Prison officer recruits: It’s not as bad as people think

By Katie Spencer, news correspondent

Two new prison officers have told Sky News that they have been surprised by the realities of the job.

Reanne and Adam are about to complete the two-year Unlocked programme at a London prison.

The government hopes the programme is an answer to the high number of prison officers leaving the profession, many due to the increasing levels of stress they face in doing their jobs.

Participants join the scheme as prison officers and are paid the same as other entry-level recruits, but at the same time the programme offers a chance for students to study for a fully-funded masters degree.

Trainee prison officer Adam told Sky News that, while the training had been challenging, the rewards had outweighed the tough times.

"It has been fantastic to be on this, the level of human relationships you have with the lads here.

"Prisoners and prison officers have to get along for the prison to function and there are a lot more jokes told than insults, I'd say on the whole.

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"You have a laugh, you have a joke, we've written poetry together, we've made art, and that kind of interaction is something that I perhaps wasn't expecting."

Image: Reanne says people 'have a perception of working in prison that is more negative than it actually is'

Reanne said she believes "people have a perception of working in prison that is more negative than it actually is".

"You do have complex issues that you're dealing with like mental health, self-harm, violence, those things do exist in prison, nobody is trying to say they do not, however it's about how you manage it.

"We had a mentor there to help us, weekly sessions in the first year, but also we knew they were just a phone call away if we found things tough."

In a damning report, the chief inspector of prisons recently warned of "disturbingly high" levels of self-harm in prisons as well as a rise in suicides. It also said too many prisons are "plagued by drugs, violence and appalling living conditions".

In 2018/19, there were 22,630 prison officers in England and Wales compared to 2014/15 when there were only 18,222. However, in 2009/10 there were to 24,830 prison officers, around 2,500 more than current levels.