Prisons are one of the darkest places in society. It's where some of the most callous individuals are packed under one roof serving time for their crimes - and with it, creating a hotbed for tension. Violence and drug dealing aren't uncommon, while male prisoners are 3.7 times more likely to die from suicide than the public, according to ONS figures.
But with shadow comes light, and moments of joy along the cell corridors, according to one prison officer. Officer Herman is on the frontline at HMP Belmarsh - dubbed Britain's toughest prison. It's where Michael Adebolajo, the murderer of soldier Lee Rigby, is housed, and the ex-children's TV presenter Paul Ballard, who is locked up after causing the death of two people by dangerous driving, as well as for rape.
Despite the southeast London jail being one of eight high-security prisons in the UK - meaning inmates are of the biggest threat to the public if they escape - Herman, who doesn't wish to disclose her first name or hometown, says she sees first-hand the positivity that can take hold, with encouraging education programmes, intimate scenes of inmates writing Christmas cards to their children at home, and even wellbeing days.
