Communication of “Approval” in Prison Radio: Interviews with Prisoners and DJs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the significance of listeners' participation through listening and sending messages in the context of a radio program broadcast to support prisoners' reintegration into society. Attention was also paid to communication between DJs and listeners. A questionnaire survey on prisoners' listening tendency was administered regarding the “Rikugame” program broadcast at the Toyohashi Penitentiary Branch of Nagoya Prison. Prisoners and DJs were also interviewed. In this paper, the results are discussed from a narrative approach and the care communication perspective. The results showed the following. Firstly, through sending messages, listeners reflected on their lives and created biographical stories . Secondly, the themes of the messages and the requested songs helped develop story plots. Furthermore, it was suggested that persons listening to others' messages compared the stories others shared to their own and used them as clues to update their own narratives. Thirdly, the communication between DJs and listeners was based on mutual approval, which encouraged the listeners' storytelling. For the storytellers, telling their stories and receiving approval from others may have been valued because the affirmation brought them joy and peace of mind and helped them break the cycle of crime and violence and live a new life. Hence, this study revealed media communication's potential as a means to care for and include prisoners who tend to experience social isolation.