'I'm here to stay'

Mr Broom, 41, already has a number of ideas to improve the prison and is determined to see them through.

Erlestoke has been almost as fickle with its governors in recent years as the pop fans are with their favourites, but Mr Broom says he wants the 426-inmate low-risk prison near Devizes to be his future for a number of years.

He wants to look at reintroducing working prisoners in the community. He said the prison is conducting research to see if up to 12 prisoners can be allowed out during the day to work locally.

He said the scheme to send prisoners outside to work would need approval from the Prison Service and any prisoners thought suitable to take part would be rigorously checked to ensure they did not pose a security risk.

The participating prisoners would be reclassified as Category D prisoners, while the rest of the prisoners would

remain Category C.

Mr Broom, who is married with three daughters, said his spikey hairstyle was sometimes commented on by senior colleagues but not by prison officers or prisoners.

He said: "People have said to me that I look too young to be a prison governor and others have commented that I don't look like a governor normally does

because of my hair cut.

"This is a proper hair cut and I wonder why it is an issue. Perhaps my haircut shows that there is a wide range of people doing this job."

Mr Broom said he walks around the prison at least twice a week talking to prisoners and staff.

He said: "My style is to get out and talk to prisoners and staff. I have not had an adverse reaction from either, and some of the prisoners know me from their time at Bristol Prison.

"Staff associations have an important part to play in a prison establishment and I am more than willing to work in partnership with them.

"In terms of my management style I like to try and take people with me and make sure that they understand what I want to do and why.

"But one of the things of being a governor is there are occasions where you have to be direct and there isn't room for negotiation."

He said he also wants Erlestoke to expand the prisoners' training.

The prison already runs an intensive offender behaviour programme and 48 prisoners attend the course each year.

Mr Broom said the prison was bidding for money from the Prison Service to run an anger management course for prisoners.

This is Mr Broom's first post as governor in charge of a prison, having previously been deputy governor at Bristol Prison.

He has been in the Prison Service since 1988 and has served at a number of prisons and at Prison Service headquarters.

Erlestoke, which employs 225 staff, used to house both Category C and D prisoners. Low risk category D prisoners were able to work in the community.

But in November 2000 the prison was reclassified as a Category C prison, which meant inmates could not work in the community.

Mr Broom said: "There are a number of local firms, including a body repair shop and a factory, which have expressed an interest in employing Erlestoke prisoners on release.

"We have a number of prisoners who are local to Devizes, Trowbridge and Westbury who are suitable for open conditions (Category D status) but if they were to be moved to Leyhill open prison near Bristol it could disrupt the number of visits they receive from family."

Mr Broom said having prisoners working in the community was an idea the prison had begun before he arrived, but he was enthusiastic about the idea.

He said: "If the Prison Service gives approval to the scheme up to 12 prisoners would work outside during the day from Monday to Friday, and return to the prison in the evenings. They would remain in the prison at weekends.

"But we would have to be very careful about allowing prisoners outside to work and we would carry out very stringent risk assessments before allowing it."

He is Erlestoke's sixth governor in ten years but he would like to buck the trend and stay at the prison for longer than some of his predecessors.

His immediate predecessor Claudia Sturt was headhunted for a key post at Dartmoor Prison just 11 months after she arrived at Erlestoke.

Mr Broom, who lives in Bristol, said: "It's a regular criticism that governors at Erlestoke don't stay here long enough.

"This is my first governor in charge post and there would be no benefit to me in moving on after a short period of time.

"My intention would be to remain as governor at Erlestoke for three to five years.

"Having a change of governor regularly can be disruptive, as each governor comes in with their own style and ethos and staff have to get used to a new governor and their priorities."

Mr Broom said there were no plans to increase the capacity of the prison following the recent influx of prisoners.

Improvements have been made to some of the prison buildings including the re-roofing of the mansion house which houses the library, education and vocational training team.

In April, a new kitchen is set to open.

The prison is looking at whether the 18th century listed lodge house

situated outside the prison fences, which was formerly used as a social centre by prison officers, can be converted into a visitors' centre.

The plan, however, would need additional funding from the Prison Service.