On Friday, 17 October 2025, almost 70 Flinders Criminology staff, students, ANZSOC members, and community members came together at Flinders University in Adelaide to watch “Songs Inside”, a film by Shalom Almond.
Attendees were greeted with a free bag of snacks and goodies, along with a drink, courtesy of the ANZSOC Local Events Sponsorship Program.
“Songs Inside” chronicles the transformative journey of a group of women in an Australian Prison who, over six months, discover the healing power of music. Led by First Nations singer-songwriter Nancy Bates, the prisoners learn how to play an instrument, sing and write their own songs. As the creative process unfolds, the women unearth their profound struggles with trauma, addiction and deep fears about life after release. But they also discover that music can be a force for hope and change, even within the complexities of prison life. The women’s journey culminates in the largest concert ever staged in an Australian prison, featuring a full symphony orchestra and an audience of over 200 inmates and special guests.
Flinders Criminology coordinated this screening in partnership with Flinders Screen, Film and TV. The screening included a tailored Q&A session following the film, with the filmmakers and three previously incarcerated women —Simone, Fabiann, and Tina—discussing life inside and after prison and the impact that Songs Inside has had on their lives. The Q&A featured reflections from the women on being part of the Song Birds, the transformative impact of music, and how being in the film has opened up opportunities to share their stories of life within and beyond prison.
Following the Q&A sessions, informal discussions among criminologists and people with lived experience focused on the lack of swift and certain “justice” in the prison environment, where a false positive drug test resulted in the loss of many privileges, including access to studies, work and the music program.
The film has provided an opportunity for Flinders Criminology to continue discussions about how we embed lived experience voices in our curriculum. We already have a topic run by an academic with lived experience, and Flinders Crim is in discussions with some of the women featured in the film to bring diverse perspectives into our teaching program.
