Writer sought for prison term

Posts at Cardiff jail in south Wales, and Highpoint in Suffolk are being advertised.

And young offender institutions at Werrington in Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke Heath in Shropshire and Rochester in Kent are also on the look-out.

To find out what the job entails, the BBC News website spoke to Denise Deegan, who is resident writer at HMP Featherstone, near Wolverhampton.

Ms Deegan, who lives in north east Wales, said the role was "fun and exciting".

"The prisoners are doing stuff they haven't done before.

"Quite a few haven't written before - they are surprised at how good they are and so am I.

You get your own set of keys - otherwise you would get stuck in places and be relying on other people letting you in and out Denise Deegan

"The job is interesting, always surprising, and quite tiring.

"But it is rewarding, particularly when you see people gain confidence to try new things, and you see people blossoming.

"When you first go, you have an induction week, but it is a bit of a shock to be in the prison

"It is a bit strange the first few times you go.

"It is a cross between a huge government office, a school and a hospital.

"You go in there thinking it is going to be claustrophobic, but it is not.

"And you get your own set of keys - otherwise you would get stuck in places and be relying on other people letting you in and out."

The unexpected

Ms Deegan, who is now in her second year at Featherstone, is currently preparing frantically for her fourth play production - Oh! What a Lovely War opens for a three night-run on Monday.

"Quite a few of them haven't done any drama before - now a few of them say they are going to join amateur dramatic societies when they get out.

"But you always have to work within the system - hours we can work in, and people move on, like if they are sent to another prison.

I am like a free spirit - I see what things the prisoners are into and expand and evolve from that. Denise Deegan

"You do have to cope with the unexpected."

And does she find it strange being a woman inside a man's prison?

"You don't feel like you are the only one," she said.

"There are quite a few female officers and female teachers in the education department and the probation department.

"Sometimes when you are walking down a corridor, you can meet a group of the prisoners, and there may be a comment, but they are a bunch of young men - it's the same outside."

There are about 600 men in Featherstone, split into different houses, and part of Ms Deegan's role is bringing people with similar interests together, and then develop projects from there.

"I am like a free spirit - I see what things the prisoners are into and expand and evolve from that.

"The prisoners often seek me out and make contact.

"The prisoners see it as positive, it is a change to what they normally do.

"And one guy said to me 'There should be people like you in every prison'."