Inside the lives of incarcerated women at Southern Queensland Correctional Centre
Television shows may have painted a skewed picture of incarceration, but reporter Jessica Klein has been given rare insight into what life’s really like within the walls of this South East Queensland women’s prison.
Gatton
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Cage-like steel reinforced walls and ten-foot-fencing is often the confronting image that springs to mind when we envisage a prison.
The film and TV industry has run wild with the trope, often inspiring fictional ideas of what life on the inside is like for offenders.
High security women’s prison Southern Queensland Correctional Centre, perched in the Lockyer Valley’s backyard, is certainly no ‘Orange is the new Black’.
With a capacity to house just over 300 women, the centre is firm on giving the women inside a second chance to build a better future.
Behind the eyes of many of the women is a jarring history of substance, physical and sexual abuse, the catalyst that’s set them on the path to offending and eventually incarceration.
Often many of them have lacked any sort of stability or structure in their lives, and while the centre accepts the wrongdoing that’s led them here, it’s steadfast in its purpose to rehabilitate.
Acting Superintendent Kate Oxlade said the centre gives women the opportunity to learn new skills in a safe and encouraging environment to set them up for success on the outside.
“We focus on building the women’s skills and confidence for when they reintegrate into the community,” Acting Superintendent Oxlade said.
“(Our staff) take pride in setting a standard for the women to be able to self manage themselves when they’re released.”
The women are given a structured day filled with educational and other support programs, paid work within the prison, and other engaging activities that instil confidence and self-worth.
A heartbreaking reality for many of the women is a real lack of support on the outside, a theme Acting Supt Oxlade has seen all too often in her two decades with Queensland Corrective Services.
Conscious of the trauma experienced by some of the women at the hands of men, the centre has a major focus on its male officers and how they interact with the women.
“There’s a big focus on our male officers employing this standard to help show the women how they should be treated, so they can understand how to identify poor behaviour from male partners in the future,” Acting Supt Oxlade said.
“We want to break the cycle of trauma and teach them what a respectable standard is from men, and how they should be treated.”
For many of the women when they become incarcerated, it’s often at a critical time in their child’s life.
To aid in mitigating this, the centre offers programs and services enabling mothers to stay connected with their children from the inside.
The centre offers a weekly playgroup for up to school-aged children and hosts a mums and bubs facility which allows mothers to have their newborn in their care for up to six months.
The centre also gives women the opportunity to participate in parental educational programs and activities.
‘Transform lives’, a pilot program through Griffith University, allows young mothers the opportunity to build themselves up to make a better life for themselves and most importantly their children.
The program is the first to offer continued support to women and their children for up to three-years post release.
One of the many ways the women incarcerated at Southern Queensland Correctional Centre are giving back to the wider community is through Assistance Dogs Australia’s ‘Pups in Prison’ program.
The program is longstanding in prisons across the state and for the past five years has been changing the lives of the women who participate.
It’s no walk in the park for these women who are firstly required to meet a very strict behavioural criteria to take part in the program.
Participants are required to undergo an initial six-week puppy handling course, before the labradors are carefully matched to individual participants.
The women and their designated pup then spend the next eight months together, 24-hours a day preparing them for their journey to become more than a best friend.
The bond between woman and dog was an overwhelming sight at the program’s graduation ceremony in February.
Gathering to acknowledge the success of their canine friends, a sense of accomplishment was evident in the room for both the prisoner participants and their pups.
Although only two of the 13 pups in prison remained for the ceremony, the words of gratitude read out on behalf of those in need let out a flood of tears across the room.
Beth* has now trained her fifth lab to assist someone in need and has experienced a front-row seat to the profound effect the program has had not only for herself, but for her fellow participants.
“It’s definitely shaped who I am as a person today, it’s given me patience and a new outlook on life,” she said.
“You learn to regulate your emotions because the dogs pick up quite easily when something is wrong.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth in other women who have participated in the program.”
Beth said the type of training of the dogs starts at a basic level of teaching them commands, to advanced which sees them engage in mobility training.
“You show them how to do the things we take for granted, like opening the fridge door and picking up clothes and putting them in the basket,” she said.
“Many of (the dogs) go to homes where the person is autistic or has PTSD, so they learn how to intervene when a person is becoming overwhelmed or anxious.
“We teach them how to hug and show affection.”
There was an additional bout of rejoicing from the women at this particular ceremony, which saw another long-term participant who was recently released recognised for efforts in the program.
Assistance Dogs Australia instructor and program facilitator at SQCC Belinda is another with a front-row seat to the success it brings.
“I get to see all aspects of it, so for me it’s extremely rewarding to be involved in the program,” she said.
“I get to see the end result, but I also get to see the development and change within the women, the growth of their skill sets, their patience and self reflection.”
Offender development manager Nicole said the women were encouraged to engage with all types of rehabilitation programs.
“(Their engagement in the programs) reduces assaults, helps keep the staff and other women safe,” she said.
“They’re not getting themselves into any sort of trouble when they’re up here and engaged in programs, it’s a healthy alternative for them.
“It also helps them discover who they are as a person, because sometimes this is the first time they’ve been in a situation where they can work out who they actually are as a human and what their value is, and what they can actually give back to the community.”
Pups in Prison is just one of many reformative and rehabilitative programs at SQCC, with an array of educational and industry trade opportunities available to help put an end to the cycle of reoffending.
For those women engaged in paid work whether it be through the industries centre, horticulture and landscaping, or any other program there is no mistaking the pride reflected in their work.
*For legal reasons Beth’s real name can’t be used and has been changed to conceal her identity.
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