Hunter Correctional Centre offers inmates ‘communal-style living’ and a chance to ‘see the stars at night’

EXCLUSIVE

To lure inmates to a maximum security prison, a prison brochure has been created promising community-style living, a cafe for three-hour family visits and a chance to see the stars at night.

The pamphlet was printed to encourage inmates to seek transfers to the Hunter Correctional Centre, near the prison Pokolbin Vineyards in the picturesque NSW Hunter Valley.

Under the heading ‘Welcome!’ the document informs prisoners in other NSW prisons that the Hunter Correctional Center is ‘less than two hours’ drive from Sydney’ in the sprawling Cessnock prison complex.

‘What sets Hunter CC apart is its open, “dormitory style” accommodation and our goal to provide offenders with ample opportunities to receive education, programs [and] social activities in a safe and friendly environment,” it says.

According to the brochure, the ‘benefits of THEIR CC’ include ‘3-hour visits with access to café and children’s play equipment’ and ‘access to the garden until 9pm – see the stars at night’.

In addition to ‘communal style living’, the facility also features ‘monthly cafe buy-back and weekly meat and egg buy-out for your pod BBQ’ and ‘fully equipped gym with racquetball in all pod yards’.

The extra ‘buy-ups’ – which in most prisons involve the purchase of items such as extra groceries, sweets and toiletries – involve coveted ASICS runners every six months.

The Hunter Correctional Center houses 400 male inmates convicted of crimes including murder and child abuse. All occupants enjoy some form of protection.

The ‘extra-curricular activities’ offered by the prison include internships, TAFE qualifications, university opportunities, fitness and nutrition courses, boot camps and yoga classes.

For those with creative inclinations, there are music lessons and recording sessions, art, pottery and craft programs. There is a selection of board games and the chance to work on origami.

The pamphlet contains a glowing review from a former inmate under the headline “Our Former Residents Say…”.

“I wasted a lot of my time in prison… It’s the first chance I’ve had to actually win anything… to go back to college, when I haven’t studied since I was a teenager,” he said . perpetrator states.

That quote appears to have been taken from an ABC news website story about the prison that was published last October.

Under another heading: ‘Ready for change?’ Inmates seeking a transfer to Hunter are advised to speak with the security classification officer at their current prison.

“If you like the information in this pamphlet, or would like more information, please refer to your local Classo official who can advise you on your next steps,” it says.

A spokeswoman for Corrective Services NSW told Daily Mail Australia the “language and tone” in the leaflet was inappropriate and the invitation would not be used further.

“Posters and leaflets are regularly used in NSW prisons to let prisoners know what programmes, employment and training opportunities are available,” the spokeswoman said.

‘These types of materials are generally developed on an ad hoc basis at local level as needed to encourage involvement and participation.

‘This leaflet was originally developed several years ago to encourage prisoners to apply for placement in a dormitory. It was then updated for use at the Hunter Correctional Center.

‘We accept that the language and tone of the leaflet is inappropriate and it will be removed from distribution.’

The brochure was posted on The Last Governor’s Facebook page, which is followed by former and serving prison officials who mocked the initiative.

“This is all well and good, but what about Frequent Flyer points or Fly Buys?” wrote one user.

Other comments included: ‘Don’t they get enough repeat customers?’, ‘I love it, how do I book a room!’ and “Might as well let the prisoners do a TripAdvisor review on their way out.”

Hunter Correctional Center was recently designated as a Special Management Area prison, housing inmates who are at risk from the regular prison population.

Prisoners are given relatively more freedoms than those in most prisons, but are managed within a strict ‘no violence’ policy.

Prison authorities have previously said the dormitory-style management system has reduced the violence rate.

One Facebook user strongly defended the Hunter Correctional Center after the brochure was unveiled.

“Disappointing that some officers are also shaming programs designed to help people get their act together and make something of themselves,” she wrote.

“I’ve visited quite a few prisons and Hunter punches well above his weight.

‘Their security leaves no black marks and their zero tolerance of violence ensures that prisoners who are there to get it done are not affected or affected by anti-social behaviour.

‘I can also guarantee that the morale of the officers there seems to be a lot better – which also helps to maintain good order.’

Hunter CC opened in January 2018 as the second ‘rapid-build’ prison in NSW, following the establishment of the Macquarie Correctional Center in Wellington in the state’s central west in December last year.

The design consists of four wings, each with four dormitories – or ‘pods’ – housing 25 prisoners in office cubicles. Each cabin has a desk, chair, mattress and 60cm interactive TV.

Each pod has eight bathroom cubicles with a toilet, sink and shower. Only one prisoner is allowed in the cell at a time, creating more privacy and security.

There are more than 600 CCTV cameras monitoring the entire prison and can zoom in so close that operators can read newspaper in an inmate’s hands.

The entire facility is controlled by a central command post from which all doors, alarms and other devices can be controlled and monitored.

Prison authorities hailed the facility, which was built in just 12 months, as the future for the rehabilitation of some of the state’s worst offenders.

Although the prison’s inmates have privileges not found in other maximum security prisons, they all work and attend educational programs that prepare them for life on the outside.

They are also under the most intensive surveillance of any prison in the country and an armed elite immediate action team ensures a constant response capacity to any incident.

At certain points within their sentence, inmates imprisoned in NSW can apply for transfer to another prison, which is assessed and decided by Corrective Services.