My life as a prison officer: ‘It wasn’t just the smell that hit you. It was the noise’

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  This article contains some very strong language and descriptions of scenes

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  that some listeners may find distressing.

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  Take care when listening My life as a Prison Officer it wasn't just the smell that hit you,

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  it was the noise.

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  Written and read by Alex South As a former prison officer,

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  I have opened thousands of cell doors for almost a decade.

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  I unlocked cells in residential blocks, healthcare units,

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  first night centres, close supervision centres and segregation units.

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  The twist and click of a key in the lock came to feel like background noise to me.

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  But there are some occasions I remember more vividly than others.

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  Sometimes the person inside wasn't so keen on coming out.

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  One of those challenging incidents took place a few years ago

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  while I was on shift in a segregation unit in a busy London jail.

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  Prisoners are sent to the SEG for a variety of reasons fights, assaults on staff,

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  possession of contraband, but normally for no longer than a week OR2.

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  The SEG was made up of 18 single cells spread over two storeys.

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