Former tattoo artist shares delight at becoming one of HMP Aylesbury's newest workers

One of the newest recruits at HMP Aylesbury is sharing her story of swapping tattoo needles for life working at a prison.

Rebecca Harrington, 42, is working at the prison in Aylesbury as an Operational Support Grade (OSG) worker. She helps with the day-to-day running of the prison, in a varied role. This includes security and searches at the gate, managing deliveries, supervising visitors, and monitoring phone calls and CCTV.

Alongside her prison support role, Rebecca also manages two busy tattoo salons in Luton and Leighton Buzzard. She believes that the ‘people’ skills she has gained through her other roles - both as tattooist and as a security worker at Luton airport - have helped her to thrive at HMP Aylesbury.

She said: “I decided to embark on a career in the prison service as I wanted a new challenge. While I also manage the tattoo studios, they pretty much run themselves now thanks to the team working there, so I wanted to try something new while I am still young enough to do so.

“I started noticing the prison when I had been driving past it every day while taking my son to college and when I saw an advert saying that HMP Aylesbury were looking for new recruits, I decided to apply.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I first started in my role as an OSG and it can be daunting initially as there is so much important information you have to learn in a short space of time – but I soon got the hang of it, thanks to the support of my colleagues.

“I love interacting with lots of different people from all walks of life, which is what I had been used to as a tattooist and at Luton airport, where I had worked for 14 years.

“As an OSG, you have to have lots of patience and there are occasions when you also have to be stern, particularly when making it clear to visitors as to why we have to have certain security measures in place to keep everyone safe.”

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), part of the Ministry of Justice, has launched a new advertising campaign to to tackle recruitment and retention, at prisons throughout the country.

Adverts are already airing in parts of the country where prison recruitment is of greatest concern and will continue airing on catch-up TV, digital audio and social media throughout January and February. More details on vacancies can be found online.

 Rebecca added: “There are a lot of pre-conceived ideas about what it’s like working in a prison based on what you see in films or on TV, but those were quashed for me immediately when I started working at HMP Aylesbury. It’s very different in reality – a prison is a really interesting place to work, and you can gain lots of skills and knowledge. I can see myself staying here for a long time.”