Inmates who arrive at Parklea Correctional Centre leave much of their world behind them.
asserted
who → arrive → them
Gone are their clothes, replaced by prison greens and matching shoes.
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clothes → go → greens
Their mobiles are confiscated, replaced with communal telephones and monitored calls.
asserted
mobiles → confiscate → telephones
Some watching TV in their cells might catch a glimpse of an arrest on the news.
uncertain
Some → watch → news
The centre's governor, Brian Gurney, said those same suspects could often come through his gates.
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suspects → say → gates
"Literally, we'll see what happens on the night-time news and those people are with us the next day," he said.
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he → see → us
While they may have lost their liberty, possessions and ease of communication with the outside world, they do not leave everything behind.
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they → lose → everything
Mr Gurney said that was particularly true of gang members.
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that → say → members
"Just because they come inside of custody … all their rivalries and that kind of thing, [don't] stop,"he said.
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stop,"he → come → thing
That presents a particular challenge for corrections officers, as they try to keep those rivalries contained, while keeping contraband out.
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they → present → contraband
Changing hands
Earlier this month, Parklea was returned to public hands after 17 years of private operation, under two separate contractors.
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Parklea → change → contractors
The move was celebrated by the Public Service Association (PSA), which labelled the privatisation a "failed experiment".
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which → celebrate → privatisation
"Locking people up for profit is no way to run a prison system," PSA general secretary Stewart Little said.
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Little → lock → system
As part of the changeover, Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) led a surprise raid of the prison, looking for contraband.
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NSW → lead → contraband
Officers searched inmates' clothes and personal effects, their bedding, bins, drawers and toiletries, as well as every prison yard.
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Officers → search → clothes
CSNSW said the contraband they uncovered included a smoking device for illegal substances hidden in a milk carton, a machete hidden under a mattress and drug paraphernalia in a cereal box.
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they → say → box
Mr Gurney said gang members had vast networks on the outside, which would try to smuggle in items they could use to their advantage.
uncertain
they → say → advantage
"These are people with a lot of resources when they come into custody," Mr Gurney said.
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Gurney → come → custody
And they were getting more "inventive".
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they → get → ?
"The traditional 'throw a tennis ball over the fence' has gone these days and they're using drones to bring things in, and in large quantities," he said.
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he → throw → quantities
Guards use cameras to detect drones, forcing their pilots to attempt drops from higher altitudes, and often missing.
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Guards → use → altitudes
"Their accuracy in getting into yards … is very difficult," he said.
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he → get → yards
The PSA wants corrections officers to have powers to shoot down drones, using gun-like devices that interfere with a drone's signals.
Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the government was in the "latter stages" of procurement for the right kind of technology.
"We want to make sure that the technology is adjustable and long-lasting," he said.
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he → want → technology
"We don't want to invest millions of taxpayers money in technology which could be outdated within a few months."
Life on the inside
Parklea houses more than 1,500 inmates, ranging from minimum to maximum security.
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Parklea → want → security
Most are on remand, waiting for their court cases to be finalised.
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cases → wait → remand
While touring a minimum security wing as part of official handover proceedings, the minister met two inmates.
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minister → tour → inmates
"And what's your role?" one asked him politely.
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one → ask → him
"I'm the minister for corrections," Mr Chanthivong replied.
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Chanthivong → reply → corrections
The inmate then said he was glad to be participating in a drug rehabilitation program, having been in prison three times.
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he → say → prison
"It's time to pull the finger out,"he said.
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It → pull → finger
In another part of the prison, the tour visited a room where inmates were preparing for their upcoming release, through a program designed to help them reconnect with family.
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them → visit → family
The course also covered more practical matters, like getting paperwork and identification together.
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course → cover → paperwork
Nearby, inmates in a kitchen busily prepared curried egg sandwiches for the prison population, allowing them to earn money for approved items.
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them → prepare → items
Mr Gurney said it also helped them build their confidence.
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them → say → confidence
"While they might not go off and become a sandwich maker when they leave custody, what they've learned whilst they're in custody are those sort of life skills," he said.
uncertain
he → go → skills
With the prison now handed over to corrective services, he said he hoped to put more focus on training and education programs, particularly for the remand population.
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he → hand → population
"[Many] come in and out, in and out, without actually getting any sort of treatment or help and assistance," he said.
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he → come → treatment
One of the government's biggest challenges will be improving the standard of health facilities at Parklea.
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One → improve → Parklea
In August, a report by the Inspector of Custodial Services determined the main health centre did "not provide safe or hygienic accommodation".
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centre → determine → accommodation
As such, it did not meet the inspector's health standards, nor did it satisfy the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' requirements.
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it → meet → requirements
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia