A prison officer from HMP Aylesbury is encouraging others from the LGBTQ+ community to join the prison service and help keep the public safe.
Tiffany Dudden, alongside other prison staff, is playing a role in supporting the prison system through challenging times, with prisons until recently close to full. Staff will play a key role in rebuilding the prison system so that it is more effective at cutting reoffending rates among those leaving prison.
Speaking ahead of National Inclusion Week (23 – 29 September), Tiffany, 28, who joined the service as a prison officer in 2018 says: “Diversity is vital because we are all different. It’s always good to learn from other people’s perspectives as it can develop you as a person as well.
“I have found in the prison service that people are very accepting, and it helps that there are a lot of gay people working here, like me. I’d say the prison service is getting very diverse, which is great.”
Recent figures show that the percentage of public sector prison staff self-identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Other (LGBO) has risen over the last four years. As of March 2024, 7.8% of public sector prison staff declared their sexual orientation as LGBO which is an increase of 1.2 percentage points since March 2020.
Tiffany, who has recently moved into a prison offender manager role at HMP Aylesbury, admits the prison service can be a challenging environment to work in, but is also rewarding:
She adds: “Before joining the service, I was studying psychology and criminology and I applied for the officer role quite quickly after leaving university. I didn’t know an awful lot about what goes on inside a prison until I got there. It was daunting at first, but I soon found my feet and started to enjoy it.
“The great thing about working in a prison is that you get to meet people from all walks of life and no two days are the same. But it’s not a job for everyone – you need bags of resilience to do this job and must be great at communicating with people.”
You do not need qualifications to become a prison officer or to join in a support staff role. HMP Aylesbury is looking for caring people with good communication and influencing skills and effective decision-making.
Applications for prison officer roles at HMP Aylesbury are now open. Those who would like to take the first step towards a new career can apply or find out more here.
