A Hertfordshire prison is looking for new officers – but do you have what it takes?

HMP The Mount may have hit the headlines in July when armed prisoners took over a wing, but the day-to-day work prison officers do is rarely heard about.

Tricia Clarke, who has worked at the Category C men's prison, in Molyneaux Avenue, Bovingdon, for 13 years, described a day in the life of her role…

The 60-year-old said: “I usually get to work at around 7.15am in the morning and we have a short briefing in the wings before unlocking the prisoners who will spend the day working and doing different chores.

“There is a regime in place for them to follow to ensure there is structure to their day. They will exercise before work and will be locked up again as they go to lunch and then unlocked again at 1.45pm after staff have had lunch too.

“My role in my allocated wing is to ensure prisoners do not wander into other wings and keep an eye out until they return from work at around 4.30pm. They then may have to pick up medicine or sort out their health care and the final lock up will take place at 7.30pm.”

Ms Clarke admitted “being prepared” was a key aspect of being able to deal with her role.

She explained: “There are so many characters but you learn their quirks and it helps with dealing with them.

“Life skills come in handy when you are a prison officer. People will shout at you and get in your face but as long as you are prepared you can deal with it.

“I have never felt unsafe, as you call for assistance if needed. However, it’s all about how you deal with challenging situations.”

The Mount is the first prison Ms Clarke has worked at but she has also been employed in various jobs over the years such as at a newspaper and as a production manager

She said: “I enjoy dealing with people and doing work that is different every day, rather than sitting front of a computer every day.

“Prison officers do not have the same profile as police and ambulance service but there are a lot of rewarding things that happened here – particularly with helping prisoners get back into the community.

“You also build up strong staff relationships with people of all ages, as you can apply for a job whether you are 18 or 50-years-old.”

For more information about becoming a prison officer, visit: http://bit.ly/prisonofficerTheMount