VCAL

MARNGONEET CORRECTIONAL CENTRE

On Thursday 16 June, the Year 11 and Year 12 VCAL students attended the Marngoneet Correctional Centre in Lara. Marngoneet is a 300-bed medium security correctional programs centre which provides an intensive level of treatment and offender management activity, including sex offender treatment programs, drug and alcohol treatment programs, violent offender treatment programs, and vocational services programs for prisoners in Victoria.

Prisoners classified to Marngoneet are at moderate to high risk of re-offending. They have a minimum of six months of their sentence left to serve at the time of transfer to Marngoneet. Most Marngoneet prisoners are there to address their violence or sex offences or significant drug and alcohol issues that are related to their offending.

Whilst the prison is a secure facility, some of the prisoners do reside in small living units, which aims to promote significant levels of personal and social responsibility. This also reduces the institutionalisation focus and better prepare for their impending release. The boys were interested to hear that prisoners do their own shopping, cooking and all other domestic chores, which are negotiated amongst themselves. They were shocked to learn that the prisoners are each allocated $42 per week for their groceries.

The students had the opportunity to meet with prisoners and listen to their stories. They were able to ask them frank and personal questions, about their lives before and in prison, the crimes that they committed and how they felt about them. The prisoners were very clear and honest in explaining to the boys that they were all responsible for the choices they had made and the consequent punishment the courts imposed on them. They were consistent in telling the students that drugs and or alcohol abuse played a significant role in their offending behaviour. They reflected on the importance of family and how valuable it is to be able to talk to someone when you have problems, before they escalate. Our students were respectful and thoughtful in their conversations with the prisoners and took away key messages from this experience.