Why do prison staff keep having sex with inmates?

As I read last week’s Steerpike exclusive on the thorny topic of ‘inappropriate relationships’ between prison officers and prisoners, my mind turned to Wandsworth in 2020, and a particular young woman officer whose behaviour was often far from appropriate. She would start conversations of a sexual nature with prisoners, asking what kind of pornography they enjoyed, and whether she was our type. She’d often touch our arms or chests, or brush against us when passing on the narrow landings. I’m not aware that she ever went further than that, but I always felt her interest in criminals went far beyond the professional.

None of us ever made a complaint. In many ways she was one of the better officers. She treated us fairly, was reasonable and consistent in her application of the rules and seemed to have our interests at heart. And yet still when she brushed against me or placed a hand on my upper arm, I felt an intense crawling wrongness.