They're the unseen frontline workers, but on Friday, January 15, corrections staff are recognised for their work to keep the community safe.
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South Coast Correctional Centre employs 340 of the 10,000 Corrective Services employees in NSW.
Ahead of National Corrections Day employees shared their day-to-day, which is usually kept behind closed doors.
South Coast Correctional Centre provies a remand centre, a maximum security section, and a minimum security section.
Education and therapy for inmates are a priority for staff, who are committed to doing everything they can to ensure inmates don't come back. Reoffending across NSW dropped by 0.6 per cent from 2018-19 to 2019-20.
"It's a challenging job and our work in custodial corrections is done behind a five-foot brick wall, so no one gets to appreciate it," Governor Larry Bolger said.
"It's more discreet than other frontline services, and that's why National Corrections Day is so important."
Glenn Cochrane manages the minimum security section of the prison, and is proud of his role.
Part of that role is to train inmates keen to work. The inmates can put their name down on a "willing to work" list, and when a place becomes available begin their training in the workshop, where they pack rations for other inmates, build furniture and do laundry for small businesses.
From the workshop, inmates can go on to work in other areas of the prison, such as the warehouse, on lawn maintenance and in the kitchen. If they prove themselves, they are then allowed to work outside the prison on community projects.
Mr Cochrane believes this experience helps inmates develop the skills they need to secure a job upon their release.
"Some have never held down a job, so to build the habit of getting up at a certain time, and working to a particular standard is a new skill," he said.
There are currently 51 inmates employed in the program. The minimum security section can accomodate between 176 and 208 inmates.
The inmates are housed in two separate accomodation blocks, with their own yards. The blocks are broken down into pods, which house 11-13 inmates at a time. They consist of individual bedrooms, where prisoners are locked in from 5pm-7am each day, shared bathroom and a shared living area with a kitchenette.
After they are let out in the morning, prisoners can work, access the library, exercise or sign up for education courses.
Therapy programs are also available to help prisoners address the causes of their offending.
Stan Jarrett provides programs for Aboriginal inmates, who he says make up about 30 per cent of the population at the South Coast Correctional Centre.
He runs yarning circles, among other programs, to help inmates reconnect with their culture. He believes the strength of the program lies in it being "an Aboriginal program run by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people".
"The power of Aboriginal culture has been underrated," he said.
"The yarning circle is a traditional method of passing on cultural information. We have a mixture of young men who might be learning about their culture and older blokes who are able to share their knowledge.
"There are so many opportunities now for the use of cultural capital, particualrly employment opportunities."