Ordinary People Take on Extraordinary Jobs in HM Prison and Probation Service Recruitment Spots

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has launched a major new recruitment campaign for the UK’s prison services, created by House 337.

With the tagline ‘An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you’, the campaign aims to attract prospective candidates to roles in the prison service by helping them identify their suitability based on the traits and characteristics required to be a successful prison or probation officer.

A 30-second film called 'Someone like you', highlights how varied and rewarding the role of a prison officer is, while two 20-second films, called 'Tammy' and 'Paul', focus on the role of probation staff helping former prisoners adapt to life outside and reducing the risk of re-offending.

Soundbites from interviews with serving prison officers are used in the narrative voiceover for 'Someone like you', which was filmed on location at HMP Berwyn, the largest prison in the UK, with Greg Hackett from Spindle directing. ‘Tammy’ and ‘Paul’ were shot at an operational probation office in London, with House 337’s Rob Sanderson directing.

The films, which will also run in 15-second cutdowns, were informed by immersive research conducted by House 337, involving tours of multiple prisons and probation sites and discussions with numerous staff and their clients, as well as audience research by the Ministry of Justice.

The campaign is House 337’s first work for HMPPS after winning a major three-year recruitment brief from the Ministry of Justice to develop an impactful employer brand campaign to recruit prison and probation staff at a time when fewer than 20% of people would consider a role in the prison service. House 337 won the MoJ / HMPPS brief after a pitch conducted by the Crown Commercial Service’s Communication Marketplace.

The task is part of a wider, ongoing HMPPS transformation placing greater focus on the delivery of frontline services – keeping the public safe, delivering modern prisons that rehabilitate offenders and reducing reoffending.

The 360-degree campaign will run on VOD, online video, digital audio, social media, and display across the UK. It breaks on September 28th with an uplifted activity in regions where recruitment needs are greatest.

Ben Stack, Ministry of Justice’s deputy director of recruitment and retention, said, “Working so closely with our prison and probation staff on this project was a privilege – their dedication, good-humour and resilience was real motivation to deliver this campaign on their behalf.

“These insight-driven adverts show the challenges as well as the rewards of these critical jobs. I hope this authenticity helps deliver more applications and an increased sense of pride among our staff in seeing their work portrayed in this way.”

Charlie Johnson, creative director at House 337, said, “Not every project gives you an opportunity to do something that can make a difference to both individuals and to society.

After spending a lot of time with both prison and probation staff we all became truly invested in building an idea that can help both recruit a new generation of frontline staff and inject some pride into a broadly overlooked community of amazing people who do a tough, and very important job.

It’s been a long journey but we’re all super proud to finally launch this project with HMPPS.