunities? What are the challenges? Who can help? That is why they came to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. 

"I sat on the floor of the radio studio, trying to conceal my astonishment".

The result is. It’s an hour-long programme, made once a month by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ producers who work with former NPR presenters. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Outreach put out a call for volunteers and I was one of the people who responded. I’d never done anything like this before, but I was keen to do some volunteering that would complement my day job. I ended up becoming the point of liaison with NPR, and overseeing the programme from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ end. We had no idea at the start whether it would work. Could we find enough volunteer producers from ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ staff? (Yes. They are great). Could we find enough topics to discuss? (Yes. There’s an endless list of issues to consider). To everyone’s astonishment, ‘Outside In’ has just celebrated its second birthday, with candles and a chocolate cake. Yum.

The programmes are crammed with remarkable moments. I remember a small man in a sharp brown suit, his cap pulled down over his eyes, talking about how he had spent 40 years in and out of prison. “I used to like jails more in the old days,” he said. “Now they’re too bright. In the old days they were dark, with corners where you could hide. I liked that.”

Our presenters are former prisoners as are most of the interviewees. When they meet, their shared experience means there’s an instant connection. The results can be electrifying. Grown men, close to tears as they talk about how deeply they missed their children. A pensioner describing how he subconsciously reproduced his cell inside his home; a woman describing how she found protection with a gang; a young man remembering how books had kept him sane inside; and a prisoner explaining his confusion at being handed an unfamiliar object (a mobile phone) when he was released after many years. There was a magical moment when we presented an ex-offender (who had straightened himself out by boxing) with his “silks” for his first official bout.

If anyone ever wonders about the value of Outreach work, then ‘Outside In’ should convince them. For me and the other volunteer ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ radio producers it’s one of the most valuable and satisfying things we do. For the presenters, it validates them as radio professionals who present a slick and entertaining show, which is not afraid of raw experience and emotion. So, Happy Birthday Outside In! Looking forward to the next year – and another cake….

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 4's Archive on 4 has produced , a compilation of Outside In, with presenter Hilary introducing some of the most powerful moments from the programme. Plus, some of the talented former prisoners who have performed on the programme - singing and rapping with fierce conviction; ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 4, Saturday 19 March 2016 at 8pm and available to listen again. 

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Outreach & Corporate Responsibility brings the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ closer to its audiences - particularly those audiences we have identified as harder to reach - with face-to-face activity, community support and staff volunteering.