Prison officers pen poem about unseen front line
The work of hidden heroes working in prisons has been brought into focus through a special fundraising campaign.
Two officers from HMP Swinfen Hall in Staffordshire have collaborated to produce a poem and T-shirt which highlights the work officers do but which often goes unseen by the public.
Officers Barrett and Castro came up with the idea after receiving some posters with the hashtag #Hiddenheroes on them about the campaign.
The two officers, who can’t give their full names for security reasons, both work on the India wing at the prison. They said their poem on the back of the T-shirt was inspired by their working life.
Officer Castro said: “We tried to write it so that if a member of the public read it, they could sort of understand our job.
“With us being shut away from the public, I think that’s a thing people don’t understand about what we do and it’s not just locking doors and unlocking doors.
“We are first aiders, we’re fire marshalls, we’re counsellors and we do so much more as well.”
The two officers said the whole prison, including prison governor Ian West, had been really supportive of the project, which has seen 101 shirts sold across Swinfen Hall and other prisons in the network.
Charity
Officer Barrett said she and her colleague were very proud of how the project had gone, with the £640 raised from sales going to MIND, which she said was an appropriate charity to donate to.
The officers also spoke about how they had coped during lockdown, with both saying there had been challenging times, but they had both kept strong.
Officer Barrett said: “I feel like I’ve coped, although it’s been tough not seeing certain members of my family, which I struggled with. As we’ve continued to come to work, I don’t think it’s affected me as much as it has other people, particularly people furloughed or working at home.”
Officer Castro said: “I don’t think anything has changed for me as I’ve been able to come to work and do my normal work every day.
“Not being with the family can sometimes be hard, but you find the people you work with are like your family and you do find a bond with them.”
Both officers said the prison had done everything it could to keep them safe, with temperature checks, full social distancing and full PPE equipment when needed.
They also said the relationship with the prisoners had been good during lockdown.
Officer Barrett said: “We would like people to see that there are a lot of brilliant staff who do a lot of good work in prisons.”
