Meet the female prison officer protecting the public and helping to break the cycle of crime

A female prison officer in Northamptonshire, who swapped the stage for prison wings, has shared what it’s really like to be a woman working inside a male prison.

Jessica Hardy, 21, studied professional dance and musical theatre at college, but with a family history of working in the service, she was almost destined to wear the prison officer uniform. She did work experience at a prison service college when she was 15 and then worked in private sector security for 18 months before she joined HMP Onley in July 2021. She has now been promoted to a custodial manager where her role involves overseeing visits by prisoners’ families. She says:

"When I did work experience, I learned lots of things you wouldn’t ordinarily know, that opened my eyes to what people do behind the big gates.

“I’m really passionate about the prison service and I love my job. I like reading the policies and keeping up to date with things.

“It’s about as far away as you can get from dance and theatre but I knew there would be stability and a job for life.

“At HMP Onley we all work together in a tight-knit group. Everyone’s very supportive. It’s like a big family as it’s important we stick together.

“I’m ambitious and want to keep getting promoted but I enjoy this role. You’re there to maintain security but there’s lots of interaction with members of the public too. It’s interesting and means taking a different approach to what you would working on the wing, for instance.

“I would absolutely encourage anyone to apply. It is not just locking doors. You learn new skills and there are so many opportunities across the service. If you want to progress it’s there, you just have to work hard for it.”

HMP Onley is in Northamptonshire and is a category C local resettlement prison and currently houses around 700 male prisoners.