A popular outreach program at Glen Innes, which saw inmates from the local Correctional Centre undertake various public space and community parks maintenance and upgrade projects, will restart soon.
Member or Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall sought the personal intervention of the Minister Geoff Lee in October, taking him out to the 168-bed minimum security male inmate facility, to meet with the Centre’s staff and inmates and discuss the benefits of the program, which was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Mr Marshall has now received confirmation from Minister Lee that the program and associated Corrections NSW staff position would be reinstated at the Correctional Centre from next month.
“This is wonderful news for the Correctional Centre’s inmates and staff but most importantly the Glen Innes community,” Mr Marshall said.
“The outreach program was very popular and allowed to periodically undertake work outside the Correctional Centre, primarily in and around Glen Innes.
“While supervised, the community welcomed the extra help to maintain local parks, paint buildings, build fences and generally lend a hand to keep public buildings and areas maintained.
“This all ended during COVID and the Community Projects role was removed from the Centre, but everyone’s excited the program has been re-instated and will start again next month.
“The program was very popular – the inmates loved it and so did the whole community – it allowed great interaction between the correctional centre and the community and I’m delighted this relationship will restart.”
The correctional centre has a long tradition of working outside the boundaries of the facility and started life in 1928 as an Afforestation Camp, with logging and milling timber carried out at the centre throughout its long history.
The centre was also the home to one of Australia’s most renowned heavy horse studs and training centres. Inmates often travelled with their equine charges to shows and competitions.
“The centre is a wonderful facility with the main aim of being a pre-release centre for those sent for supervision,” Mr Marshall said.
“The community of Glen Innes and the district have always been an important part of that process and I am delighted to have those opportunities reinstated.”
Top image: Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall, left, with Minister for Corrections Geoff Lee during their visit to the Glen Innes Correctional Centre last October.
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