Before any prison officer is ready to start their new career in the prison service, they receive Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) to prepare them for the job ahead....
...that I couldn’t overcome with a bit of hard work. The thing I find most rewarding about the job, and what I am most proud of, is the wide variety...
...results in a short period of time. As a prison officer, you’ll be engaging with people who’re often distrustful of authority or have challenging issues. But, dedicated time and one-to-one...
...of the Year award last year, not just because of what I’ve done, but because of the other staff around me. Last year, we had prison officers from all over...
...the prison population. Many of the individuals you work with have little or no knowledge of catering, so a key part of your role is showing them how to cook...
...shadowing probation service officers. This work gave me a really good foundation of knowledge on the probation services role so I felt confident applying for a probation services officer role...
...as a prison officer at HMP Cookham Wood women’s prison (now a Male Young Offenders Institution). At the time, only female prison officers could work in women’s prisons. I remember...
...just 5 days out of 7 and then alternative weekends – again, unheard of in catering. My day at the prison starts at 7.30am, arriving at the main gatehouse to...
What makes a great prison officer? It might not be what you think. Our prison officers come from a wide range of backgrounds. But the one thing they have in...
...what we’ve achieved – the number of fence panels we’ve painted or the number of bags of leaves we’ve collected – is rewarding. It’s great seeing the sense of satisfaction...