Anyone any experience of working for HM Prison Services? (psychology related)

[R.O.S.S.I]

Anyone work in any prisons on here? Asking as i've nearly finished my psychology degree and i'm looking to specialise in forensic psychology.

I've done a bit of research into forensics and apparantly HMP services is the biggest employee/trainer in the UK of forensic psychologists. Sent an email to them via their website asking how I get onto training schemes or placements. Just wanna know if anyone has any experience working for them in any role? (Even better in a psychological based role)

thanks.

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

I have thought about a masters in forensics, theres one available at Manchester Met uni and Uni Central Lancs but I think i've just about had enough now of exams and coursework. The idea of a doctorate has been thought of as it would be purely research based work around a job not necessarily assignments and exams.

For your doctorate in clincal psych how did you go about arranging it? Ideally I guess I would like to start training in a role with the view to completing a masters or PhD whilst working.

Clinical is what i originally wanted to specialise in but our uni are pretty useless for pointing you in the right direction for sorting out placements and things like that, i'd love to go and do one as part of a training position, but don't know the first place to look.

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

Yeh ive been through the BPS website. I might actual apply for some training roles via the NHS. I've emailed HMP services to see what they say, but looking through the NHS job website there seem to be some good graduate jobs. I think it is a bit rich thinking I would go straight on to do a PhD, i'd just rather knuckle down into a role and get some experience in, then maybe in x years go on and do a PhD or Masters.

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

If my application is unsuccessful for a doctorate then I plan to apply for an "assistant psychologist" post in the NHS. You can get onto one with just an undergrad degree and they are amazing experience for any future post-grad study. They pay about £15k a year too so are pretty decent. There are loads with the NHS in clinical settings so if you have a half-decent degree you'll find it pretty easy.

Last year there were 21 applications for every one place on a doctorate in clinical and so chances are I'll have to take an assistant post for a few years first.

Yeh i'm looking through some jobs now, but even looking at the assistant psychologists posts (only one i could find in the north west), they actually required you to have previous experience as an assistant.
I think my best port of call is to get on as an assistant in either the NHS or with the HMP. I've sent a couple of emails regarding the jobs, and my mum works for the NHS so i'm going to get her to pick me up some job bulletins to get the ball rolling.

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

I've just done 3 months in a Juvenile Prison and I didn't see any evidence of psychologists.
In fact, I debated a point about some of the kids that came into the classrooms because I noticed there was Autism, ADHD and Asperger cases but they just treated them like naughty boys.
I was told that 15 to 18 year olds couldn't be assessed because it was against the law.
Personally I thought that was BS.

That is quite shocking. Done a fair amount of work on Autism spectrum disorders and they are not nice. It seems the support and treatment is lacking in the prisons.

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

Good luck

Aye you too pal! Let me know if anything comes up for you!

 

[R.O.S.S.I]

Sadly people just don't know how to deal with children likes these. That, amongst other things, would be what the psychologist should be there for. To diagnose these problems, and make staff more aware of it.