'Prison jobs aren't like you see on TV and films'

Megan moved from Yorkshire to work at HMP Woodhill

"I was actually 13 when I told my mum I wanted to run a prison," says Megan, 24.

She's recently trained as a prison officer and works at HMP Woodhill, a Category A prison near Milton Keynes.

It's the most secure type of UK jail and houses about 500 men considered the biggest threat to the public.

Stats from the government show the number of women working in prisons in England and Wales is now equal to the number of men.

There are also more people under 30 working in the prison service - 10,638 in the year ending March 2021, compared with 6,434 in 2017.

Megan feels "there's a total misconception" about being a young woman in the job.

"People think it's like the films and TV - locking doors and fights breaking out all the time - but that's not the reality," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

"We are here to help people, rehabilitate them and ultimately make sure the public are safe."

'Nothing to be afraid of'

Megan joined the service in November as part of the Ministry of Justice's relocation scheme, which means she's moved more than 100 miles from Yorkshire for the job.

She says she always wanted to help people and her role is "step one of making that come true".

Megan says working at Woodhill - home to some notorious inmates such as Charles Bronson - can be "intimidating at times" but she's never felt scared.

The first time stepping on the wing "kind of hits you - the smell, the atmosphere," she says.

"But it's nothing to be afraid of.

"At the end of the day the job is about working with people and being able to talk and I like to think I'm a good communicator."

Notorious prisoner Charles Bronson is currently at HMP Woodhill

Megan is familiar with many of the inmates on the wing, who are long-term offenders.

This means they have their own cells and don't share with other inmates, and are given between 30 minutes to an hour a day for exercise.

As a female officer, Megan says many prisoners view her as "having a more caring role".

• We got out of prison, then made a podcast about it

• Who is notorious prisoner Charles Bronson?

So does 24-year-old Megan still want to follow her teenage dream of running a prison now she's worked in Category A jail?

"Twenty-four-year-old Megan wants to gain a lot more experience," she laughs.

"But yeah, I see this as a career now and I'm here for the long-term."

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