International Women's Day: Meet one of the female prison officers working behind bars at HMP Woodhill

Despite public perceptions that it’s a male-dominated profession, there are now officially more women working for the prison service than men. Currently, 55% of staff in post are women.

Demi McDiarmid, 43, joined the prison service in 2002 after deciding that university life wasn’t for her. She started off her career in a prison support role (known as an Operational Support Grade) before progressing to become a frontline officer working on the wings at HMP Hewell. Today, as a custodial manager at HMP Woodhill, she is now one of the most senior uniformed officers in the prison.

She said:

“When I was studying at university I realised that I needed to be doing something that was more structured, so I looked into roles either in the police force or prison service. It was a role at the prison service that came up first.

“Working in the prison service can be very rewarding, but it does have its challenges. It’s ideally suited to people who have high levels of grit and resilience and have the ability to communicate well with others.

“There are opportunities for promotion, in my career I have been fortunate to work in lots of different areas of the prison.I manage the Close Supervision Centre, a unit that’s role is to work with some of the country’s most dangerous and challenging prisoners that cannot be housed within the normal population. I do enjoy being a prison officer because every day is different and there is a great team spirit amongst the staff, which helps you through the difficult times.”

HMP Woodhill will be attending this month’s MK Job Show (22 and 23 March) to enable the public to learn more about rewarding careers in the prison service.

You do not need qualifications to become a prison officer or to join in a support staff role. HMPPS is looking for compassionate, creative people, like Demi, with excellent communication skills who can make decisions effectively.

HMP Woodhill is looking for officers to join Demi and her team. New prison officer recruits start on a salary of £34,402 and full training will be given. To find out more click here.