Who is the archetypal prison officer?
People tend to think of officers as a homogeneous group. In fact my research indicated that prison officers are a very diverse group who defend distinctly different visions and versions of the officer role. On what spheres of an officer’s working life do you concentrate your research? The book examines the emotional, dramatic and domestic character of prison work and what working in prisons really involves for those who do it. What were your key findings? The key theoretical claims in the book are that prisons are both emotional and domestic spaces and that as a consequence, working in prisons demands a performative attitude on the part of uniformed staff and an often significant engagement in emotion-management – what I call ‘emotional labour’. A combination of these two elements allows prison officers to get the job done. Sounds impressive! In my view, the prison officer’s job is a difficult and complex one that involves a range of skills – many of which prison officers often do not
