“When I became a probationary prison officer in 1971 I was amazed at the very generous uniform issue, there seemed to be no end to it. We were each given a large cardboard box that was overflowing with uniform; tunic, shirts, trousers, socks, ties, cap, rain coat, over coat, belt, key lanyard, two post duty books, one for the CIP and the other for the MRP, and the most astounding one of all was two pairs of boots. All my working life at that young age, seven years of working, I had only ever had one pair of shoes to go to work in of which I had to buy and pay for myself. It didn’t stop there. I was also entitled to have two pairs of my boots resoled and healed per year by the prisoners in the boot shop in the CIP at Long Bay, previously known as the State Penitentiary. The whole uniform issue was automatically handed to me every 12 months.
The boots were made in the early 1970s at H M Gaol Bathurst, H M Gaol Parramatta or the CIP, they were very nice comfortable boots laced up and covering up to just over my ankles. In general terms the boots were of a high quality and I could get a good shine on them. I never worked in the boot shop, yet in 1973 I had noticed a new prisoner was working in there. He had a lifer’s number on his jacket and was housed in 4 Wing. I observed this prisoner for some time and observed that most officers and prisoners seemed to know him. He gave me the impression he must have been transferred to the CIP from another gaol. He was quite by nature as he went about his business around the gaol. His name was Eric Thomas Turner. I had simply thought he must have murdered someone only because of his life sentence. It was always my policy not to enquire into the prisoners criminal offences, it was less emotional and I could be more professional in carrying out my duties that way.
It was only recently that I decided to research Turner as a subject piece for this book that I realised this man cheated the hangman’s noose in 1948. He was also an excellent example of why murderers should be sentenced to life imprisonment and never be released.”
Prison Officers all around the world have to deal with prisoners like Turner and his ilk on a daily basis. To read more about this quadruple murderer, you can read my latest book “Australia’s Best Prison Stories” available from this website or Amazon.
This I believe.
Peter T Egge
