As a social enterprise, we put our money where our mouth is. We use our experience as a production company and the income we generate to create training and employment opportunities for offenders and ex-offenders.

IJP also uses its income to fund the development of projects that serve a social purpose. These projects are delivered through our founder organisation Media for Development, which works to empower isolated communities through media.

The award-winning Media House project is designed to empower women in the isolated prison community. A unique user/prisoner-led TV channel based at HMP Downview in Sutton, Surrey, it broadcasts weekly TV programming. Available on the prisons’s in-cell TV system, it provides a mix of programmes from debates shows to interviews with key prison staff as well as true life stories from the prisoners and general entertainment.

Although the Media House provides entertainment and a much-needed creative outlet for the women at Downview, it’s main purpose is to provide learning and work opportunities that can help prisoners leave behind their old lives. Students work to professional standards and are tutored by professionals with many years experience in the media industry. For many women, the Media House is their first experience of professional, supportive working environment, an incredibly empowering experience. Some of these women go on to carry out work experience at Inside Job Productions, providing a vital step towards meaningful employment on release.

‘The development of the media project has been a major force in changing the culture of this prison. The women that participate in it are now more able to speak up on behalf of themselves and their fellow prisoners, and the programmes they produce have contributed to real improvements in the way we do things. Every prison should have one.’ - Downview Governor