Jack's Story
There's no one type of person who suits being a Prison Officer, but the one thing they all have in common is their commitment to doing the right thing, their ability to build a rapport with just about anybody, and their passion for doing this highly varied, challenging and rewarding job.
I have been a prison officer for almost two years now. To be honest with you I always thought that inside the prison you would get confrontations every single day, which is not true. You get to speak to prisoners a lot and you listen to their problems.
The most challenging aspects in the role as a Prison Officer is when someone invades that space of yours and is shouting at you, waving his arms, spitting at you, swearing at you; I find that very challenging, ok? But all you have to do then is step back, ask him what the problem is, listen to his problems and try to solve them.
It’s very important to come to this job and be happy. I come in, I see my colleagues; and just, it’s that buzz. It’s just opening all those cell doors and all those people coming out and they have all these questions that they’re throwing at you and it’s just all that buzz you know. Too many questions - ‘Please help me’, ‘Do this for me’ and you know it’s great. And working with your colleagues, using all this humour and it’s brilliant, it’s just brilliant.
The Fitness Test is really, really easy. People think that it’s the hardest thing ever, but it’s not, it’s simple. They designed it so people can come and work for the Prison Service; you don’t have to be an ex-Marine to join the Prison Service.
The management are the most important in the Prison Service, especially the Senior Officers, because they are the ones that work with you on the landings and they’re the ones that have the experience: they’re the ones you always go and ask questions. It’s really good management support; any problem you have you can go and speak to any Senior Officer, any Principal Officer and any Governor - even the number one.
Prisoners actually tell you what they do! You know, how they’re going to steal a wallet, or how they’re going to do a burglary in a house and you ask them these questions on the landings and they tell you, you know. So now I’m more aware and I know a bit of the tricks of someone who’s going to do a burglary for example…
So I’ve done my house up now!!
