WHILE THERE IS much discussion in the media about bail laws, ‘tough on crime’ policies and the appropriate minimum age of criminal responsibility, very few people stop to consider the reality of daily life as a prison officer in Australia. Although we are all vulnerable to experiencing trauma at work, prison officers face unique challenges that deserve to be better understood by the public.

About twenty years ago, I established my counselling business, Let’s Talk Differently, and started doing work for an Employee Assistance Program provider, which offers free support services to employees, such as counselling or onsite critical incident debriefing. It was about 5.30 am one morning when the phone rang and I was asked if I could attend one of our city prisons to provide a debrief session for five prison officers: they had found a prisoner who had hanged himself in his cell. I had often driven past that prison and wondered what happened inside, but in essence I had no idea – I had never been in a prison before. I did have a preconceived notion that prison officers were a tough bunch, and that people in prison were treated relatively harshly. But as I sat with the five officers, facilitating the session and listening to them, I was touched by the care that they showed towards the deceased prisoner.