The new Superintendent of Prisons talks about the challenges of his role and what he hopes to achieve during his two year appointment
At our weekly meeting on 12th February the newly appointed Superintendent of Prisons, Mr David Foot, spoke to our members about his first few days in his new job, the challenges he faces as well as what he hopes to achieve during his 2 year contract. Acknowledging the adverse public comment that heralded his appointment, in a light hearted moment he said that many of the people who greeted him did so with" what about the eggs". This was clearly a duty that Mr Foot hadnt been fully briefed on. However, he said that it was a goal of his to ensure that each inmate of the prison was engaged in a useful vocation whilst serving time and involvement in the prison farm was just one area of focus; so, Yes, the eggs will be re-appearing on supermarket shelves in about 6 weeks as 600 day old chicks from Barbados were due to arrive the following day. He saw his job as not just ensuring that the prisoners were confined within a secure location as their payment to society for their actions, but preparing them to return to society as useful members who have a skill to offer. He paid tribute to his predecessor, Richard Holder who had worked tirelessly for improvement in prison conditions, whilst not detracting from the purpose of prison confinement. He said that he looked forward to the challenges ahead, noting that it was an opportunity to make a difference that would be hard to find in his native UK. Mr. Foot draws on a lot of experience; he joined the Prison service in the UK in 1991; his most recent position was acting prison governor for Lancaster farms Young Offenders institution. In his career with the prison service he has served in a variety of prisons and dealt with a wide cross section of prisoners from hardened criminals to first time offenders, drugs and sex offenders. David is married with 3 young children. After the meeting, David joined us for the after meeting fellowship at the Sports Club and has since expressed a desire to join the club.