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When Damien Veal tells people what he does, the reaction is either fascinated or horrified.
The former teacher works as a corrections officer at Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre, Australia’s newest major adult prison, which has repeatedly been in the news for the wrong reasons.
Though it was designed to be a model state-of-the-art prison that focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment, the jail has been dogged almost from the start by reports of violence, drug use and a lack of inmate reform.
Corrections officer Damien Veal has been working at the Alexander Maconochie Center for three years.
CO Veal admits that when he started in prison “morale was relatively low”.
“Working with people over the last six months has been a real effort to bring everyone together and cheer everyone up a bit,” he said.
In terms of his unusual career change, the 46-year-old says that being a prison guard is “no different in many ways” than being a teacher.
He admits that some are surprised to discover his occupation because it falls short of the expectations of the tyrannical, perhaps even sadistic prison guard as Hollywood so often portrays.
“The reaction I get is pretty mixed,” he said.
‘Some people are quite fascinated about what it is like.
CO Veal (pictured left) says the job of being a corrections officer is very challenging due to the unexpected nature of the occupation.
“Some people are quite horrified because they’re based on the stereotypes that are out there, but generally it’s ‘that’s very interesting’ and they want to find more kind of response.”
For CO Veal, the most challenging aspect is the unexpected nature of the job.
“We always live under the threat of an incident, that’s the nature of the beast,” he said.
“That’s where the camaraderie among the staff comes from, there are fantastic people here and we all get along very well.
‘We all support each other very effectively.’
CO Veal said he had never been threatened or attacked but had to step in to break up fights at times and was in situations where he thought he might “turn bad”.
CO Veal says people who know him are often surprised that he doesn’t fit the ‘stereotype’ of a prison guard.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking involved a November 2021 riot by 27 inmates who refused to return to their cells and fights broke out.
CO Veal said it had been an “intense situation” in which he spent 18 hours in the center while detainees set fire to an accommodation unit before a negotiated truce was reached.
“It taught us a lot to keep going,” he said of the experience.
Co Veal decided to stop teaching three years ago.
“I wanted a challenge,” he said.
“I wanted to try something different, too, but still feel like I was making a contribution to the world.”
Three inmates exercise by walking down the corridor of the Alexander Maconochie Center
To qualify, he took a 10-week course on-site and completed a certificate three qualification in Correctional Practice.
ACT Correctional Officer salaries start at $69,433 and can go up to around $122,000 for the highest ranks.
CO Veal said officers need a particular combination of traits to be successful on the job.
“You need someone who is empathetic, realistic, responsive, flexible and able to adapt with the times and think creatively,” he said.
‘It takes all kinds of people and we have all kinds of people working here, but I think we all have those traits and characteristics.
“It’s a bit of a give and take constantly responding to a changing environment.
“I find it quite challenging, I actually like it a lot.”
Although it is vital to establish a good relationship with the prisoners, there is a very fine line to walk, with an unspoken rule that you will never break.
‘We are friends, yes, but being a friend of the prisoners is a ‘no’.
‘It works nicely and if we’re able to do more of that in the carbon face that eliminates potential problems.
‘I have thought that the prisoners are trying to manipulate or use me. I am aware of it.’
The officer knocked down some of the stereotypes of prison life from TV and movies.
He said that people in ACT jail do not form ethnic groups or clans and that newcomers did not have to prove themselves by ‘taking on’ the toughest prisoner in the unit.
A recent report from the Center identified lack of structure and boredom as top problems for some inmates who don’t bother to get out of bed until lunchtime.
CO Veal admitted that this was still happening in some areas.
However, he believed that a new program that rewarded and modeled positive behavior was “shifting the focus from punishment to reward.”
Corrections officers must walk the fine line of being friendly to detainees but not becoming friends with them.
“So far it has been very successful,” said CO Veal.
‘I have been enjoying the new opportunities in the last six months.’
Asked if his career change would be permanent, CO Veal said ‘absolutely at this stage’.
As much as you’re enjoying the satisfaction of your career, it’s still a relief that it’s just a job.
“It’s a nice feeling to leave every day, of course,” he said.