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After 50 years of service, the UK’s longest prison officer prepares for retirement.
Steve Ley – whose HM Prison and Trial Service (HMPPS) joined as a 21 -year -old man in 1975 – saw firsthand how the legal system developed over five decades.
Now 71 Works Ley at HMP Feltham in the west of London, where he prepares to call time with a career dedicated to keeping prisons safely and rehabilitation.
There was a dramatic transformation in prison life during his tenure, from the days when prisoners used room pots before in-cell toilets, to this day where prisoners have access to televisions and telephones-a change that he says is “all for good”.
Despite difficult moments, Ley finds satisfaction in the view of former prisoners in society and hopes that they are now living ‘fulfilling’ lives.
Steve served under two monarchs during his 50-year career and said he had “done the time” and now looks forward to his retirement in May, when he plans to travel with his 68-year-old wife, Ann.
“When I first joined work, we very rarely told people what we did to money,” he said.
‘Prison staff at the time did not have a very good reputation – people had these fixed ideas about who and what we were.
“When they looked at me, I didn’t fit the view of the prison officer – I wasn’t 6 meters tall, I’m 5ft 8in, my knuckles didn’t drag on the floor and I could talk to more than one syllable.
“Now I’m not ashamed to admit what I’m doing. I am proud of what I do … and I think I made a difference. “
Steve, who grew up in Swansea, South Wales, explained that job options were limited when he left school.
He considered working for the police or fire service, but he just lived from HMP Swansea only a few minutes, and suggested that he apply to work there.
“I didn’t think I would have a hope in hell,” he said.
“I was 21 years old, green like grass, absolutely nothing knew.
“I applied then, and strangely enough I went through the first tests and interviews, and that was, I was in.”
Steve started working at Ashford Prison in 1975 and lived in quarters before it closed in 1987, and then moved to HMP Feltham, followed by HMP Whitemoor, High Down Predicle and HMP Feltham, where he has been staying ever since.
The father-of-two explained that he has seen many changes over the years, with sanitation upgrades one of the most important.
He said other improvements include medical care, access to external agencies, the activities and opportunities offered to prisoners and food options, as menus are now available.
He said: ‘When I joined the prison service, you are one of the very first posts you do as a young officer, oversee the toilets, because in those days they did not have an integral sanitation.
“So you would stand there and they would come up with their room pots and it was horrible.
“It was for them and demoralized for us – and it’s all gone, it all changed.”
Steve explained that cells now have showers and that some even have televisions and phones, making the experiences of prisoners more “humanization”.
He said they give the opportunity to sit in their cell, watch the television or call their families, help to give them back a little control “and encourage good behavior.
He said, “I know that some people will complain about this … But if you think about it, if it helps them to act, then it is certainly what we need to do – we have to look after and help them.
“Things have changed significantly, but it’s all better.”
When asked whether the prison should punish, he said: “The majority of people want to know the wonderful bits and pieces, and I say to them,” There are no wonderful pieces and pieces. “
“We are not here to punish people, the courts have done it, it is not our role.
“Our role is to look after them while in prison and hopefully send out at the end of their sentence after changing.”
Steve’s role involves holding prison safe and safe, supporting rehabilitation and helping prisoners to leave jail and ‘get away from offense’.
Steve is currently working part -time and completes 19 and half an hour a week over two days, but he said shifts can vary.
Steve said there were many memorable moments during his career, but one stands out.
While working in the prison in Ashford, Steve said a group of young prisoners found out that he had welcomed his first child, Karen, and made them charts to congratulate him and his wife.
Steve said: “It is unusual to get the reaction of people, even friends outside, so for these boys who were imprisoned, it was incredible.”
While Steve had many positive experiences while working as a prison officer, there were also difficult days.
He saw prisoners “return” to the jail time and time again and saw two deaths in detention, describing it as the ‘lowest points’.
“No matter what someone did, they don’t deserve it,” he said.
Steve planned to retire at 55, but after realizing that he had not “maximized” his pension, he decided to work for two more and a half years.
At this point, he considered changing careers and even applying to work for British Airways, but he did not want to throw away all the years of experience.
Steve said the work in prisons made him more tolerant and a better listener, and he would encourage someone to apply to the prison service – and his son Gareth followed in his footsteps and joined in 2006.
He currently has no concrete plans for his retirement, but hopes to travel with Ann and spend time with family and friends.
He thought about his 50 -year career and said, ‘I did the time.
“I changed dramatically from the 21-year-old man who walked through the gate on that first day, knowing absolutely nothing and never saw the inside of a prison.
“So, where I am today, I am confident in myself, I know what I can do, what I can’t do, and I am willing and can give my opinion and hopefully help.
“The prison service is scary … but everyone has something they can offer.”
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