Becoming a Prison Officer :: Papers

It's a tough job with unsociable hours, rare contact with the outside world and a less than impressive pay package. So why would anyone want to be a prison officer? I am asked to place my coat and bag in a small cloakroom area, and am ushered to a small room where my pockets are searched and body is frisked. I find this 'procedure' quite uncomfortable, but think myself lucky that these rigorous checks aren't performed everyday. I am given a white sticker with 'visitor' on it and am promptly told to 'wear it at all times' so I can be easily identified. I am let through a series of grey cold steel doors, opened by a large bunch of jangling keys and am greeted by the prison officer I have come to interview with a firm, almost predictable handshake. Carol Tomlin has been a prison officer at Bournemouth Magistrates Court for thirteen years. She works in twelve hour shifts, five, possibly six times a week in the 'cells' in the basement of the court. Her only interaction is with the prisoners themselves and her fellow officers. " Sometimes I don't see daylight all week, by the time I leave work its dark outside and when I get up its also dark-it can be quite a strain". To look at Carol you wouldn't think that her job was a 'strain'. She is far removed from the stereotypical prison officer that is synonymous with polished black boots and a stern air of authority. She has long blonde hair that is neatly tied up with a red flower hair band. She is tall at 6ft, but not overpowering, as her smile and welcoming stance assures. Her bright blue and pink make-up mirrors her personality and enthusiasm for the job she calls 'her life and her passion'. "The job is hard, but I do love it, you get a great deal of job satisfaction when you have helped somebody with a problem. Whether that means getting through to someone about their drug addiction, or