Cameras go into prison for photography course

Photographer Rod Bryans says he hoped to embed a sense of self-worth into prisoners by teaching them photography

A Jersey photographer says he has helped capture and expose the perspectives of some of the island's prisoners by teaching them on a photography course.

Photographer Rod Bryans said it was a “unique situation”, where cameras were allowed into the prison to “be on the inside, looking out”.

He said he taught six women prisoners in H wing at La Moye prison as well as one officer and, in return, they taught him about what life was like behind high security fences and barbed wire.

He said he hoped to embed a sense of "self-worth" into the prisoners, with new skills “they can take into the community”.

He said flowers were a main theme of the 10-lesson course and that one prisoner had shared an image of a bean plant's tendrils, saying that sometimes, while sleeping, she imagined she was “climbing out of the prison up those things”.

Another prisoner said of her work, which was titled "shared light", that "not all the cells have windows, so [there's] no natural light".

"My friend opens her call door and the light spills across from her cell into mine."

Mr Bryan said there was an “awful lot behind these images”

Mr Bryan said prisoners described the inside of the prison as “so beige”.

He said prisoners often ended up “just staring at the sky because it's the only thing of colour”.

One ex-prisoner said she went down to St Ouen's beach on the day of her release to take photographs.

She said she was, “very emotional, the colours and the noise were just overwhelming".

The ex-prisoner's photographs are on display to show, “what it is like to be inside and outside the prison," said Mr Bryan.

Le Moye prison officer, Susie Richardson said: "With a focus on public protection and the inevitability that all of our prisoners will be released, 'constraint and restraint' cannot be the only tools used in prison."

Ms Richardson said she aimed to "serve the community" by releasing prisoners with a "sense of self-worth" because she was committed to "releasing better neighbours".

The exhibition will be on display at The Jersey Arts Centre in the Berni Gallery until 6 December.