I work in a prison - AMA

[Alpacamysuitcase]

As per the title.

I won't say anything to identify me, the place I work, or any individuals. I won't disclose sensitive information. But happy to help other than that!

Having consulted Urban Dictionary I see that @Rentonsstillgettingit you were asking me do prisoners routinely masturbate "at" female staff?

Er, no. Prisoners are more likely to hold open a door, lend you a pen or comment on the weather. Someone deliberately masturbating in front of people, especially women, would not be tolerated by staff or other prisoners. They could also be reported to the police and charged etc. I'm not saying it never happens, but I've never heard of it. It's probably more likely to happen to female teachers in school.

I'm sure many knock one out while thinking about women they encounter, but that's a different matter.

@mildshock sorry if I'm making your husband jealous of our facilities with our fancy bananas! If he saw the chips he'd not feel the same, I'm sure.

I think morale is patchy, and in some areas pretty poor. The thing around extending officers retirement age to (I think) 67 is ridiculous, and gets grumbled about a lot.

Yes, there are some people whose way of speaking is painfully unprofessional. I think it is slowly, slowly improving though.

I didn't watch the documentary, though. Although I like my job, I avoid prison programmes etc. I don't want to spend my evening going "I can't believe that", "well that'd never happen"... Or, "wait, they have BANANAS!"....

I've often wondered how people with disabilities or serious health needs are dealt with in the prison system. Such as needing a wheelchair or stick to walk, severe pain issues from conditions, migraines and unpredictable conditions. Are prisoners allowed access to painkillers if needed, refused food if unable to get to food place or are accommodations made for that. Mostly coming from my own experience of being unable to sit for long without lying down, needing painkillers to exist some days and not on some. Is significant disability or health needs taken into account when sentencing or have a baring on the prison they are sent to, if someone requiring 1 to 1 care commits a crime. I know this may fall outside your own experiences, just something I've always wondered.

I think you already answered my other question, what happens if a prisoner commits a crime while in prison. You mention police may be involved, I've kind of always had an idea that the punishment for crime will just be tacked on the original sentence but police makes more sense! Do you know if committing a serious crime within prison can lead to the prisoner being moved to a different place as a result.

Do prisoners wear uniform or clothes provided? or do they have to have their own, and what happens if they don't have any. I'm thinking everyone dressed in bright orange is an American tv show thing!

Incorrect that sex offenders are always kept seperately. Many prisons have an 'integrated regime' where offenders of all types, including sex offenders are mixed together.

I watched a prison documentary this week based on Durham. They had a guy who was obviously mentally unwell and could not cope by himself and ended up in there. I just felt really sorry for him. He ended up getting sectioned which he was ecstatic about so he had somewhere to go on release.

How accessible is healthcare for prisoners - can they just request to see a GP/nurse/mental health nurse if they want/feel they need to, or do they need permission from prison officers to do so? Is there pressure to keep healthcare costs down - a theme in prison dramas would be officers not permitting access to healthcare for ‘minor’ issues on grounds of cost.

Also are prisoners allowed to follow dietary choices for purely philosophical reasons - say vegetarian or vegan diet? I assume if there are religious reasons (halal/kosher/vegan if they are Buddhist etc) then these diets must be provided?

How easy is it if a prisoner wants

Sorry pressed send too soon

How easy is it if a prisoner wants to read a particular book, or to self-study a particular subject, or study for a qualification - can they just request to do these things or are they priveliges?

Do you think prisoners get too many rights?
Do you think it would work better if they did more of the us a system e.g tied together on the road picking up rubbish. For prisoners serving sentences rather than just a community order. (I realise this might not be realistic over here just wondering)

Does it annoy you knowing that people who commit a crime get a warm bed and 3 meals a day whereas a 2 parent family working ft struggle to achieve this?

@GoldilocksAndTheThreePears if prisoners have physical health needs where I work they get an OT assessment and wheelchair/walking aids/grab rails etc provided. Decisions about what to do before OT assessment is complete would be made on a case by case basis with advice from nursing/medical staff. There are a small number of slightly more roomy disabled cells which have adapted showers. If someone wasn't able to come for food that would be managed informally by another prisoner fetching it for them.

Some prisoners are allowed to keep their own medication and manage it themselves, others go to the nursing station to be given supervised meds. It depends on the medicine (risk of abuse) and if the prisoner has shown themselves to be responsible around medication. Hall staff where I am can give out single doses of paracetamol. If someone is unwell and wants to miss work they have to report to the nurse to get signed off.

I'm not sure how physical health needs would be taken into consideration in sentencing. I would guess they would be if very severe. But that is just a guess.

@SpecialBond that's interesting. I've never seen or experienced mixing of mainstream and sex offenders. I can certainly see that there could be advantages, although I wouldn't like to be the one to break it to the "on the ground" officers.

