International Women’s Day - meet one of the female prison officers working behind bars at Milton Keynes’ male high security prison

A female prison officer from Buckinghamshire is sharing what it’s like to be a woman working inside Milton Keynes’ high security male prison this International Women’s Day.

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

Demi McDiarmid joined the prison service in 2002 after deciding university life wasn’t for her.

She started off her career in a prison support role before progressing to become a frontline officer working on the wings at HMP Hewell.

Today, as a custodial manager at HMP Woodhill, the 43-year-old 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 is looking for officers to join Demi and her team. You do not need qualifications to become a prison officer or to join in a support staff role. New recruits start on a salary of £34,400 and full training is given. To find out more visit the prison information page.