Prison Officers
don’t normally like talking about themselves, but in 2016 & 2017, the Butler Trust brought together
more than 200 of them, with over 2000 years of experience between them, to look, among other things, at the skills and qualities they
bring to their work. Here’s some of what they had to say:
‘It’s more than
just a job.’ ‘It’s about people skills, being a
positive role model, and knowing
which hats to wear when.’ ‘We are role models: sometimes
the first and only role models that
certain individuals have’
‘A prison officer wears many
hats and encompasses
many skills’ ‘We make a
real difference.’ ‘We are a lot more
than just security.’
‘It’s a thousand little
different things.’ ‘There is a lot of different
things we do every day that
change prisoners’ lives.’ ‘…it’s the little things you do that,
ten years down the line, might just
start the ball rolling.’