A prisoner from Macquarie Correctional Centre opens up on life behind bars

A prisoner who spent three years in custody while his case went through the court system often doubted whether he would make it out in one piece.

A prisoner who spent three years in custody while his case went through the court system often doubted whether he would make it out in one piece.

“You watch as some inmates disappear from yards if they chose it’s too much and suicide,: the prisoner, who cannot be named, said in an exclusive letter written to the Saturday Telegraph.

“Being witness to a suicide is something you’ll never forget; it’s etched in your memory forever.

“My mindset is that my life is destroyed, and I’ll never recover … and that my future sentence will just be about somehow reaching the end in one piece, mentally, physically.

“Then if you are one of the incredibly lucky ones … they send you to Macquarie Correctional Centre. This is what happened to me, and it changed my life forever.”

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It took him three years to get his own mental health battle under control, but the prisoner says he is now a certified personal trainer who will soon get his plumbers licence as he transitions to a minimum security jail.

“At the same time, I completed a postgraduate tertiary qualification. Education staff have been brilliant all the way.

“I am treated like a human again and most staff including my workplace managers that manage my custody let me know in their conversations with me that they too care about my future.”

“My workplace managers have supported me all the way with my studies also and made sure that I myself and my fellow inmates develop skills that are cutting edge, sought after by industry and that can help me to rehabilitate to gain meaningful employment when I’m released in the next few years.”

The prisoner said he longed to be with his family members who he will “soon rejoin” as he progresses his way out of prison.

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Originally published as A prisoner from Macquarie Correctional Centre opens up on life behind bars