Post by jana10 on Apr 13, 2018 20:47:11 GMT
Copied this from the other forum as I thought it was a real eye opener to what the job can be like. Not sure who the orginal author is but some of you may reconise the piece
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but that "average day" doesn't include all the little details, I'll try and fill a few in.
I left over a year ago so things might have changed,
Briefing would normally end with we are short staffed again but crack on and unlock anyway, so off you will go without another officer to watch your back when you unlock your landing or unit, once you have unlocked and the prisoners are out getting meds or just wandering you will be bombarded with requestes/demands ranging from can I have phone credit to "I'm not going to bang back up" and often this will be interrupted by a fight or a prisoner kicking off due to not getting the medication he wants, so off you go to deal with that.
Then it's time to send them off to work and lock back up non workers, you will be lied to "I shouldn't be on the workshop list I was given the day off" also some won't rush and will be sat smoking but with a small time frame for the movement to work you will have to hurry them up. Usually by now the stress levels will be rising. Now time to bang up the guy who early on told you he wouldn't be going back in his cell. Due to being on your own it's going to be a case of trying to reason with him and find out why and if you can do anything, however more often then not it will end with a row and getting ubused (it could be your 8th shift in a row and the day before might have been 14 hours so your patience threshold might not be so high) so you tell him he has 2 choices go in or we will put you in. If he chooses the second off you will go to get some help and then force him in the cell. Chances are when its done he will make a threat of when you unlock this door I will slash/jug/punch you, you will be unlocking him again within a few hours so that will be on your mind until then adding to the already high stress.
Now time to get your roll check done and make sure it all adds up whilst answering questions from the movements officer as to why some of them have not gone, all this whilst cell bells are ringing and the guy you just chucked in a cell is now smashing up. You need to get your use of force paper work and the nicking paper done asap but chances are it will be in your own time. You look at your watch and realise it's only been 1 hour and you have another 11 left. If you do your job correctly and challenge bad behaviour ie smoking on landing, late for lock up, bullying, you will have many arguments and confrontations in your day. And at some point you will be assaulted, I have been directly due to challenging some or because I issued a warning for something, and also just because I was the nearest officer to attack.
This job is not easy and it's runied many lives of people I worked with, some so badly assaulted they couldn't continue other having full on breakdowns. It's all fun at the start getting to restrain people and try and ensure the rules are being followed but it gets old very quick and 2 hours after your shift was due to end your stood outside a cell with 3 colleges (2 being hardly fit to walk up a flight of stairs) about to go in to a prisoner who is hiv positive and covered in poo with slashed wrists blood all over holding a blade saying first one of you through that door is getting it, you think I don't want to do this but back on auto pilot in you go. Followed by 6 months of blood testing hoping you didn't pick up hiv. Not a good job at all"
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but that "average day" doesn't include all the little details, I'll try and fill a few in.
I left over a year ago so things might have changed,
Briefing would normally end with we are short staffed again but crack on and unlock anyway, so off you will go without another officer to watch your back when you unlock your landing or unit, once you have unlocked and the prisoners are out getting meds or just wandering you will be bombarded with requestes/demands ranging from can I have phone credit to "I'm not going to bang back up" and often this will be interrupted by a fight or a prisoner kicking off due to not getting the medication he wants, so off you go to deal with that.
Then it's time to send them off to work and lock back up non workers, you will be lied to "I shouldn't be on the workshop list I was given the day off" also some won't rush and will be sat smoking but with a small time frame for the movement to work you will have to hurry them up. Usually by now the stress levels will be rising. Now time to bang up the guy who early on told you he wouldn't be going back in his cell. Due to being on your own it's going to be a case of trying to reason with him and find out why and if you can do anything, however more often then not it will end with a row and getting ubused (it could be your 8th shift in a row and the day before might have been 14 hours so your patience threshold might not be so high) so you tell him he has 2 choices go in or we will put you in. If he chooses the second off you will go to get some help and then force him in the cell. Chances are when its done he will make a threat of when you unlock this door I will slash/jug/punch you, you will be unlocking him again within a few hours so that will be on your mind until then adding to the already high stress.
Now time to get your roll check done and make sure it all adds up whilst answering questions from the movements officer as to why some of them have not gone, all this whilst cell bells are ringing and the guy you just chucked in a cell is now smashing up. You need to get your use of force paper work and the nicking paper done asap but chances are it will be in your own time. You look at your watch and realise it's only been 1 hour and you have another 11 left. If you do your job correctly and challenge bad behaviour ie smoking on landing, late for lock up, bullying, you will have many arguments and confrontations in your day. And at some point you will be assaulted, I have been directly due to challenging some or because I issued a warning for something, and also just because I was the nearest officer to attack.
This job is not easy and it's runied many lives of people I worked with, some so badly assaulted they couldn't continue other having full on breakdowns. It's all fun at the start getting to restrain people and try and ensure the rules are being followed but it gets old very quick and 2 hours after your shift was due to end your stood outside a cell with 3 colleges (2 being hardly fit to walk up a flight of stairs) about to go in to a prisoner who is hiv positive and covered in poo with slashed wrists blood all over holding a blade saying first one of you through that door is getting it, you think I don't want to do this but back on auto pilot in you go. Followed by 6 months of blood testing hoping you didn't pick up hiv. Not a good job at all"