Question: what kind of situations do you deal with being a prison psychologist?

Sally Tilt answered on 4 Mar 2019:

I’ll try not to make this answer too long, as actually there are loads of situations that pop up in my job! Here are a few examples:

1) One of the areas that I am interested in is fire setting. I meet with prisoners who have started fires in order to understand why they started them and to talk through ways that they can not do this in future.
2) I also advise prison managers on things that they can change in the way that prisons are designed in order to make the prisons safer places for everyone to live.
3) Sometimes if a prisoner is feeling very sad or low, I (and other staff at the prison) sit with them to listen to their problems and to help them to find a way to feel better.
4) I help to train people who are learning to be forensic psychologists.
5) I give advice to probation officers about how to work with a particular prisoner.

Oh, and once I got my keys stuck in the lock of a door in a prison. The rule in this situation is that you have to stay by the door until someone else comes along to help. It took quite a while!