I hate the idea of British prison officers carrying stun guns – but it may be our only option | Alex South
There’s little chance of rehabilitation in the UK’s dangerously depleted prison system. These weapons might at least keep staff and inmates safeAlex South is a former prison officerIt was a hot day in Texas when I visited in 2018. Hotter still inside the walls of the Eastham Unit, the men’s prison near Huntsville where I spent a few hours. My hands were sweaty enough as it was, as I focused my attention on the target board in front of me and practised firing rounds from a small silver pistol.The men and women with me were wardens at the Eastham Unit. “I wouldn’t do this job without a gun for no amount of money,” said one. These were experienced correctional officers who knew the Texas prison system well. And they were baffled that, as an English prison officer, I didn’t carry a gun. But I felt differently. There were plenty of things that I would have changed about our prison system, but introducing weapons wasn’t one of them.Alex South is a former prison officer and the author of the memoir Behind These Doors Continue reading...
There’s little chance of rehabilitation in the UK’s dangerously depleted prison system. These weapons might at least keep staff and inmates safe
- Alex South is a former prison officer
It was a hot day in Texas when I visited in 2018. Hotter still inside the walls of the Eastham Unit, the men’s prison near Huntsville where I spent a few hours. My hands were sweaty enough as it was, as I focused my attention on the target board in front of me and practised firing rounds from a small silver pistol.
The men and women with me were wardens at the Eastham Unit. “I wouldn’t do this job without a gun for no amount of money,” said one. These were experienced correctional officers who knew the Texas prison system well. And they were baffled that, as an English prison officer, I didn’t carry a gun. But I felt differently. There were plenty of things that I would have changed about our prison system, but introducing weapons wasn’t one of them.
Alex South is a former prison officer and the author of the memoir Behind These Doors Continue reading...
