Leading The Development Of Wandsworth Prison: Some Personal Reflections
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050204900209 |
| Date | 01 June 2002 |
| Published date | 01 June 2002 |
| Author | Stephen Rimmer |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Leading The Development
Of Wandsworth Prison:
Some Personal Reflections
Stephen Rimmer discusses the challenges and achievements,
frustrations and inspirations of managing one of the largest prisons in
Europe during a time of crisis and cultural change.
Many of us are both daunted and always going to be about demoralisation
energised by a genuine crisis,
and potential privatisation. And as a new
whether personal or professional. Daunted,
Governor, with all the status and baggage
because of our natural fears that our
that that still somewhat paternalistic role
capabilities in responding to times of great
for a leader generates, you are painfully
stress will not match what is required; and
aware that it is literally within the first
energised because of the sweeping away of
couple of weeks of you being there – when
confusing or contradictory agendas into
you know least about the cultures and texts
one clear, unequivocal task. Taking over the
running around the place, let alone its
responsibility of governing Wandsworth
subcultures and subtexts – that your entire
Prison at the start of 2000 was very much
managerial approach is going to be defined.
about these competing emotions, and – to
The single most important factor in
be honest – they never really went away.
determining my approach to that first – and
When you have the biggest Prison in
probably most important – challenge was
London, and the second biggest in the UK,
the attitude of the bulk of the staff that I
publicly vilified to the extent that
had met. If that had been one of apathy and
Wandsworth was when the Chief Inspector
resignation, then, even though it is not my
published his report in December 1999, you
usual style, I would have had to get into
know that a dynamic is being unleashed
serious ‘command and control’ mode. But
which will either lead to recovery or
that is not what I found. Despite the odd
complete failure. In the absence of a
pockets of ‘no one likes us we don’t care’,
feasible closure option, in view of
what was much more palpable was a sense
population constraints, the latter was
of anger that the professional reputations
151
people had worked hard (in most cases) to
operate are well known to everyone – but I
develop in such demanding circumstances
cannot overstate the degenerative impact of
had been put almost literally to the sword.
under-investment in this area of the prison
Anger, if it can be...
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