ABSTRACT
The historical context Traditionally, the management of very difficult prisoners has been a pragmatic affair between governors of prisons. Prior to the development of managerialism in the public services and an increase in the central managerial authority of 'headquarters', individual prison governors seem to have been relatively autonomous in the management of their prisons. The traditional method, therefore, for managing difficult prisoners must have grown out of this,* one governor would have a prisoner who had burnt out the staff, whom they needed a break from,- the governor of a colleague prison would have someone with a similar profile, and the two governors would 'swap' prisoners, on the grounds that a change was as good as a rest. It is often the case that difficult people spiral into a vicious circle with their carers, such that a fresh team bring a genuine improvement, a new start that can sometimes be sustained. More often the same problems emerge in the new setting, but even so, for the sake of both prisoner and staff, the move can be justified on the grounds of the 'honeymoon' period of respite.
