Just came across this forgotten interview Did not know that it was ever published so thought I would share it with you Interview: Tony Levy, Author and Prison Officer Posted by rainy on September 12, 2012 in Author Interviews Book Title: A Turnkey or Not? Your Name: Tony Levy Your Website: aturnkeyornot.webs/ Tell us about about the course of your career as a prison officer. I started out on the 4 July 1983 as a new entry prison officer (NEPO) and after five years got promoted to Senior Officer and moved prison. A further five years and again moved to another establishment with different type of prisoners, then after a further five years promoted to Principal Officer and onto my final penal establishment for a further 11 years until taking early retirement. What made you stick with being a prison officer? Initially it was the good final salary pension that kept me in the service, despite becoming disillusioned. What was a typical work day like? This is very difficult to answer as each penal establishment will have a different way of working each day, also as the years went on so did the style of working, for instance when I started out back in 1983 prisoners ‘slopped out’ but once internal sanitation was installed in each establishment this horrible function ceased and prisoners could use their own toilets. But an overview of each day would be, the prisoners being woken up and made to get out of their beds (although even this is now not compulsory) around 0800, breakfast served at 0815 (the menu caters for every possible dietary and religious equipment), around 0900 prisons would go off to their various individual function, i.e. education, workshops etc. Back at 1200 and lunch, then exercise for an hour, then back to their individual work function until 1630 when dinner would be served, and finally an evening session of what is called association until lock up time at around 2045. This is only a general overview as many establishments are so short of staff that in some instances prisoners would be locked behind their cell doors for man hours during the day. But they would have their own play stations, sky television, music systems etc. What was your favourite part? The interaction with both my staff and the prisoners. I am a people person. What was your least favourite part? Having to deal with any violent situations, responding to an alarm bell not knowing what danger you were running into. I would describe myself as a brave coward, I hating dealing with violence but did so as it was my job, I would never shy away from the bad parts even though sometimes they were very scary situation. How did you change over the course of your career? I became hardened by what I saw and how I reacted to some of the more personal sad situation prisoners told me about, then realising that I can be empathetic but not sympathetic to each individual situation. What made you decided to write a book about being a prison officer? As I state in my book I was fed up with the press/TV/radio/politicians portraying prison officer and the prison service always in a negative light, and I had always said I would write a book and tell the truth, but never did. Then there was a (I think) Linda LaPlant thriller on the TV about a prison that was so way off reality that it made me so angry I was fuming. The next day at work I was still fuming and one of my colleagues said to me that I should write my book. I had previously said I would write a book about my time in the service, so this was the spark. What was the journey like writing it? Absolutely incredible, memories came flooding back like they were yesterday, and even now I suddenly wake up at night and think, oh damn I could have put this in my book, as a memory of an incident coms back to me. What was the most surprising thing you discovered when writing this book? Funnily enough it was the fact that not only could I write, but what I thought was a dull boring career was actually a very funny action packed incident filled daily routine, that (I thought) others might be interested in, I have been totally surprised by the good comments about the book I have received not just from my peers but from everybody who has read it. I also thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, surreal but enjoyable. Besides writing, what else do you like to do? My family are the most important thing for me. I Love seeing and being with all my grandchildren. Eating out good company and talking. I just enjoy meeting people and love to just sit around over a glass of wine and put the world to rights.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 10:07:50 +0000
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