Penge Penal Institute, 11 April, 9 am
A training day for new staff member DCO Clara Hewitt from Kent, under the supervision of SCO Rodwell, with DCO Prendergast in attendance. DCO Hewitt, who will be deputising for DCO Prendergast in August, when she is on holiday with her family, was instructed in the use of all the implements of chastisement routinely deployed at the Penge Penal Institute. Her technique was good, as befitted a former deputy headmistress at a small private school, and she was particularly accurate with the cane, but she struggled to achieve the severity levels appropriate for a place of adult correction. Asked if she was willing to be on the receiving end of a demonstration by SCO Rodwell, DCO Hewitt reluctantly assented. A 12-stroke caning was then administered, with undergarments removed. DCO Hewitt, despite twice crying out in shock, bore her punishment with fortitude and promised to strive to incorporate what she had learnt into her future corrective work.
Signed: SCO RODWELL