Journalist spends a cold night behind bars at Yasmar Juvenile Detention Centre for charity Whitelion

A LOCAL journalist has spent a cold night in a cell at the old Yasmar Juvenile Detention Centre.

Bail Out Yasmar

PAT DOWN. Fingerprinting. Yelling. Personal belongings taken and bagged. No talking. Strangers. Darkness falling. A last phone call. Unfamiliar corridors, leading to an unknown fate.

The welcoming committee at Yasmar, the former detention centre on Parramatta Rd in Haberfield, would not win awards for friendliness.

Given a blue jump suit, we’re ridiculed by the guards, and there’s more yelling as we’re marched to an overcrowded cell to sit, and wait.

Time seems to stand still as the evening settles in and darkness sets shadows on the prison walls.

Yasmar is a cold place to spend the night, as our Inner West Courier journalist found out.

Graffiti with names and dates of former inmates adorn the walls. Each marking and tag the story of a young Aussie whose life took a wayward turn.

Whitelion’s quirky fundraiser — Bail Out — asks average Aussies to take time out and be locked up and raise money to be freed.

PHOTO GALLERY: A JOURNALIST BEHIND BARS

PHOTO GALLERY: YASMAR AS IT LOOKS NOW

Sixty Sydneysiders spent last Friday night in the Haberfield facility, and were treated to a small glimpse at life on the inside for an unfortunate­ youth.

The participants raised money in the form of bail, to help Whitelion support young people at risk.

Bail Out events, which are being conducted around Australia this month, are designed­ to expose participants to life on the inside, with actors playing guards who strip the individuality of those who participate.

The Yasmar Juvenile Detention Centre in Haberfield has been overgrown for many years.

We’re ordered from our cells when dinnertime rolls on, and marched up a cold corridor to the dining hall.

It’s hard to be hungry when you’re surrounded by strangers and anxious guards, and mealtime, which is usually a time of frivolity and good cheer on the outside becomes an eerie, quiet chore.

“No smiling”, “sit down”, “get out of my sight”, the guards bark at anyone who dares to acknowledge another inmate.

The play actors did an excellent job at instilling fear in us. But the real horror show was still to come.

There was plenty of time to think and reflect at Yasmar.

Visits and a few short presentations from former youth detainees sent a heart-wrenching message. One of the former Yasmar inmates came and spoke to us and talked about giving hope to the hopeless.

The reality of their situation far scarier than any mock prison stay. Waking at 4am on a thin mattress, security lights shining in your face, and a cool winter air flow through the open vents above the barred windows.

Lying still and not knowing where you are. The constant hum of traffic on Parramatta Rd reminding you society is moving on outside. Feeling scared, cold, lonely and forgotten.

Lying there, hoping, those young people deemed hopeless cases in our society can be given a reason to hope.

To donate money to Whitelion, and help keep Lisa Herbertson out on bail, click here.

Little has changed since the last inmate stayed at Yasmar in 2006.

YOUTH NUMBERS

■ Yasmar was a juvenile detention centre from 1981 to 2006 (the latter 12 years a female only facility)

■ In NSW, approximately 500 young people are incarcerated in juvenile detention facilities across the state with ages ranging from 10 to 17. This year, it is anticipated that around 5,000 young people will experience involvement in the Juvenile Justice system.

■ There are 46,187 substantiated child protection reports each year

■ There are nearly 50,000 vulnerable young people in Australia and nearly 15,000 at high risk

■ There are an estimated 32,400 young people between 12 to 24 years who are homeless in Australia