Prison newspaper

Uncensored prison newspaper: these prisoners do what they want

"Lichtblick" from Tegel Prison in Berlin: the editors of the world's only uncensored prison magazine have been doing what they want for 50 years. A telephone interview with the editor-in-chief.

Newspaper articles and caricatures hang on the wall. On the bookshelf is the Duden dictionary next to the penal code. On the tables: Computers, newspapers and coffee cups. At first glance, it looks as if the photograph shows a local newsroom - if it weren't for the bars in front of the small windows.

Norbert Kieper is a prison inmate and editor-in-chief of "Lichtblick", the largest uncensored prison magazine in Europe. The fact that the prison management at Tegel Prison in Berlin gives the editorial team a free hand is unusual.

Kieper writes and researches together with three colleagues. The "Lichtblick" editorial team is housed in two cells. A new issue is produced here every three months. 60 pages, 8,000 copies, 40,000 readers. The "Lichtblick" goes to prisons, lawyers and media houses all over Europe; there are even subscribers in the USA, Australia and South Africa.

Mr. Kieper, you and your editorial colleagues are experts in prison, more so than any professor.

Unfortunately, that is the case. As editors of a prison magazine, we inevitably have to deal with these issues. That is our job.

Lichtblick" sees itself as a mouthpiece for prisoners. In the current issue, there is a story entitled "We demand the immediate restart of disinfection in Tegel Prison!". Is this a typical "Lichtblick" story?

Yes, it is a typical story. We often point out grievances behind bars. For example, the story about unclean foam mattresses in the cells was not so long ago. There were repeated cases of hepatitis, pneumonia and other infectious diseases among the inmates. At some point, we discovered that cleaning teams were coming into Tegel Prison to spray out the cells and wear face masks. That made us suspicious. As a result, we started to investigate and asked the health authorities, among others.

Is it true that your editorial team has to manage without the Internet?

Still. However, there are signs that something could change soon. This week, our magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary in prison. The Berlin Senator for Justice, Dirk Behrendt, has also registered to attend. Let's see what he has to say. In any case, we are hopeful.

How do you research without the Internet?

We have no choice but to do our research: We have built up a network of family, friends and informants outside the walls who can go online for us. It's a bit cumbersome, but it works.

On a personal note, what was your best headline?

One story that caused quite a stir was our petition about solitary confinement in Tegel Prison. In the end, we managed to get the yard made a little bigger for the prisoners.

Who would you like to interview?

Our greatest wish is to talk to Dirk Behrendt, Senator for Justice. So far, he has only wanted to grant us an interview by e-mail. We turned that down. However, we will be putting our request to him again in the near future.

The "Lichtblick" is published uncensored. This is unique in Germany, probably even worldwide. But what does that mean in concrete terms: does the prison management really not check anything? Not even the dispatch?

The fact that our magazine is allowed to appear uncensored is truly unique and cannot be emphasized often enough. We have also had an external print shop for over two years. This means that no one from the prison management has access to the contents of the magazine before it goes to press.

Have there been any major disagreements with the prison managementover a story in "Lichtblick" ?

They happen all the time. But only once in 50 years has a magazine been stamped out before being sent out.

Why?

There was a scene on the cover that glorified violence.

Lichtblick"contains many gloomy texts about life behind walls and barbed wire.

We sometimes wonder why the reactions from outside are usually very muted. But a lot of it probably doesn't reach us because the discussions are held behind closed doors. And of course we don't hear that in prison. What we have received, however, are complaints about the naked women we regularly print in the middle of the magazine. Subscriptions have already been canceled because of this, including by the Berlin Senate Administration. We have pinned the termination letter to our wall. We also recently started printing pictures of men.

Also naked?

In swimming trunks.

The prison management can have the editorial offices searched without asking. How often has this happened in recent years?

The last time it happened was four years ago. There was a huge fuss at the time because of an alleged child pornography scandal. We were accused of burning porn CDs. The editorial team was then closed for seven weeks. In the end, nothing was found on our servers - and the incident vanished into thin air.

How satisfied are the prisoners with the "Lichtblick"?

At Tegel Prison, we are facing a lot of headwind. Inmates keep saying that we should write more sharply, that we should hit them harder. But when we ask people to write letters to the editor, we don't usually get much back. We get much more positive feedback from the rest of the readership in Germany.

Are the people in Tegel Prison doing too well? Or are they doing too badly?

Both at the same time. There are inmates who have had a good job within the prison for years, for example in the glazing or upholstery department, and they are happy about it because they earn a decent wage. But then of course there are also the pocket money recipients, for whom the drug problem often outweighs everything else.

Can you actually still laugh about the joke with the soap in the shower?

No, I can't laugh at all because it's a worn-out cliché, and now there are two showers on every ward and no more large showers.

Friendship with warders - is that possible? And how does that go down with the other inmates?

It doesn't work at all. The guards can't be too friendly with the inmates, otherwise they lose respect. On the other hand, the guards should be helpful to the inmates. But they can't do that because of time constraints. I don't think either side wants closer contact. And that's for the best.

Is YouTube the prison newspaper of the 21st century? In other words, what do you think of the Tegel inmate who was able to upload videos directly from his prison cell to YouTube?

I don't think anything of it. It's a one-off case. The man is now in solitary confinement. The prison management was really angry about the incident. Of course, they're afraid that this could be a way of leaking the schedule to the outside world and thus jeopardizing security and order.

Who decides who is allowed to workon the "Lichtblick" editorial team?

The editorial team has the first say. We take a very close look at interested people, after all we have to sit in a room with them for ten hours a day. Then the interested parties write a sample article. The prison management then checks everything from a safety point of view and gives us the thumbs up or thumbs down. In the past, people have also been rejected. We thought that was a shame because they would have been a good fit for our team. That's why we currently have some recruitment problems on the editorial team.

Which prisoners are not allowed to become editors of "Lichtblick"?

Our code is: we don't want any inmates on our team who have committed sexual offenses. We don't want to work with people like that. The prison management also doesn't like it when people who have committed fraud want to work on the editorial team - as it is a confidential workplace with a telephone, computer and fax.

One "Lichtblick" editor said in a newspaper interview: 'Being here is a way out of prison for me. - What does working in the editorial office mean to you?

The man is right. We are visited by law professors and journalists, and television crews visit us from time to time. So we have a lot of contact with the outside world, which provides variety.

There are personal adsin the "Lichtblick". What happens when someone from outside responds to an inmate's desire to marry, for example?

These letters are forwarded by us. We rarely find out what happens as a result. But in at least two cases, a wedding was celebrated in the end.

What did you do fora living before you went to prison?

I was a tax officer.

And what do your three editorial colleagues do for a living?

One worked in the construction industry, one worked as a financial accountant and one was a painter. None of us had anything to do with the writing profession.

Why are you in Tegel prison?

I made myself a widower.

How long do you have to stay in prison?

For life. I've been in prison for seven years, five and a half years in Tegel.

Is there any chance that you will be able to leave Tegel Prison at some point?

The minimum sentence is 15 years. That means I could get out again in December 2026 if my sentence goes well. However, I hope that I will be allowed to enter open prison earlier.

Do you think our phone calls are being tapped?

No. There has already been a lot of discussion about wiretapping. We know that wiretapping is possible. But the effort involved is extremely high.

Anniversary edition

The "Lichtblick" anniversary edition can be read at the following link.