When this book was originally published in 1972 very little had been written about prison staff. The author acknowledges that interest should of course be concentrated on the prisoner community but maintains that the prison staff must also be examined if prisons are to be fully understood. This book demonstrates that the central figure in any prison system is the basic grade uniformed officer and that the collective views of officers have a direct and supreme impact on the working of the system. The book discusses the role of the prison officer in the English prison system, a highly centralized organization which has been in operation for over 150 years. The definition of new organizational tasks during this time brought problems of adjustment for staff which were never properly examined or understood, and which led to major crises. This examination of the English prison service is relevant to prison systems in all advanced societies and raises many controversial issues of importance to policymakers in prison services.
