A TIME WHEN DISCIPLINE INE WAS BETTER

The self-tapping screw

simon Barlow A veteran Kent prison officer has recorded his experiences of life “inside” in autobiography The Self-Tapping Screw. Simon Barlow retired in 2005 after 25 years working at Borstal Prison, now Rochester Young Offenders’ Institute. The book looks at his early career, from 1980 to 1983, during which, Mr Barlow believes, the system for dealing with problem youngsters was superior to its modern counterpart. Mr Barlow, 62, who lives in Rochester, said: “In my 25 years working, I saw a complete decline. I felt I had a story to tell. It was a different age, the system was so much better.” Because it was the first youth detention centre of its kind in the UK, the word Borstal became synonymous with others across the country. Before their abolition in the mid 1980s, Borstals were renowned for their military-style training and strong emphasis on learning workplace skills. “It was a very strict regime,” Mr Barlow agreed. “They only had a radio and an earpiece in their cells. It got better results because of the intense training of the service. They saw their section officer as a father figure, so the discipline was better.” This strong motivation is in contrast to modern centres, which Mr Barlow thinks are unsuccessful due to a “lack of understanding” at government level, resulting in choices based on money, rather than results. He added: “A big problem is TVs in a cell - a 16 or 17-year-old is quite happy to sit and do nothing. Everyone’s happy, because it’s not expensive, but there’s no motivation.” But despite his feelings on the modern state of the system, Mr Barlow said he has tried to keep a light tone. He said: “It’s a fun book, and truthful.” The Self-Tapping Screw is priced £12.99

simon Barlow has written about his prison officer life