Prison officer Gary Smith has seen the world of corrections change a lot in his 27 years.

When he first began patrolling the wings on November 16, 1987 the crumbling block walls of Casemates still held the Island’s most dangerous and notorious criminals.

But Mr Smith has fond memories of working inside the old prison and has never regretted his choice of career which he says he has “loved since day one”.

“Casemates was smaller and everyone was real tight-knit back then,” the 49-year-old said.

“Officers and inmates were more of a happy family. In those days the prison population was more mature too, there was less of the young guys we have today.

“But the work was harder. There was a group of prisoners called the ‘dirty dozen’ who never did anything they were told. It was tough keeping them in check.”

“Big Smith”, as he is known, lost his father when he was 10 and turned to the prison service as a 22-year-old after a short spell with the Bermuda Telephone Company.

His dedication to the job has never waned despite once being stabbed in the back by an inmate

“The job has given me a lot of satisfaction and I enjoy the camaraderie among the officers,” he added.

“You’re always learning and I have learnt a great deal from the inmates.

“Just because they are inmates does not mean they have nothing to pass on to you.

“You can have a good working relationship with an inmate, but it gets to a certain point and then it stops.

“When they leave you want them to succeed, and it can be frustrating if they end up coming back again. But to me we have to get excited about every success we have, because there may not be many.”

Mr Smith is one of the longest-serving prison officers in the department, while at the other end of spectrum prison officer Ian Armstrong has been in the job for just over a year.

This week the valuable role played by Mr Smith, Mr Armstrong and their colleagues will be recognised as part of Corrections Week.

“I was looking for a new challenge when I signed up to join corrections,” said Mr Armstrong, 34, who previously worked as a PE teacher for the Impact Mentoring Academy.

“Every day is a challenge, but I have no regrets. It has taken time to adjust to the shifts, but I look forward to coming to work now.

“In the last year I have spent time at The Farm, Co-ed and Westgate and it has all been good experience.”

Divisional officer Carlos Lee joined the prison service in June 2003 after more than a decade in the hospitality industry.

“It took some time to adjust to the prison culture,” the 42-year-old said.

“Everything can be fine one minute and things can change very quickly. You have to be alert and know how to handle yourself.

“You learn a lot about people’s habits in this line of work and you can quickly tell if people are telling you the truth or they are trying to hoodwink you.”

Mr Lee, who has also spent four years as a prison canine officer, added: “We have to be more security conscious these days.

“We have to be aware if inmates have gang affiliations and where potential difficulties may arise. But having said that, the focus is always on encouraging inmates to coexist.

“In prison no two days are alike.”

Meanwhile, prison officer Linje Woods joined corrections in January 2009 looking for a new challenge. The 33-year-old, who previously worked at Butterfield & Vallis, was initially placed at The Farm for five years before moving to Westgate.

“You quickly learn how to deal with confrontation and how to diffuse it.

“It can be a bit intimidating at first when you come face to face with individuals you have already heard about because of what they have done.

“But I try and treat all inmates the same, not get caught up in what they are here for but be mindful about why they are here all the same.

“As a prison officer you spend more time at prison than you do at home, and you build up a rapport with inmates and see them for who they really are.

“The really rewarding side is when you come across inmates in public once they have been released, and they thank you for what you have done and how you treated them.

“At the end of the day you want to see them do well on the outside.”