Parliament to examine the role of the prison officer – see e-forum here
“The Justice Committee has set up this web forum to hear the views of prison officers, and others with experience of prisons and prisoners, on the challenges prison officers face working in today’s Prison Service.
“The on-going debate on the aims of imprisonment has rarely taken account of the increased demands placed on the people who handle day-to-day management of prisoners. The modern prison officer is no longer simply a turnkey but an enforcer, reformer and, at times, a carer.
“An aging prison population, high levels of drug and alcohol abuse together with the psychiatric and other problems of many prisoners are all placing unprecedented demands on prison officers. Additionally, there is the sheer workload associated with increased numbers in custody and the serious problem of overcrowding to consider.
“This forum will run for six weeks until 5 May 2009. We hope you will register and share your experiences. When posting, please be careful not to include private information about yourself or other people.
“The posts we receive, with the written and oral evidence gathered during our inquiry, will help shape the recommendations the Committee makes to the Ministry of Justice in its report.”