Principal Prison Officer
Kev Clift has spent the last 13 years in jail – and he’s in no rush to get out.
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As a principal officer at HMP Littlehey near Huntingdon, Kev’s responsible for the welfare of staff and prisoners one day a week, while carrying out his duties as orderly officer.
His role's as far as it gets from a nine to five job – and that’s part of its attraction.
Kev says: “You wear so many different hats. A prison officer can be the parent and the probation officer in one day. You could be dealing with self-harm, restraining someone or telling them about the death of a relative.”
And then, of course, there are the success stories – prisoners who’ve been in the system a long time and turned their lives around, drug addicts who’ve stayed clean after completing treatment programmes.
Many prisoners have hit rock bottom by the time they get sent to jail. One of the best parts of his job, Kev says, is seeing ex-offenders fully rehabilitated.
“When you’ve had people at crisis point, to see them go forward is rewarding.”
Career change
In 1995 Kev ditched his “lonely” sales job to become a prison officer, enticed by the variety of opportunities Her Majesty’s Prison Service had to offer.
Kev says: “I’d always had an interest in prison and police. My father was in the police force and other family members had been in the prison service. It seemed a rewarding job to get into.”
Before joining the service, he'd worked up to 70 hours a week as a sales representative, racking up 55,000 miles a year travelling around the country.
“I thought there was more to life than sitting in a car all day. It was a lonely job.”
Working in the Prison Service is anything but – and there’s little chance of getting bored or complacent as each day's different.
Scaling the prison ladder
In 1995 Kev joined HMP Highpoint in Suffolk based on an induction and basic regime unit before transferring to HMP Littlehey two years later.
At Littlehey, he started off in a residential wing, helping to run a five-day programme for prisoners with a history of substance abuse.
Kev says: “We were looking at why prisoners take drugs and the effects on family and friends and helping them to break the cycle.”
In 2001 Kev went on to manage to the prison’s drugs unit as a senior officer. This included a highly successful programme through the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt), which is still running today.
Kev's so dedicated to the programme that in 2003, he ran a marathon, raising £1800 for RAPt. That year he was promoted to principal officer, managing Littlehey’s 65 “lifers” – inmates sentenced to life imprisonment.
Kev's the security principal officer at Littlehey, overseeing the operational side of the department and dealing with prison intelligence. He overseas about 30 staff, including five senior officers, and spends one day a week looking after the entire prison, responsible for the welfare of staff and inmates.
There are numerous opportunities for promotion within the prison service.
Kev says: “If you’re prepared to work at it and to travel in the prison service you can get recognition and get the rewards.”
HMP Littlehey
Housing just over 700 men, Littlehey's situated on the site of the old Gaynes Hall Youth Custody Centre in Perry.
It was opened in 1988 as a purpose-built category C prison, which means its inmates are considered less dangerous and less likely to escape than those in category A or B jails.
Littlehey’s also a “trainer” prison, with a large emphasis on rehabilitation through education, work and training, including carpentry, car repair, horticulture and catering. Its staff work with partners from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors to offer opportunities for prisoners to develop the skills and attitudes required to make a fresh start.
Prisoners and staff alike take responsibility for ensuring the prison runs smoothly.
Littlehey takes a zero tolerance approach to bullying, training inmates in peer support programmes to act as “buddies” to vulnerable prisoners. A core group of inmates have been trained by The Samaritans to assist and support at risk prisoners, under the Listener Scheme.
Kev says: “If a guy is at crisis point they could spend sometimes hours listening to him.”
Diffusing situations
Staff are trained to deal with all types of situations, including those with the potential to become volatile. Kev prefers to use his communication skills to diffuse conflicts, rather than force, where possible.
He says: “Staff relations are very good at Littlehey. There’s a good sense of working together.”
Like many of the staff at Littlehey, Kev lives nearby – but never fears for his safety.
“A lot of staff live locally without too many major concerns. You do get recognised in the street by ex-prisoners. I’ve had no problems at all. They’re probably more embarrassed than you are – especially if they’re with their families.”
Prison careers
Littlehey offers a huge range of career opportunities, frequently recruiting prison officers, workshop instructors, operational support staff, teachers and catering personnel.
Kev says anyone considering a prison career should have good interpersonal skills, an open mind and a good sense of humour.
“They should have the ability to look at the larger picture, to think before they implement. A sense of humour has got to be a key because it can really diffuse the situation. There is so much banter between staff. Staff also need to be flexible.”