Unlocked Graduate officer, Ella Russell, writes about her experience of visiting PRG reading groups
Unlocked Graduate officer Ella Russell writes about her experience of visiting PRG reading groups during her placement with Give a Book earlier this year
As a prison officer, my days are usually spent dealing with the chaos of the landings, often without a single moment to sit down during the day. So, when the opportunity arose for me to undertake a two-week work placement with Give a Book through the Unlocked Graduates scheme, I jumped at the chance. I spent the two weeks helping in the office as well as visiting three Prison Reading Groups (PRG) in different London establishments. The main thing that struck me about this experience was that during these reading groups, it was the first time in my two years of service that I forgot I was in a prison!
For my first group, I visited a female establishment where I was met with a diverse group of about 8 women who all had very different opinions and were very enthusiastic about sharing them! This month’s book was a murder mystery told from the perspective of someone who was neurodiverse, and one of the ladies was very excited that she was able to relate to this character and the way she thought. She told me this was the first time she had ever been able to identify her own neurodiverse needs in a book character. This emphasises to me the importance of PRG allowing the members choose their own books. As is typical with any book club, some loved the book, and some hated it, but the discussion led by long-standing volunteer Cathy was incredibly respectful and constructive, emphasising a sense of unity in this group of very different women.
One of the highlights of my experience was attending the reading group that takes place in my own establishment. This was partly due to the fact that I could annoy my fellow officers because, unlike them, I wasn’t having to patrol the landings that day, and I could leave before doing roll count! But more importantly, I was able to see some of the prisoners from my wing in a different light due to their intellectual conversations regarding the themes of slavery and power. The book we read was Kindred by Octavia Butler, a suggestion from one of the guys in the group. Since I was unable to put this book down and finished it in two days, I informed him that when I need more book recommendations in future, I will be relying on him!
The final group was the largest one I attended, where the facilitator Graham led around 15 men in a read-aloud session of a non-fiction profile on a famous boxer. Attendees took it in turns to read a page of the piece to the whole group, which many of them (including myself) were nervous about, but this was a no-pressure environment, and they all supported each other through it. Unfortunately, the members of this group cannot consistently attend due to the establishment being a remand prison. However, that did not stop Graham from leading a thoughtful discussion that engaged every single member. In my experience of working in a male prison, you can rarely (if ever) get a large group of prisoners to be quiet and engaged all at once, but Graham achieved this seamlessly. Attending this group served as a reminder for me as to how thoughtful and intelligent a lot of men are in these establishments.
Perhaps the most gratifying part of the groups would come at the end of each session, where the attendees were desperately seeking the next opportunities to engage with more reading. The ladies from my first group had all excitedly signed up to their library’s monthly reading challenge, and a group of young men from another group were expressing their interest in attending a poetry workshop. To hear people in prison putting their focus on such positive outlets was hugely inspiring.
Day-to-day life in prison can be harsh and unforgiving for those inside, but my experience of these reading groups is that they bring a much-needed escape (not literally!) from this reality. The value of myself as a prison officer having this experience cannot be understated, as it has provided me with insight of what can be achieved by encouraging and engaging prisoners with purposeful activities. I would urge every officer to get involved with the work done by Give a Book because it can make such a difference to the lives of those in our care.
By Ella Russell