My experience as a Prison Governor
Miss Allen came to talk about her life as a prison governor. She was one of ten children who grew up in the war years and having seen so much suffering decided she wanted to do a job that involved helping others. She wanted to go into the prison service but felt unable to until capital punishment was abolished, so went into child welfare. In 1965 capital punishment was abolished and she applied to join the prison service. While completing the application form she realised her lack of educational qualifications, having left school at 14. Her father held the view prevalent at that time that boys should have a good education but it was not necessary for girls as they only got married. However, she was accepted for training in the prison service.
She served six years at Holloway as assistant governor and then two years at a girls Borstal, two years being the maximum time spent at this kind of prison as the job was so very demanding dealing with difficult and wayward girls.
She then went on to Durham Prison which was a remand centre with prisoners coming and going all the time. This was a Victorian prison and held twice as many men as it was intended for with a constant stench pervading due to the "slopping out" system used in the cells. Every prisoner was entitled to exercise time outdoors each day but with over twelve hundred men in the prison this prove to be a constant headache.
Later she was sent to the prison service headquarters in London doing paperwork, going to meetings and advising government ministers of conditions in the prisons and recommending ways to improve the system. After some time there she came before the promotion board, which consisted of three men, who asked her what sort of post she was interested in. She remembered the amazement on their faces when she told them she would like to be the governor of a men's prison, no woman had ever been appointed in charge of a men's prison. However, the unexpected happened and ten days later she received a letter confirming her appointment as governor of Kingston Prison, Portsmouth. This is a prison accommodating approximately 150 men who are all serving life sentences. Many of these men were full of remorse as usually their wives divorced them, they lost contact with their children and relatives and they felt isolated from the real world, which inevitably led to some suicides. At the prisoners' request Christmas was not celebrated as it was a painful reminder of what they were missing. She encouraged them to study and fill their time with interests, gardening being popular, and they won an award for the best prison garden. There was also a very enthusiastic drama group and they gave performances to members of the public. During the eight years she was prison governor she got to know some of the men very well and was always available to help and advise them and she found this a most fulfilling and rewarding job.
written by St George's Ladies Group
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