Behind the barbed wire at Maryborough Correctional Centre
No two days are the same at this notorious prison which houses up to 700 prisoners and where every officer has a vested interest in rehabilitation. Journalist Carlie Walker takes an exclusive tour behind closed doors. SEE THE VIDEO
Fraser Coast
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It’s a quiet day at Maryborough Correctional Centre on the day I go behind the barbed wire fence to see where 700 prisoners live at the Aldershot prison, about 10 minutes from the city centre.
Along the corridors, prison guards and members of the administration team make their way around the campus.
It’s lunchtime at the centre and the prisoners are having their meals before the afternoon routine begins, some will attend classes and others will be able to have virtual visits with loved ones.
It is the second time I’ve been invited inside the prison in 16 years, a rare glimpse into a part of Maryborough that is often forgotten about.
Sine my last visit the prison has changed in some areas. The workforce has certainly diversified, with more women in the roles of correctional officers and guards coming from a range of different professional backgrounds. The look and feel of the prison has stayed much the same.
The centre on Steindl Rd near the Bruce Highway is surrounded by bushland.
It had secure units, space for prisoners in protective custody and residential units where low-risk prisoners get housed.
Each correctional officer has their own way of dealing with the challenges of daily life at the prison and with the prisoners themselves.
The prison’s general manager Chief Superintendent Kris Winter said before being moved into the residential units, there was a process of assessment for each prisoner.
“At Maryborough we have protection and mainstream,” Ch Supt Winter said.
The protection units were for prisoners who for various reasons could not be in the mainstream population, Ch Supt Winter said, whether that was the nature of their offence, or associates that placed them at risk.
In order to demystify the prison, earlier this year the correctional service released a virtual tour that let people look inside the jail.
With recruitment of new officers ongoing, Ch Supt Winter is hopeful that people will see the prison, while it can be a challenging workplace, can also be a rewarding place to build a career, offering flexibility and work/life balance.
It is also a place where every worker has a vested interest in turning around the lives of the prisoners, whether that’s through the courses that are offered so they can better themselves or even through simple conversation.
Sitting in a conference room at the centre with a number of prison guards, an administration officer and a manager, each have their own perspective on the management of prisoners and how building a rapport is the principal priority when it comes to de-escalating potentially volatile situations.
None of them shy away from the challenges that they face in their day-to-day work.
But one, a custodial officer for six years, says he loves that no two days at the prison are ever the same.
Good communication was vital to his role, he said.
“A lot of the time, the prisoners just want to know they are being understood and if you understand where they are coming from, tell them why it can’t do it that way, why it has to be done this way, in clear, comprehensive words.
“A lot of the time you’ll solve 95 per cent of issues in the centre and it de-escalates them because they feel like their problems have been heard.”
Another, a prison officer who started at the Maryborough centre in April, said he had been drawn to helping people and rehabilitation throughout his career.
He was undertaking the course to become an officer in January when he had a mishap and almost severed a finger.
But QCS stuck with him and he continued the training.
“They had no obligation to afford me that ability, but I believe they saw something in me that had potential.
“They gave me the chance to complete the course.”
Down the hall, one guard, a woman, who has worked at the centre for five years, shares her experience – how a simple conversation with a prisoner can contribute to their rehabilitation.
She said there were challenging times, but there was a supportive team at the prison.
“It definitely has its moments but we have a good team here, we work well together.
“When we do go through those challenging times, we go through it together.”
She said sometimes the prisoners asked her why she was talking to them during a cell search or patrols.
“Some of them find it quite odd that I’ll have a conversation with them,” she said.
“My response is always, fellas you’re not going to be here forever, and if you can’t have a normal conversation with me about normal things, how are you going to go on the outside doing those normal things?
“It’s just one of the basics.”
A variety of courses can be undertaken by the prisoners, from literacy to numeracy, TAFE certificates, to courses addressing drug abuse and alcohol addiction.
An officer who works to co-ordinate those courses for the prisoners said it could better their lives in a multitude of ways, from being qualified for a job upon their release to being able to sit and read a book with their child.
Covid-19 made virtual visits a way for prisoners to connect with their families and the method of visitation has continued post the pandemic.
“Covid pushed us into the 21st century,” Ch Supt Winter said.
The officer in charge of the virtual visits described them as being a “huge advantage”.
About 50 per cent of the prisoners were local to the Wide Bay area, he said, meaning for some, virtual visits were vital for seeing their loved ones.
“I think it’s a huge advantage now,” he said.
The officers and administrators at the prison come from a wide range of backgrounds, from working in medical research to legal offices, hospitality and civil construction.
Each brings skills they have learned in previous jobs to their new roles.
One of the centre’s cultural liaison officers shares that she once worked at a school, engaging with indigenous youth.
Now working with First Nations people at the correctional centre, she has been at the prison for 10 months and can’t see herself working anywhere else.
Having strong connections with the Maryborough, Bundaberg and Cherbourg areas also helps the cultural officers connection with indigenous prisoners.
The prison offers a Positive Futures Program for its prisoners, helping them to identify their offending behaviours and what triggers it, she said.
The representation of First Nations prisoners inside the prison is currently about 35 per cent, or about 220 prisoners, Ch Supt Winter said.
“Obviously that’s a significant over representation and that’s sadly typical of the criminal justice system, not just in this region but in Queensland, across the nation.”
Having cultural officers was important because there needed to be support for First Nations people who’d had to overcome significant trauma and adversity, Ch Supt Winter said, and the roles were vital to bridging that gap.
“Also her role is critical to helping those of us who don’t identify with the First Nations heritage to understand First Nations culture a bit better and what these guys have been through.”
New officer recruits were taken to the Ration Museum in Cherbourg, Ch Supt Winter said, giving new team members insight into how life was and is in that community.
“We’ve done three trips now and every single time people come away from that going ‘oh my God, I had no idea’.”
The cultural officer said the experience in Cherbourg gave a better understanding of why First Nation prisoners had their guards up when it came to authority figures, because of that history.
Ch Supt Winter said the centre was working hard to take steps towards getting it right when indigenous people came into the prison, some of whom struggled with being apart from their region and their families.
“There are vulnerabilities there we need to get better at addressing,” she said.
The cultural officer said she would encourage indigenous people to consider taking up a role in corrections.
On Thursday, a ceremony was held at the Brolga Theatre as 14 more custodial officers celebrated their graduation.
Those officers will now join the team at Maryborough Correctional Centre.
“Community safety is paramount and is the focus of everything we do inside the walls,” Ch Supt Winter said.
“We want to ensure the educational programs, training and courses we deliver to prisoners make them better people, so they don’t return to crime.
“We have a diverse workforce but the one common thread that binds us together is that we have a shared desire and unwavering commitment to make our communities safer places.”
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