The microphones and monitors at Radio Focus are standard broadcasting equipment. This studio, however, is not located at a slick downtown office building, but rather at Ayalon prison near Ramle. Radio Focus is a groundbreaking, inmate rehabilitation initiative of the Israel Prison Service, in cooperation with Sapir Academic College. Now in its fourth year of operation, the station broadcasts 24/7 to prisons throughout Israel. At Radio Focus, inmates are in charge of production, content and editing. They serve as radio hosts and announcers, reaching out to prisoners throughout the corrections system – and building bridges to the community at large.

Students and faculty from the radio and digital broadcast program at Sapir’s communications department visit the prison on a weekly basis, training the prisoners in broadcast and production skills while helping them plan and build their programs. For the prisoners themselves, the experience is life changing. It builds their social and cognitive abilities, while affording them valuable employment skills and job experience for the day after their release.  In the long run, it boosts their chances of reintegrating with the community and reduces the likelihood of recidivism.

Dr .Ella Ben-Atar, head of radio and digital at Sapir, says the Prison Service chose to partner with Sapir because of our expertise and professionalism.

Communications Department chair, Dr. Moti Gigi, thinks the program reflects Sapir’s broader role in Israeli society. “It’s a win-win arrangement,” he says. “Our students don’t just come here to learn. They come to serve. And as they help give the prisoners a second chance in life, they themselves become better people.  It’s a collaboration of hope.”

More News

סטודנטים
Life in the Western Negev has been turned upside down. After the devastation of war, the people here are dealing with more than just physical wounds, all while trying to rebuild their lives, their communities, and gain a sense of stability. But with healthcare stretched thin and growing needs everywhere, it's clear that recovery will take more than temporary solutions. What's needed is something that lasts—an effort that can bring real, lasting change. That's why Sapir College and Hebrew University have come together.
Read more
Plant a college in a community, and watch what grows. Beyond the lecture halls and libraries, you'll find new businesses taking root, fresh ideas sparking to life, and opportunities blooming where none existed before. In Israel's southern periphery, Sapir College shows exactly how this works. The largest institution in the Gaza envelope region, Sapir demonstrates what happens when colleges invest deeply in their communities.
Read more