The Prison Officer

by Gen Glaister

The Prison Officer challenges everything you thought you knew about people in prison.

Becoming a prison officer was Gen's burning ambition despite her background making this an unlikely career choice.

At twenty-three, full of hopes and dreams of helping those that needed it most within the prison system, she discovered the reality of life behind bars that no training could possibly have prepared her for.

In this searing account of her years as a prison officer, Gen shares how she learned to use her heart, her humour and sheer bloody-mindedness to make a difference to the men who lived by a different set of rules, finding her place amongst gangsters, killers and traffickers.

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2024

Reviews

[Lily Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book had been longer. I really felt for the characters spoken about and the entire book really moved me. The way it was written was a great mix between informative and human - we get to see what prison is really like and also about the people there who are so much more than just numbers.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true life account of the career of a young, female prison officer in London. The author describes how she came to work for the service, her first formative days and some of the staff and prisoners she encountered along the way.

The author clearly has a great deal of respect for the prisoners under her care, and notes the various challenges of the job and working with some people who have clearly checked out years ago.

Some of the book seemed like it was written as a filler to bulk out the overall size; in the sense that similar interactions with the same people are described more than once. I would have liked to have read about a greater variety of prisoners and their stories. There’s a great deal of similar books on the market right now, with this one sitting comfortably perched somewhere in the middle.

[Eve Kirman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing insight into the life of nanny boyden, I now know exactly what she’s talking about every day after work.

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gen always wanted to be a prison officer and at the age of 23 she got her first job at one of Britain’s toughest prison and in this book she shares honest and raw accounts of her time there, amongst gangsters, killers, traffickers and the worst of the worst.

This was a ride and is definitely not a job for the faint hearted and as I was reading I could literally feel the life draining out of Gen - what a soul sucking job and I admired her honesty at how this job changed her in such a short amount of time, especially that around how over time she found herself losing a sense of compassion and becoming numb to things.

Gen shares how the connections she made with inmates that got her through the day to day and just how important this is to do in such a place, to just keep things running and also being a way to minimise the chaos. It was also a great reminder that amid said chaos, you can still make a difference to a hardened criminal and Gen did just that to a couple.

My biggest takeaway though was how there is such a huge and important need for mental health assistance both on the inside and outside world of prison and more attention needs to be put towards this and maybe, just maybe, life and the world could be a slightly better place for these inmates, officers and the system.

On a lighter note, I found it really interesting and funny how there was an inmate who made cheese and even one who grew vegetables in their cells - they sure are a savvy bunch!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished reading The Prison Officer after devouring it in two days straight. It tackles an overlooked subject with humour and grit, painting such vivid pictures you feel like you're there beside Gen in prison. As such, the prisoners she meets are fully-rounded, demanding the reader's attention and often - oddly - your respect. Several will stay with me for months, and I hope getting to know them through the pages of this book will redefine how I think of prisoners, and prisons, in the future. Would recommend to anyone interested in true crime, the criminal justice or someone who wants a non-trashy page-turner!

[Imogen Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A memoir of a young female prison officer working in a male prison. Heart breaking how the male prisoners have ended up there, with some in prison from being trafficked like Dawar, Aziz who couldnt turn away from a life of gangs and crime, Hamza in his own world from mental illness and Scarlett the trans women who could not stop cutting. The conflict Jen saw and the lack of support from management was all too real. She started quiet and shy but became a brilliant prison officer however had to leave after realising she had become too desensitized and was not shocked by anything she saw anymore. Would add that there is graphic descriptions of self harm.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect example of a biography from a prison officer.

It was packed full of proper real stories, Gen didn't spend ages going over how she came to get the job, she just got straight in there with real stories from her time as a prison officer. It was a fantastic read and extremely interesting and eye opening for anybody with an interest of life inside prisons as an officer.

Brilliant read.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A harrowing, heartbreaking and truthful story of time behind bars, written by a former prison officer.
The book is well written, structured and brings the environment to life on the page.

It’s a sad outlook, and having read numerous accounts from former prisoners, this a refreshing outlook. Highly recommend. Five out of five.

[Jess J · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. I previously worked in an all mens prison and everything Gen had written in this book, all the details, the prison jargon, the layout, it was all exactly the same. Couldnt put it down! DEFINITELY worth the read!

[Rebecca Fowkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was brilliant. I loved how we got to know some of the prisoners and I loved Bert. I felt so sorry for Scarlet though. I wasn't keen on the prison officer Dimitra. I loved how Gen was with the prisoners. Loved how it was written. Definitely recommend.

[Denese Linnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone wants a real life experience of being a prison officer then this book is for you. My time working in criminal law and consequently knowing prison officers served me well reading this fantastic book.

Gen Glaister I'd love to know where your next chapter took you

[sjd macfarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful read

Really enjoyed this book and getting to know the characters . Gen told the story with empathy and passion. I was sad for it to end.

[Daisy Greville williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Extremely well-written, poignant exposure of the realities of working in a prison.

[Liz]

Not for me. I didn’t like the prisoners talk, too much of it, not enough detail.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

[Alison Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jane Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I could feel the warmth and kindness she has toward the inmates she was working with. I was glad to get a glimpse into what it’s like to work as a prison officer.

[Aniqah Buckingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really insightful look on the life and shifts of someone working in a prison. Gave me an insight I hadn’t seen before and opened my eyes to how prison life might be like.

[Mercurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Sherrie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5