New governor of Erlestoke Prison Steve Hodson is determined the men leaving his jail will have a good chance of finding work.

And he wants to recruit ten new officers to help change prisoner’s lives.

Mr Hodson said the prison, near Devizes, was recruiting men and women and his own rise to the top showed the prison service offered huge opportunities for people with the right attitude.

He said: “For a number of years the prison service has not been recruiting, but now we are. Numbers are down here, because people have retired or left for other reasons.

“It is not because morale is low. Erlestoke is a very positive place and all officers have a very can-do attitude.”

The prison intends to take on ten recruits to supplement the 88 existing officers. Anyone aged 18 or over can apply. There is no upper age limit and the oldest serving officer is 71.

He said: “We are not necessarily looking for academic qualifications. It is more about attitude. Applicants will be put through various tests to show their aptitude.”

About a quarter of officers are women and Mr Hodson, 50, said having female staff had a calming effect in jails.

He took up his post in December, after predecessor Andy Rogers was promoted to a regional role after six years in charge at the category C prison, which can hold up to 524 men.

Mr Hodson, who is married with two grown-up children, joined West Mercia Police at 19, but now believes he was too young for the job.

After six years, he had a career change and joined the Prudential, but in 1993 joined the prison service at private Blackenhurst in Redditch.

When it was absorbed into the public sector in 2002, he stayed for a year but moved to Bristol, then Dorchester in 2005 as deputy governor.

He later worked at Guysmarsh and Portland Young offenders institution before coming to Erlestoke.

He said: “When I was in the police, it was all about catching criminals and stopping them committing crimes. In the prison service you can do far more towards prevention by working with the men.”

He said one of the big attractions of Erlestoke was its excellent education programme and this was something he wanted to expand.

He said: “It is all about teaching them a trade, improving their literacy and helping them with other issues, so that they can safely be let out and stand a good chance of finding a job, so the chance of reoffending is reduced.”

Mr Hodson said he intended staying long-term: “I want to be here to see ideas through and that takes at least five years.”