Some families find themselves contacted by media channels (radio, TV, national or local press); there is often great interest in overseas prisons, including the treatment of British citizens, legal difficulties and the personal implications it may have on the family or loved ones back in the UK.

Media contact can happen in different ways:

• You may be contacted directly by the media because your case is in the public domain or
• You may decide to publicise the case to raise awareness

You can find more detailed advice in our Handbooks (see Chapter 4 of In Prison Abroad and Chapter 7 of Holding the Fort for families) and dedicated factsheet, either at the link below or you can request a paper copy.

https://www.prisonersabroad.org.uk/prisoners-abroad-handbooks 

Involvement with the media factsheet

‘What we hadn’t realised was that the rest of the country was already learning about what had happened as the news was broadcast on television.’ 

If you need advice about adverse media attention, there is information on the Victim Support website: 

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/coping-crime/dealing-with-the-media/

Prisoners Abroad's fundraising & communications team can guide you through some of the difficulties that you may come across when dealing with the media. We can help you when responding to a request from a journalist, or prepare you for either discussing or writing down your story. You may decide to respond to media enquiries, or to approach the media directly to publicise your case. If you do this, it is always helpful if you mention Prisoners Abroad to the journalist so that they can contact us to find out about our work. 

We have a strict confidentiality policy and would never pass on names or details without your permission.

If you would like to talk to Prisoners Abroad's Communications Manager about involvement with the media - either a personal experience you have already had, or to discuss potential involvement - then email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as quickly as we can. 

Next page: Preparing for release