Prison Officer

Alison Liebling is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Prisons Research Centre; David Price worked as a research assistant and co-author on the first edition and now works in IT; Guy Shefer is a research assistant at the Institute of Psychiatry, London.

• 1. Introduction: Prison Officers at Their Best  2. Who is the Prison Officer?  3. Understanding Prison Officers and Their Role  4. The Complexities of Role  5. Staff–Prisoner Relationships: The Heart of Prison Work  6. The Centrality of Discretion in the Work of Prison Officers  7. Prison Officer Culture and Unionisation  8. The Prison Officer in a Modern Bureaucracy  9. Conclusions

'...this book deserves to be considered a timeless classic.''The work is particularly distinguished by its ability to bring the emotional texture of prison work into the light. Prison officers are shown to be thinking, feeling agents, who experience joy, sadness, dejection, satisfaction, fear and excitement. This rounded and human portrait has been too rarely part of academic or popular representations. The affective nature of the work is also illuminated, showing how relationships, sensitivity and human interaction are all central. It is this connection with people and the intimacy of their lived experience where this book comes most vibrantly to life.'-Jamie Bennett, Governor, HMP Grendon and Springhill, in the Prison Service Journal no 200 Mar 2012Comments on the first edition'The most important book for the prison service of the past 30 years.' – Phil Wheatley, Director General of the Prison Service'This outstanding book will be a constant source of reference.' – Martin Narey, Former Director General of the Prison Service