Look inside M'boro jail: Inmates enjoy tax funded luxuries

A television rests on the chest of drawers near the cell door, while a tennis racquet hangs from shelves in another cell nearby.

A TELEVISION rests on the chest of drawers near the cell door, while a tennis racquet hangs from shelves in another cell nearby.

Welcome to Maryborough's Correctional Centre, where some of the comforts and luxuries of the outside world have crept in - but you might be interrupted in the middle of your movie by a guard and canine executing a drug search.

The Chronicle was given a tour inside the prison this week and at first glance one could be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into a sparse-looking community centre.

In the high security section, prisoners sit at tables playing cards, while an unused ping pong table sits in the corner.

There are board games stacked on top of one another and an area where the prisoners can create art.

One talented inmate has drawn a poster with the emblems of all the NRL teams.

Obviously an Eels fan, the Parramatta mascot stands proudly at the top of the poster.

Contraband has been planted inside one of the cells and the dog sits down near it as it has been taught to do while the handler retrieves the item.

Outside there is a gym area for prisoners to use.

There are also tennis courts waiting to be used in the middle of the centre.

In the residential units, which houses low-risk prisoners, conditions are more relaxed.

There is a shared kitchen where prisoners can make food.

The prisoners can sit outside and there is a lot more freedom - at least as much as one can have inside a prison.

Several prisoners in this unit have also taken on the challenge of helping to train companion dogs for Smart Pups, an initiative that has been great for the prisoners, custodial corrections officer Lyn Steadman says.
 

Maryborough Correctional Centre

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