COMMENDEE 2023-24: Scott’s Commendation is for the exemplary jailcraft, leadership ability, and dedication he shows as a Supervising Officer at HMP Buckley Hall, and for the care and support he gives to both prisoners and staff throughout the jail; to his Governor he is, quite simply, “a great person, doing great things”.

Scott’s nomination

Initial Recommendation

Scott was initially recommended by: Tracy Moir (Custodial Manager, HMP Buckley Hall).

Senior Officer Scott Boal has to date served 31 years in the prison service working in many prisons across the estate. Scott has also worked within many departments during his career, Safer Custody, OMU and Residence to name only a few.

In 2021 Scott was the Senior Officer in charge of A-Wing when tragedy struck one of the prisoners located on the drug support facility. Scott and his staff responded to a smoke detector which continued to sound, upon attending the cell Scott found a prisoner who had set himself on fire whilst under the influence of an unknown drug. Scott immediately drew on all his experience and directed staff to act upon their fire training, he guided and supported staff during this incident, ensuring that they remained safe throughout.

This incident was horrific for Scott as he knew the prisoner extremely well, he opened the door of the cell to preserve the life of the prisoner even without the thought of his own safety, the prisoner was still alight and in complete shock, Scott tended to the prisoner with regards to all his needs at that time whilst awaiting the paramedics who were very quickly on scene.

Scott without a thought for himself ensured that the emotional wellbeing and welfare of all the staff involved had been taken care of before seeking any support himself. Scott was recognised by me for his selflessness along with not only the staff involved but the prisoner himself during his recovery, this makes me extremely proud of Scott and his actions which will allow both himself and A wing staff to save lives in the future.

In a separate incident, whilst conducting his role as Senior Officer of A Wing, Scott responded to a call to a medical emergency on the unit. Upon attending he found a prisoner choking after it being reported that he was under the influence of an unknown substance. Scott swiftly recognised that the prisoner was in immediate danger of dying and placed his fingers into his throat to clear his airway and then place him into the recovery position, this was recognised and commented on by the staff in attendance and prisoners on the unit who witnessed the incident.

The prisoner in question survived due to Scott’s swift action, this has been acknowledged by this particular prisoner and he has expressed his complete gratitude to Scott for saving his life. This is how Scott will always act, he is supportive, caring and resilient, above all he treats everyone with decency, this is the second time to my knowledge that Scott has saved a prisoner’s life by his direct action.

Scott inspires prisoners to recognise their problems and seek out solutions to better themselves, leading to rehabilitation and better lives in the community.

I have worked with Scott since 2017 to date in a variety of roles, most recently Scott has been a huge influence on A wing throughout the Pandemic and more importantly, coming out of the Pandemic with the drive on national recruitment. Scott will treat every prisoner he meets with decency, seeing beyond the crime they have been convicted of, Scott utilises his wealth of experience to support, coach and mentor the new staff to allow them to save the lives of our prisoners when required, only through his dedication to the service, his unwavering standards and the fact he is a force of nature, our prisoners have the tools required to be the best version of themselves and our staff have a depth of knowledge to tap into to ensure confidence in their own actions and standards.

Scott’s patience with prisoners is unwavering; he ensures that decency is afforded to everyone, his behaviour influences and inspires everyone he has contact with, Scott makes me proud as his line manager and his friend. Without his balance, decency and support, A Wing would not be the successful, innovative unit that it is becoming.

Testimonials (from HMP Buckley Hall)

Scott’s nomination included the following testimonials:

“When I arrived at Buckley Hall in June 2020, SO Scott Boal (Scottie) was one of the first people I met here, and soon found him to be one of the most reliable people I know. His experience in life and in the prison setting soon came through as the quality of his interactions with staff and prisoners alike demonstrates his depth of personality, sense of humour and professional outlook.

Privately, Scottie manages and trains a young person’s football team, and often gives up his own time to referee at other events to assist these young people to develop their life skills. He is a keen golfer and is a regular at the prisons Monday night football matches.

With regard to the way he supports staff in the prison, Scottie is always the first to ask how someone is, and although he is not required to do so, he will get in touch with those staff (if off) with a view to taking them out of their home to go for a coffee and have a chat. On their return from work, they always comment on the support they received from Scottie.

In work, Scottie will always lead from the front when dealing with matters that may be, or are, confrontational. On more occasions than not, Scottie’s mannerisms and jail craft skills will de-escalate the matter and also use the opportunity to develop a more meaningful relationship by carrying out any actions he has promised to do, and will give feedback when done.

On matters that cannot be de-escalated for whatever reason, Scottie will fully brief the staff as to what may go wrong, he will still lead from the front but in the event of matter arising, he will deliver a very calm, but firm set of guiding instruction designed to be fair, decent and also allow the development of staff who are newer in service.

Whilst managing Scottie, I have found that if I as the functional head wish to implement a change of service, a new project, or launch a new initiative, he is always worthy of gaining a perspective from. His advice always leads to some positive considerations to navigate through giving the issue being raised a greater chance to be successful.”
Colleague A, HMP Buckley Hall

“It is difficult today to find a supervisor like Scott Boal, who is like a father on Alpha Unit. With more than 30 years of experience there is not a single time that I have seen him struggling to solve any situation. The security and stability he brings to the team is priceless. I feel lucky to be part of his team and to learn from him.”
Colleague B, HMP Buckley Hall

Sign off

The nomination was signed off by the Governor, Robbie Durgan.

I’ve known Scotty for a long time in many establishments. He has always been a massive asset, regardless of his area of work. In 3 prisons I have worked without Scotty, I had wished he was there, on the team. A great person, doing great things.