Prison officers unlock the call to shed light on a dangerous job

THE men and women of the Irish Prison Service are very concerned that various newspaper articles taint the public’s perception of them.

Prison officers perform a demanding and dangerous job. No other group of employees faces, on a daily basis, the personal risks associated with the job of a prison officer: threats, intimidation and attacks from prisoners using razors, blood-filled syringes and makeshift weapons.

Statistics show that violence against prison officers in their place of work and, worryingly, outside of it is increasing at an alarming rate.