‘You have to be fluid’. Exploring the applicability of prison officer types to the Irish Prison Service

This study explores Irish prison officers’ views on the applicability of existing prison officer typologies to the Irish Prison Service. A thematic analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with 24 Irish prison officers indicated that while participants felt some typologies could reflect how officers approached their work, prison officer types were conceptualised as representing different dimensions of doing prison work, which officers could draw on, as and when needed, depending on the situations they face and their objectives. In this way, the findings advance knowledge by stressing the fluidity of prison work and how prison officers may appear as different prison officer types, depending on a range of individual and external factors. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.