Role Exit in Prison Officers Returning to ‘Civvy Street’

1. Introduction - Returning to Civvy Street: Role exit in prison officers

Introduction

Prisons and prison officers

Vision and rationale for the study

Introduction to our methodological approach

Aims of the study

Overview of chapters

Summary of key findings

Importance of our research – Why does this matter for criminology and criminal justice?

2. Prison Officers and Penal Environments

Introduction

Motivations to become a prison officer

Prison officer training through different eras

What is prison officer training?

Limitations of prison officer training

Prison officer training as a ‘liminal transition’

Comparative perspectives on prison officer training

Roles and values of a prison officer (and credit where credit is due)

Prison officer culture

Positive aspects of being a prison officer

Making a difference and finding meaning in prison officer work

Positive approaches to prison officer work with prisoners: Five-minute intervention

Pride, generativity and job satisfaction through contributing to rehabilitative ideals

Friendships, social support and solidarity

Humour: Having a laugh at work

Institutional factors impacting upon the role of prison officers in England and Wales

Senior management approaches towards prison officers

Stress and trauma of the prison officer role

Factors contributing to decision-making to leave the prison service

Role exit from other professional careers

Role exit from the prison service

Conclusion – why does any of this matter?

Role exit from other professional careers

Conclusion

3. Methodology

Introduction

Aims of the study

Research design

Ethical approval for research

Sampling strategy/recruitment of participants

Ethical considerations for our participants

Semi-structured interviews

Data analysis

Key themes identified for our research

‘Insider’ positionality’ within our research

Emotional labour of researching ex-prison officers as ‘insiders’

Conclusion

4. Theoretical framework

Introduction

Properties of the role exit process

First doubts (doubt, burnout frustration within the role of prison officer) (stage one)

Seeking alternatives: (away from the prison service) (stage two)

The turning point (departure from the prison service) (stage three)

Creating the ex-role (new role/identity post-prison officer ‘returning to civvy street’) (stage four)

Summary of theoretical framework

Justification and limitations of applying Ebaugh’s (1988) model to our research

5. Positive aspects of working as a prison officer

Introduction

Initial motivations for joining the Prison Service

‘Jail craft’ – mastering the craft practices of prison officer role (occupational socialisation)

Job satisfaction: what prison officers love about their job

Pride at being a prison officer- both in and out of the job

Camaraderie between officers and officers/prisoners

Nostalgia of being a prison officer – “back in the day”

Working with prisoners

Transferable life skills accrued from the prison officer role

Conclusion

6. Doubt/Burnout/Frustration Within the Role of Prison Officer

Introduction

Physical capabilities – age, unrealistic demands of the job and health scares

Mental health of prison officers

Burnout: Demoralisation, desensitisation and boredom with the job

Demoralisation, and desensitisation

Boredom with the job

Frustration with new/experienced members of staff

Civilianisation of roles/redeployment

Bureaucracy – treatment from senior management

Austerity

COVID-19

Conclusion

7. ‘Searching for Alternatives’ Away from the Prison Service

Introduction

Natural age retirement: thinking about “what next” post-retirement

Medical inefficiency/medical retirement

Contemplating a complete change of career

Voluntary Early Departure Scheme (VEDS)

“Just had enough of the job”

Negotiated settlement

Betwixt and between – liminality of ‘job’ and next ‘career’

Conclusion

8. Departure from the Prison Service HMPPS

Introduction

Biding time until last shift

Mixed emotions at leaving and walking through the prison gates for the last time

Poor or non-existent exit interviews

Lack of formal acknowledgment for time spent in the prison service

Lack of follow-on support for prison officers leaving the service

Conclusion

9. New Role/Identity Post-Prison Officer: “Returning to Civvy Street”

Introduction

Increased physical and mental health and wellbeing

Increased family time

‘Normal’ working patterns

New ‘career’ – transferable skills recognised and applied in ‘civvy street’

Retention of prison officer social networks

Positive goals for the future

Triggers – environmental cues that retraumatise

PTSD and lasting mental health issues

Who you might meet ‘on road’

Struggles reintegrating back into ‘civvy street’

‘Amputation’ or ‘reconstruction’ of prison officer identity?

Conclusion to chapter

10. Conclusion and Recommendations

Key recommendations

Biography

Sarah Nixon is a senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Winchester, UK. Her research interests include desistance and peer support programmes in prison and community settings; the impact of desistance education on the working practices of prison officers; and autoethnographic research on being a gay female prison officer and experiences with suicide/self-harm and trauma. Sarah previously worked as a prison officer for six years at a Category B adult male prison in England and is a member of the Prison Research Network and the Pracademic Network in conjunction with De Montfort University.

Darren Woodward is a lecturer in criminology at Arden University, UK. His research explores desistance from crime, prisons, and the experiences of people involved in criminal justice. Before entering academia, Darren spent 17 years as a prison officer, working at two large prisons in England in various capacities, including landing officer, offender supervisor, and offending behaviour facilitator. Darren is also a member of the Pracademic Network in conjunction with De Montfort University.

"There is certainly a need for more texts like this about the lived experiences of former prison officers. The market is saturated by ex-prisoner accounts yet there’s still a huge gap of ex-prison officer accounts. This book helps to fill that gap which will be a refreshing insight for many practitioners, pracademics, and students alike! It draws on many of the same themes always associated with ex-prisoners such as desistance which includes the process of reintegrating and identity transition. There is also a strong theme of Sykes seminal work about the Pains of Imprisonment which although focuses on the deprivations experienced by prisoners, can most certainly be translated to the lives of prison officers who are affected in many ways by the pains of imprisonment as prisoners themselves!"
David Honeywell, Lecturer in Criminology, Arden University, UK

"Contributing to a growing body of work on prison staff, this book presents a unique opportunity to explore the lived realities of personal, professional and cultural transitions involved in leaving the prison service. Role Exit in Prison Officers: Returning to ‘Civvy Street’ delivers an opportunity to understand why prison officers are leaving the service, particularly focusing on voluntary termination, medical retirement, and discharge. This is timely work in the wake of the recently seen ‘exodus’ of experienced operational prison staff who are, crucially, well-versed in ‘jailcraft’. Interrogating the liminal space between employment in the prison service and what lies next in the lives of those who leave, this publication deals with important issues of transition, burnout, and identity reorientation. Much like the resettlement and reintegration into the community of those who have served prison sentences, the return to ‘civvy street’ for former prison officers comes with its own unique set of personal challenges which require attention in the penological field. This publication will be of interest to academic, practitioner, and policy maker communities and should be embraced by all with an interest in the impact of carceral spaces on people who work within them."
Helen Nichols, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Hull, UK

"Nixon and Woodward combine professional experience with scholarly knowledge to produce this book, which is written with insight, empathy, and nuance. It is a great read for criminology students and scholars and for those who seek to better understand the realities of working in prison."
Francis Pakes, Professor of Criminology, University of Portsmouth, UK