LEGAL STUDIES

Melbourne Metropolitan Remand Centre

When we think of prison, we imagine intimidating guards, cold iron bars and shady criminals. These images are instilled in our minds by various television shows and movies. For the Legal Studies students of Year 12, these daunting (and fictional) images of life behind bars were changed after a visit to the Metropolitan Remand Centre, a maximum security remand prison holding over 700 prisoners from across Victoria.

 As part of the Remand Centre’s Schools Program, students were given a greater understanding of the inner workings of a maximum security prison and of Victoria’s criminal legal system, with the opportunity to talk with both prison officers and prisoners. The prisoners openly shared their experiences of prison life, describing the jobs they held, people they had met, lessons they had learned and much more.

 Students were somewhat surprised by the centre’s less cold and intimidating atmosphere, as well as the approachable nature of the two prisoners they were introduced to. The relationship between prison officers and prisoners was also surprisingly friendly, with the prisoners treating officers with great respect and vice versa.

 Overall, the visit to the Metropolitan Remand Centre was a rewarding one, with students’ knowledge and understanding of the criminal legal system greatly developed. The experiences offered by the centre are sure to be applied by students in their studies.

Aidan Tai-Jones

Year 12