States of Jersey Prison holds its first open day for staff family members

10 April 2019

Family members of prison staff have, for the first time, visited the prison for an open day to showcase the work officers do.

The event (on the 7 April), saw over 100 family members of staff welcomed to the prison by the Prison Governor to understand and appreciate the working environment.

Prison Governor and Head of States of Jersey Prison Service, Nick Cameron commented: “Over the weekend, family members of Prison staff were given the opportunity to get behind the scenes and have a tour of the buildings by off-duty staff who had volunteered their time to come in. The event is all part of building pride in our service, increasing staff engagement, and also offered us a chance to thank families for the support they provide to staff who manage challenging roles for our community.”

The event took place on a Sunday evening, as to not impact on any day time regimes of the prisoners and whilst they were in their cells.

Senior residential officer, Darren Blake said: “The event was very well received by all family members, who had never had a chance to see inside the prison before. It was good for them to see what we do and understand what it’s like to be in this environment. We look forward to the next event where hopefully more family members can join us who didn’t get a chance to this time.”