The state's corrections authority has put the spotlight on an Upper Hunter work program that has so far helped dozens of Aboriginal inmates get well-paying jobs in an effort to reduce re-offending.
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The partnership between St Heliers Correctional Centre at Muswellbrook and Blackrock Industries - a labour, plant and equipment firm - has provided more than 60 prisoners the chance to get good jobs through training.
Corrective Services NSW invited the Newcastle Herald inside the fences of the sprawling rural jail on Tuesday ahead of National Corrections Day later this week.
The jail's governor Louise Smith said the Gundi Program started in 2011 to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inmates a better chance successfully transition back into the community.
Ms Smith said traineeships were available for inmates - there were about 240 men at the prison as of Tuesday - and the jail linked them with employers in the Hunter.
Inmates who often have no previous experience in the work they are undertaking are trained in tasks such as furniture-making and how to build portable houses which are sent to remote communities across NSW.
"We've got Blackrock Industries on board and they employ probably 20 inmates on work release and they've got a few success stories," she said.
"A lot of them haven't had the opportunities before and a program such as this gives them not only the traineeship and vocational experience but it allows them to then have a job at the end of it.
"A lot of these guys didn't ever have the sort of support networks they get through this program."
Inmates have been working exclusively at the jail since last March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but work release will start again from next Monday.
Paul Boyce, the corrections officer who runs the Gundi Program, said inmates had the chance to participate in a range of education and training - from First Aid to white cards and other TAFE qualifications.
"A lot of guys don't quite understand that criminal history doesn't really affect them as much as it used to and that there are lots of people who want to give them opportunities for employment and a better path in life," Mr Boyce said.
"The aim is to get them employed. It's about creating confidence within individuals through education and employment so that they work towards making smarter decisions, developing pro-social networks and understanding that they may not be able to change their past but they can fix their future.
"If the guys want a fresh start on release, we try to relocate them to Muswellbrook and even help them find housing so they can get a job with Blackrock in areas such as land clearing, machinery jobs, coal washing, civil construction work and driving."
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