Jail Birds (ATOM Study Guide)

Choirmaster Jonathon Welch, familiar to many viewers from his terrific work with homeless people on Choir of Hard Knocks, here turns his tremendous energy and commitment to a group of women incarcerated at Tarrengower low security prison in rural Victoria. For six months, Jonathon doggedly presented his case to the correctional authorities, seeking permission to establish a womens choir and to film the process. Jail Birds is the result of his endeavour and determination. Jonathon strongly believes that music can turn people's lives around; that it can inspire hope and joy, and improve people's self-esteem and self-confidence. Voices raised together in a choir are somehow symbolic of the trust and effort that is required to build and sustain strong communities. It is Jonathon's hope that the women who participate in this project will be less likely to reoffend. Perhaps one day every jail will feature a choir and recidivism rates will be improved by the experience.

Jail Birds comprises four twenty-six minute episodes. Episode one introduces the key members of the choir. We gain insights into the realities of their daily lives in prison, and we learn a little about their backgrounds. We also meet prison governor Mandy Smith, as she sets out for Jonathon the rules and regulations that must be followed if the project is to proceed. As we witness Jonathon's steady warmth and compassion, we begin to understand his motivation and his belief in the healing powers of music. The episode ends with the choir, Voices From Inside, giving their first public performance at a senior citizens' centre. While musically it might be considered something of a mixed bag, for these women it represents a triumph, and paves the way for what we hope will be their successful release into the community.

In episode two, Jonathon is struggling to maintain some sort of continuity in the choir as women come and go. He and accompanist Stephen Blackburn encourage the women to write some songs of their own, and 'The Gates of Tarrengower' turns out to be a rollicking, surprisingly catchy country and western tune. This episode culminates with a performance at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, the maximum security prison in Deer Park, Melbourne, where all female prisoners begin their sentences. It's a severe and depressing place where over 200 women are doing time for crimes ranging from murder and drug dealing to robbery and fraud. The women from Tarrengower loathe and despise this place and the thought of returning there to sing is nerve-racking for them.

In episode three, Jonathon invites Kasey Chambers, one of Australia's top singer-songwriters, to guide the women through expressing their stories through song. Kasey tells the choir members, 'I tend to look at song writing like a therapy session.' She has come prepared with a chorus written around the theme of the choir's name, Voices From Inside. Kasey challenges the women to write the verses for the song and inspires them with a rendition of Johnny Cash's prison anthem, 'Folsom Prison Blues'. Wanting to build the confidence that comes from performing in public, Jonathon sets up the next challenge for his choir – a performance at the Castlemaine Fringe Festival in front of a paying audience. Jonathon invites ex-choir members who have been released to be part of the audience.

In the final episode, Jonathon records the choir, hoping to give the women a memento of their experience. He wants this to be tangible proof of how far they have come and hopefully a huge boost to their confidence, but the recording process does not go smoothly. Six months have passed since Jonathon and Stephen first walked into Tarrengower and the plan is for one final concert, this time for family, friends, fellow inmates and the top brass from Corrections Victoria. Kasey Chambers returns to help put on the best show possible. Decorations go up in the hall and the women design t