@SerendipityFelix where I work healthcare is provided directly by the NHS. Prisoners have a legal right to healthcare. If they have a health need they submit a health request form and a nurse comes to see them. Usually a general or mental health nurse will deal with them, but they may be referred in to the GP. There are also clinics for things like basic dentistry, podiatry etc. Prisoners can be escorted to hospital for stuff like oncology, neurology etc. I can't see prison staff trying to restrict access to healthcare as it is a separate service now.

Prisoners who gave their own money can submit a request to buy a book/educational literature from a supplier used by the prison. They can also submit a request for items, including books, to be supplied by visitors. There is a limited stock in prison libraries.

Prison education tends, in my experience, to be focussed on vocational skills, basic skills and school-level qualifications. I've heard of people doing open university but I'm not sure of the details. The majority of prisoners have literacy difficulties so the focus is on lower level stuff.

Thanks for answering all my film/Theroux based queries. I just presumed they would all be run by the top gang lords and officers turned a blind eye to drugs and hierarchy for an easy life, so it is heartening to know this is not the case.

The bunk system on the docu was among inmates, nothing to do with who was paired up with whom, so if you got a top bunk you had to fight for a bottom bunk etc. Guessing that doesn’t exist even on an informal basis in the jails yo have been in.
What I am getting fro this is if you are going to commit a crime, do it in the UK and not the prison Louis was visiting!! I guess I knew his would be very extreme cases. The “ gunning” was taking place while Louis T was strolling through with the female officer, so guess commonplace in that particular jail. Prison to me sounds like an extension of school on FT basis. Maybe worse food...

@Bluelonerose I don't think anyone has too many rights. Human rights are human rights, they shouldn't be based on merit. Who gets to decide who is entitled to rights or not? That would be a slippery slope.

I don't think practices aimed at shaming (such as chain gangs) are effective. Certainly the states have very high rates of recividism so that doesn't support their approach. People can be expected to work hard without being on display. In general deterrents in terms of punishment are tricky, because people act impulsively or think they have covered their tracks. They don't (generally) plan to get caught. Unless they want back in anyway.

It doesn't annoy me knowing that prisoners get a bed and food. If other people are struggling that is a separate problem. It's a worrying one, but no need to punish prisoners twice.

Fascinating thread, thank you OP.

Are you interested in the psychology behind the offender, e.g. Sociopaths, psychopaths, etc?

What is your opinion on the death penalty?

My view is that custody is necessary and appropriate for serious, harmful crime and for persistent offenders. But it is massively overused and we should be more thoughtful and creative about how people committing less serious offences can be punished but also supported and rehabilitated, preferably remaining part of and contributing to their community*

Oh my god. This a million percent. Such wise words. If only there were more people in th CJS like you OP.

I was going to ask about the death penalty too.

Such an interesting thread - thank you!

Apologies I realise now that was rather a personal question but thank you for doing this thread it's been a real eye opener for me

Is it true that careleavers are vastly over represented in the prison system? I’m guessing yes, given what you’ve already said about the abusive childhoods a lot have had.

Also do they largely acknowledge why they’re in there or are they all ‘innocent’.

Great thread OP. I work in mental health and my aim is to get a job within a prison. I have been inside one for a job interview several years ago (not a mental health job). I have a relative who worked as a therapist in a young offenders prison, some of the stories I have heard are very sad.

In my line of work I deal with some similar things you probably do in prisons. Do you find it hard not to get too emotionally involved with some inmates? Occasionally I find it hard to shut off when I get home.

I am close to someone who has worked in HMP's for 35 years.
It was only 2 years ago that I actually toured one for the very first time.
I left feeling, well.. I just thought ' What is it all for?' reoffending rates are 50% - the drug problem is endemic and more so than ever with spice - The staff work so hard on what seems to be a thankless task.
The prison I toured had better educational facilities than many schools - You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

I am 100% opposed to the death penalty.

Yes, I am interested in what drives offending. However I find personality diagnoses restrictive, they suggest there is something wrong with the individual whereas often their behaviour is often a natural consequence of the environment they've developed in. E.g. If you sexually abuse a child from a young age, neglect them, disrupt their relationships, they are going to be emotionally unstable. It's a bit stigmatising to say they are disordered.

Care leavers are sadly massively over represented. It's very sad.

I think it's important to be able to compartmentalise, and not get significantly emotionally involved. However I'd be lying if I said I wasn't moved by certain stories, saddened by certain lives, or heartened by success stories. I do let prisoners see that I'm human, and form appropriate connections with them. But I don't lose sleep over things or become preoccupied. When I'm at home, I'm at home, and it's separate. I think that's an individual thing, but people who can't switch off will burn out.

Thanks for all the nice comments. This has been a nice thread for me because it has reinforced the feeling that it is worth it, even though (as described by @escape) circumstances can make working in this environment frustrating/thankless.