AMA worked in CAT A prison

[coulditbeme2323]

I have seen a few AMA prison posts, but never by an operational member of staff.

I have worked both a CAT A and YOI - so have seen the worst of the worst.

AMA

What do you think would do most do discourage crime/repeat offending? Alleviating poverty? Better identification of learning difficulties? Present, working fathers? Ex cons taking up kids about what its really like inside? Better support on leaving prison? Immediate severe sentences for any crime at all? Something else?

What was your worst experience and during your time there did you lose faith in the human condition?

How hard was it not to let your hatred of child murderers show? I’d never be able to keep a poker face with some of the absolute scum of the earth in a cat A
prison. Do they treat the nonces worse than other inmates?

Present Fathers is the biggest cause of concern by a country mile for me.

Female colleague had her front teeth knocked out, and I guy I trained with was hot watered.

They do get treated far worse.

If they are high profile they will go straight to a VP wing, and if not high profile they will be told in reception to create a cover story about why they are in.

Why is this do you think?

And what has surprised you or changed your mind the most?

What do you mean by this?

What salary scales are you on: ie do you receive “danger money”
for such a high risk profession?

I think when it comes to some crimes the risk is too great to try and rehabilitate.

There is no point as they should never be allowed back into society.

I worked 5 years in a YOI, most don't have a Dad around or the Dad is inside himself.

It's fairly poorly paid, you get an unsociable shift allowance but no "danger money."

There seems to be a regular stream of female prison officers being prosecuted for having relationships with prisoners. Have you seen this happen and can you understand why this might happen?

Not the op but my two pence worth.

They’re too far gone. These are extremely violent criminals who have very limited remorse for their crimes. They didn’t kill by accident, they almost think they are justified. Rehabilitation would mean that they’d be released back into the community and would kill again.

I spilled to join the prison service. Sort of the application process is demonstrating how you’d deal with different scenarios at which point I realise id spend my days working with people who were convinced none of their vile actions were “their fault”. I was raising three boys at the time and was very big in “ owning your own behavior” and I just realised that I’d probably end up killing one of the inmates out of pure frustration that they couldn’t take the same level of responsibility for their own actions as my 11 year old 🤣

Recruiting process has changed, and for the worse!

This is likely a very dumb question but what did you do all day, what is the job?

Edit: to clarify, not the role title but what was the work.

why do you think they would though? Is it just all they know or lack of empathy or why are they like that?

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on Probation/OMU. How are they perceived by prison officers?

A lot of it can be sitting around, it's actually quite an easy job for 90% of the time - but a bad day is a bad day.

If you are an A shift (7-7) you will be on the unit all day, but otherwise you can be at education, workshops, legal visits, social visits, medical treatments etc...

Probation no real thoughts, OMU do gooders!

I think it can be multiple reasons, but some people are just animals.

I heard this on a podcast the other day but can't remember which. It's really shocking, isn't it?

Why do gooders? Can you expand a little?

From that faith quite a lot of the crimes tend to be sexual crimes, so protection even more important.

Don't really understand what it's like to work operationally, and only see the best in cons.