Podcast: Youth prison: The free word behind thick walls

Around 400 male teenagers and young adults are incarcerated in the Berlin Youth Correctional Facility (JSA). They have committed serious crimes such as assault, fraud or theft; others are repeat offenders. In the podcast “Zweithird FM” they share their thoughts and provide insights into their prison world.

They conduct interviews, build beats and rap. The podcast is supported by a team of journalists and teachers from the prison’s own Helmuth Hübener School. The young people themselves determine the topics. They talk about freedom, friendships and trust and also address difficult topics such as addiction or preventing violence in prison.

»Zweithird FM« strikes a good balance between informative and personal elements. When the prisoners Philo, Hewal and Batek talk about the nights in their cells, it seems as if someone simply stuck a microphone into the prison cells. They talk about their first night in prison and how difficult it is to realize that you’re really living behind bars: “As soon as the door is closed, as soon as it’s night, you realize that you’re alone.” , one of the three notes. The others agree. The podcast title also comes from the reality of prison.

»Zweithird FM« comes from a vision that many people share. The two-thirds sentence means that after two-thirds of the prison term you will be released on probation for the rest of the time. In “Starting point – and after prison?”, where prisoner Jelo sits down with Martin Liebegut and Matthias Gutjahr from the Gangway association, you learn that it is not so easy to find your way back to everyday life. They accompany teenagers and young adults before and after their release from prison on their way to a self-determined life. Nevertheless, one in two young people will commit a crime again in the following three years. Jelo, who is due to be released from prison in a year, questions the reasons.

He wants to know from the two street social workers what you have to pay attention to so that you don’t end up in prison again, and why many people are in debt when they go to prison. He learns that some take out numerous cell phone contracts in order to get cheap cell phones that they sell for drugs; others overdraw their bank accounts, pay off court costs and compensation for crimes. Health insurance covers homeless people if they were not included in the social system. A sad picture.

The young inmates are thirsty for knowledge. In further episodes they interview a prison officer about his view of prison, talk to a juvenile judge about rigid judicial structures and with the lawyer Alexander Gorski about migration law and the deportation of people who have already gained a foothold in Germany.

“Logistically speaking,” it is easier for authorities to deport people from prison. »Sounds kind of gross. As if we were somehow goods,” one of the hosts notes. Gorski gives tips on how to support people affected by deportation. Tony, one of the hosts, is one of them. He was born in Bremen, but is not a German citizen, he explains to Lucky.

Birgit Lang, the head of the JSA’s Helmuth Hübener School, gives insights into the “Restorative Justice” project in the episode “Restitution”. After discussions with psychologists, perpetrators are brought together with victims who have experienced a similar crime. An inmate briefly reports on his own observations, after which the editorial team plays the self-written song “Trauma, Mourning, Tears.” The song is about forgiveness.

At “Zweithird FM” the focus is not on the young people’s crimes, but rather on their thoughts, which they can express without judgment. By working on the podcast, they get to know their environment better – and their environment them. The longer you listen, the more complete the picture becomes of the people who took a wrong turn on their path and are still in the middle of life.

Available on all common podcast platforms.