Why undertake research on prison officers?
EC: There is an absolute dearth of information on the subject. Libraries are crammed full of studies on penal systems, prisons and the treatment of prisoners but very little is available on prison officers – an occupational group who do, after all, play a pivotal role in the life of prisons. I wanted to find out what it means on a daily basis to be a prison officer. How did you research your subject? Between 1997 and 2000 I visited six prisons including three YOIs, two adult male prisons and a prison holding both adults and young offenders. Within those prisons were specialist regimes; a therapeutic wing for young offenders, a sex offender treatment wing and a wing for elderly prisoners. As well as approximately 40 formal interviews with officers I had many informal conversations where we would, for instance, just sit in the laundry room or in the staff canteen. I was also very fortunate that some officers let me into their homes to speak to their families. Much of the time I simply ob
