G'day Bernie, Your book 'Intractables' - Hell has a name: Katingal, was given to me to read following my release from the Bay in October,2006. I was an Australian Regular Army soldier, a professional killer, trained and paid by the Federal Government to protect the freedom of those places and peoples as my employer directed. I too was a CMF 'grunt' but with 2RNSWR. On my return from my second tour of Vietnam in 1971, I was unceremoniously tipped out as "Not suited to be a soldier." My passport to the Bay was brought about by the actions of some extremely overzealous Ds, where I copped a 22yr whack on the top, with a 16yr non parole. The CCA quashed the original sentence and ordered a new trial. The Supreme Court granted bail and I am now on daily bail sign ons. There are some things I want to discuss with you about the Bay, MRRC, Justice Health and the screws on escort with the daily truck service to all courts in NSW, but not in the public arena.

I have just commenced reading the replies in this Post, and I am dismayed to see the prejudice and bias represented by nameless and faceless contributors, some of whom may have been on one of my two juries or yet to be called up for jury service, and they already have a predetermined view of how those who allegedly have committed serious crimes should be dealt with. As my barrister said at my Appeal hearing, Presumption of Innocence does not exist in the NSW Justice system. Anyway, I'm not here to bleat about the conditions inside, you and I know the truth and that's what matters. The 'self righteous' and other single minded bigots and socially inept silvertails will keep banging the 'lock 'em up at all costs' until they find themselves doing a lagging - then there might be some refocusing and useful debate - or possibly not. Democracy has its Zen.

I grow tired of people who post comments on articles written by crims or ex-crims. They get up on their high horse and pass judgement because someone has written about events that correctional administrators have been getting away with for years. Next time one of you swear at a copper how about we let him take you into the station and beat the crap out of you then dump you in the cell where nobody knows that you are even in 'police custody'. Then you are set free and complain to who? The police? The courts? Who do you report this violation of your rights as a human being? Imbeciles! When you find your sorry ass in prison and breach their laws and find your self in solitary then 3 screws come in and beat you senseless all because you told a screw to get f-ed. I am sorry Bernie that people have no concept of what took place all those years ago. I was part of the Maitland Riots and whent to Administrative segregation for six months under Bates' rules. Its about time society knew exactly what corrective services were doing to inmates and what caused all that strife back then, Bathurst, Maitland, Parramatta and Goulburn. Stay cool and I enjoy reading your articles. I am lawboy because I am in law school and hope to be alwayer one day, fingers crossed.

hey bernie, you came into my university last friday and i just wanted to thankyou for giving such a real account, and confirming my belief that the prison system fails in its apparently intending purpose of reform and rehabilitation. with 60% of the prison population being incarcerated for their second offence i think we can pretty much say that prison as it exists now is extremely ineffective designed to make politicians look good and give the public what they want in order to secure votes. is it right to generate a cycle of perpetual violence by placing criminals in gaol and treating them like dogs? no, because like you said, as soon as they leave they act like dogs again because they have been treated as such. and for those of you who say (albeit sarcastically) should we give them a holiday to the gold coast? if it reforms and changes their behaviour why not? is that the intention of punishment? to stop the action from happening again?

Hi to all you good people, who have contributed to this thread...

I find it interesting that Bernard Thomas MATTHEWS (BTM) has built a substantial following, as some sort of 'pseudo authority' of what allegedly occurred at/in the KSSU (Katingal), during it's operation as a gaol.

As I've stated herein, and in several other articles, (ad nauseam) that I too spent time in Katingal, longer in fact than Mr. MATTHEWS! I was a Prison Officer.

Several contributors have praised BTM for his candid and erudite exposure of the many sordid events that he claims took place there.

I couldn't care a 'tinkers cuss' what BTM alleges about the place.

However, when these claims seek to vilify the good fame and character of quality, Professional Prison Officers, who are no longer in a position to defend themselves. Particularly against these scurrilous accusations and unsubstantiated innuendo, from such a wilfully perjured individual. Then I get a little cross!

As I've offered previously, if any of you good folk wish to put a question or questions about the KSSU, I will endevour to answer them truthfully.

Kind regards...sungwu.

Col Rouge you are all over this website I'm 53 years old and I've never heard of you,what were you in prison for unpaid parking fines.I lost my brother in Parramatta 24/12/1971.What for $400 over unpaid fines he shouldn't even have been there as he was in the army at the time.The police deliberately waited just days before Xmas ,which just happened to be his birthday, before they executed the warrant.The cover up that followed was monumental both by the police and prison authorities, the army was never notified that he was incarcerated which under Federal Law stated they should have been.So does that make me a victim after the fact,my whole family still suffers today. We are still waiting for justice.