A three-time Paralympic gold medallist and a corrective services veteran have spoken what it's like working in what they describe as Australia's "best" prison.
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'Valuable' and 'rewarding' are words that come to mind after discovering their efforts in the rehabilitation of inmates.
Proud Aboriginal man and Wellington's own swimming champion Ben Austin is a services and programs officer at Macquarie Correctional Centre along with Senior Assistant Superintendent Phil Lindley, who has almost 30 years of corrections experience under his belt.
They work in a facility where inmates routinely flourish into artists, musicians, PhD students, chefs, hospitality workers, and film professionals.
Names of inmates have been changed and their faces blurred to protect any victims from seeing the offenders.
"I was very impressed with the model, the programs available for inmates and just the overall good atmosphere here," Mr Austin said.
Mr Austin joined corrective services after being on the road working as a motivational speaker. He decided to apply for the role at Macquarie after a friend and employee there said it would be a good fit for him.
His role involves helping inmates reintegrate into society upon release, which sometimes includes helping them with government ID, opening a bank account and even looking for jobs.
He also helps inmates with offence-related programs such as aggression, family and domestic violence and addiction. He said an Aboriginal cultural strengthening program had also been introduced. He loves the job because it gives him "a sense of purpose".
"I've always been a big person of purpose and Macquarie is a work environment where you can actually make a contribution with your skill set," he said.
"Me being a motivational speaker, I've been able to utilise that in a program room off the cuff speaking to the guys. For me that's been the most rewarding part about working here."
Mr Austin also helps inmates improve their mental health giving them the confidence to succeed. One inmate said he said he felt more prepared to face the outside world after his talks with the Paralympian.
"The staff is absolutely fabulous. They always stay in contact, they'll book you in and regularly check to see if you need anything. Ben was one of my supports, he helped me a lot," inmate Jack (not his real name) told Daily Liberal.
"We went online looking online for work because I'm due to be released. He's actually helping me set up that pathway after my release. It's good, it doesn't leave me with nothing when I get out."
Jack had been filming and producing content for Macquarie's internal tv channel 'MacTV' broadcasted from the prison's tv production studio.
"One day you'll see his name at the end of the movies," Mr Austin said referring to Jack.
As a facility with one-eighth the violence found in other prisons in the country, Mr Austin has found it to be special model of rehabilitation.
"You rarely have any violence here, even though its a maximum security prison," he said.
"There's just such unique programs in place, the overall opportunities for the inmates here to address their needs, they can help them reduce recidivism whether its through gaining new skills, doing a university degree, or learning new skillsets of media and production."
Senior Assistant Superintendent Phil Lindley, the truest believer in the Macquarie model, agrees with Mr Austin. Mr Lindley has worked in various places including Long Bay, Dubbo, Wellington and Broken Hill Correctional Centre's, but his favourite command post has been Macquarie.
Mr Lindley was proud of charity work carried out by inmates and correctional officers at the facility.
"Since our prison opened in 2017, we've raised well over $80,000 for various community groups including drought-affected farmers, the local SES team, and the McGrath Foundation," he said. "They're charities that we're passionate about."
The most satisfying part of the job for him was the reduced chance of inmates reoffending once they had been released.
"We're giving inmates all the skills tools and opportunities for them to go out and not come back," Mr Lindley said.
"A lot of people don't believe in what we're doing here... I don't think we really believed it at the start because it was totally different. We thought they were a bit mad, but five years on now, it's just going from strength to strength, we're getting results and it's proving to be a better model."
The prison 'manager' would much rather know that he had done everything to make an inmate a better person and better member of the community before they are released. According to him, the normal model where inmates are locked up in a cell for 18 hours a day did not seem the best way to release someone into the community.
Phil Lindley and Ben Austin were honoured to represent Corrective Services NSW staff and have been rightly chosen as ambassadors among 10,500 employees celebrated on January 20, National Corrections Day.
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Bageshri Savyasachi
I am a general reporter with an interest in community stories and issues that need attention. Contact me with tips and thoughts at bageshri.s@canberratimes.com.au or send confidential tips to bageshri.s@proton.me
I am a general reporter with an interest in community stories and issues that need attention. Contact me with tips and thoughts at bageshri.s@canberratimes.com.au or send confidential tips to bageshri.s@proton.me
