Prison officers feel 'under threat from all sides'

The research involved 76 interviews with all ranks from prison officer to governor, complemented by data from a survey distributed to every prison in the State and which received 544 responses.

Prison officers feel "under threat from all sides", including from the top levels of the Irish Prison Service and from the public, according to
comprehensive new research.

The findings are outlined in an article entitled ‘There are Fourteen Grey Areas’: ‘Jailing’, Professionalism and Legitimacy in Prison Officers’ Occupational Cultures , published in the most recent edition of the Irish Probation Journal. 

Author Dr Joe Garrihy, previously of Maynooth University and now lecturing at the Birmingham City University, presented key findings from a large-scale study in what he said was "unprecedented access" to four Irish prisons. 

The research involved 76 interviews with all ranks from prison officer to governor, complemented by data from a survey distributed to every prison in the State and which received 544 responses.

According to the research: "The findings of this study present an occupational group who feel under threat from all sides: from Irish Prison Service Headquarters [IPS HQ], local management, prisoners, the media, and the public."

It said these findings supported earlier research which indicated that those working in prisons were "hidden from public view".

"Officers feel misunderstood, misrepresented, and maligned by these multiple sources," it said. "Consequently, it is reasonable to argue that they experience their occupational group and identities as under constant threat, which significantly solidifies their experiences of insularity and social isolation."

The responses from those surveyed indicated strong levels of solidarity among the prison workforce. It said: 

Officers contend that IPS HQ and local management perceive staff as a ‘necessary evil’ and persistently threaten staff with disciplinary action. 

A wry phrase that captures this most aptly is ‘they [IPS] spend three years training you and 30 trying to sack you’."

It also suggested an expectation that officers would conform with expectations, and anyone falling outside of this may receive "the silent treatment", including others not engaging in shift swaps.  

"This appears low in severity, but it is grindingly effective in coercing conformity," it said.

"Officers hold their ability to ‘jail’ in high regard," it said, quoting one female officer with more than 15 years' experience: "You don’t have a baton or a gun, but you have your mouth, and this is your most important weapon."

The study also said there was "the ‘grey area’" in prison work which is "the domain between official prison rules and ‘how things are done’." 

This can include cell searches and 'late unlocking of specific cells' which refers to officers leaving certain prisoners locked in their cells until last in their morning unlock rounds and according to the research: "Officers make scores of infinitesimal daily decisions that lie within the conceptualisation of the grey area".

Some officers said this can lead to "the tail wagging the dog", with one officer stating: "We gave them [prisoners] everything. And then we’d nothing left to give them, so they’re starting to act up again now, that’s a huge thing."

The research also noted high levels of professionalism and concluded: "to understand the cultures of prisons is to understand prisons".