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'I suffered with anxiety' Jersey's Ex Prison Governor raises issues with government culture
ITV Channel presenter Jess Dunsdon speaks with La Moye's former Governor who says the culture in the civil service left her with anxiety
Jersey's former Prison Governor has told ITV News how a lack of support from her managers and HR within the government, left her with chronic anxiety.
In an exclusive interview with ITV News, Susie Richardson highlights what she feels needs to change within the civil service to improve the working environment, warning her successor to "be careful".
Susie Richardson became La Moye's Governor in 2021 after her predecessor Nick Cameron resigned in 2020 after clashing with the Head of Home Affairs, Julien Blazeby, over a lack of PPE for the prison.
During her time, she saved the prison £500,000 a year by working more closely with other government departments.
She also changed the prison's approach to rehabilitation, explaining: "I had the amazing opportunity of taking a group of prison officers and probation officers to Norway to look at what 'good' looks like.
"I didn't want rehabilitation to be seen as a soft thing. [I wanted] to demonstrate how good it feels when you're rehabilitative and making life-changing opportunities for people and that was really significant and effective."
However, Susie resigned in July ending 20 years of service in His Majesty's Prisons saying she felt unsupported.
She explains: "Some of the processes, that are set up to support services within government I found really frustrating and tricky to work with. And I've felt much better able to share those frustrations since I resigned.
"When I arrived, I was staggered by the number of things that were unresolved - there was a senior manager suspended and unresolved, there was a prison officer suspended, there were grievances that hadn't been dealt with and a number of disciplinary hearings.
"Some of them were years old and I just didn't feel there was an appetite to hear that. I felt I'd gone as far as I could within the organisation and that it was time to leave."
Susie also reveals how the culture and environment affected her psychologically.
She explains: "For the first time ever, I suffered from anxiety - 17 years working in big ugly Victorian prisons in the UK I never did.
"I felt anxious because it didn't always feel safe to be open and transparent about things - it didn't feel like that was the culture.
"People kept warning me to be cautious and I don't understand where that fear comes from but I see it in a lot of people - not having the ability to do the right thing."
Susie believes there must be change, explaining: "I would love more openness and transparency and that requires the fear to go, not just in government but the wider culture of the island - to accept that sometimes there are problems and sometimes problems have to come out and get worse before they get better.
"Despite this beautiful well-resourced island, it feels like there's this funny dark cloud over it that I think is described as the 'Jersey way'.
"I'd love us to blow that apart, for it to feel like a psychologically safe place to be, where people can make mistakes and we support them to get back on their feet."
Susie warned the next Prison Governor to "be careful", adding: "I was told that the Government of Jersey likes harmony and that that's the most important thing, for example tussling with difficult stuff isn't necessarily encouraged.
"Prison Governors are my network, I know them all and if I'm asked 'Can you recommend working for the Government of Jersey?' I would say if I could I would still be in it.
"But I really hope there are going to be some changes and there are some really positive signs in terms of HR.
"A back to basics approach might be able to grapple with some of these things and I hope that the future's bright and we can encourage the best of the best to apply for these jobs."
In response, Deputy Malcolm Ferey, Vice-Chair of the States Employment Board says: "My understanding is that there were no suspensions in place at the time when Susie arrived in her new role as Prison Governor.
"We strive, as an organisation, to ensure that all public servants are treated fairly and with respect, ensuring that everyone has a meaningful voice on matters that affect them, in addition to their statutory rights and protections.
"We are resolution-focused to improve outcomes and ensure we are dealing with concerns when raised in a balanced, timely and proportionate manner.
"We promote and support employee well-being at work and have a wide range of services for all employees to access, including counselling and employee assistance programmes to improve outcomes for our valued workforce.
"Should the ex-Prison Governor have an issue that remains unresolved, I would be happy to speak with her."
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