Desperate self-harm attempts, inmate overdoses, and a mother-of-four's struggle to get clean for her children's sake are just some examples in a show uncovering what it's like inside some of the region's maximum security prisons.
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Life inside Wellington Correctional Centre was featured in the first episode of Channel 9's new docuseries Australia Behind Bars, which premiered last Thursday night.
The eight-part series will take viewers behind the high walls of three maximum security prisons Wellington, Dillwynia and Silverwater to show the harsh realities of daily life for both inmates and corrections officers.
"The public don't see what we go through," Daniel, a senior officer at Wellington Correctional said.
In the first episode during a prison transfer, one inmate from Wellington tells officers he's swallowed a razor blade.
"In this case 100 per cent he didn't want to go anywhere else. He's from this area, his family's from the area, he just didn't want to go," senior officer Daniel explains.
I hope this series allows people to better appreciate the skills, qualities of character and passion corrections staff need to do such an important job safely and effectively.
- Corrective Services NSW deputy commissioner Luke Grant
"Some people take these desperate measures far too quickly, they probably see no other way of dealing with it so this guy has obviously seen no other way out, grabbed a razor blade and went for it."
After investigation, the inmate admitted he had just swallowed foil from one of the dinner trays. As a result of the incident he would be assessed physically and mentally by Justice Health and remain at Wellington on a self-harm program.
"[The public] they don't see these incidents like the self-harm, the inmate holding the razor blade to their throat, literally six inches away from where you're trying to talk to them, it's pretty confronting," senior officer Daniel said.
The first episode of the program also featured officers at Wellington conducting raids, where they discovered weapons, and a water bottle containing contraband moonshine in a prisoner's cell made from fermented fruit and bread.
From dangerous drivers to some of the most vicious criminals in the state, Wellington Correctional Centre is home to 592 prisoners, 130 of them are minimum security, while the rest are maximum security.
Corrective Services NSW deputy commissioner Luke Grant said the series features both staff and inmates to provide the public a more comprehensive understanding of prison life.
"I hope this series allows people to better appreciate the skills, qualities of character and passion corrections staff need to do such an important job safely and effectively," he said.
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
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Zaarkacha Marlan
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
