Billy “theft graft even smuggling guns and drugs into prisons have been proven.”

And offenders prosecuted.

It remains a fact, accusations of any kind are easy to make. In Victoria the ombudsman has telephone numbers circulated through out prisons for any prisoner to call.

We have seen the indulgent and vexatious claims made by different prisoners for supposed wrongs and loss of supposed privileges. Claims made simply because they can be made.

I am not sure of how or why you “knew Bernie in passing” however, I have a family member who was in prison in Grafton briefly (Culpable driving, Long Bay, Grafton, Prison Farm)

So Regarding “And its not hidden that once every person taken to Grafton was flogged on arival,”

he has no complaints about being flogged or anything else.

So conspiracy theories and other delusions apart, I have little faith in this or any other urban legend or to put it in a few words -

sly innuendo and asides, which your post is, represents a bunch of doggie doos and has as much credibility as Bernie Matthew’s claims and defamations.

Which means we can ignore them all. The words of convicted felons have and deserve no more credibility than a work of theatrical fiction.

“I do not think criminals are much but they are human beings and we have no right to treat them other wise. unlike another ex crime you can beleave most of what Bernie writes.”

I do not trust anyone simply because the spin a good yarn or tell a sympathetic tale of how life has done them wrong.

I am treating both Bernie and your post with the healthy skepticism which all such scurrilous claims deserve and would ask anyone reading this thread to consider, what sort of “honest and ethical standards” did Bernie Matthews exercise to find himself on the inside of the many prisons which he seems to have been inmate of?

Ah Col old boy - the "reception biff" at Grafton was not only factual but also "notorious". While Bernie's evidence may not be good enough for you, what about the Australian Institute of Criminology?

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/lcj/wayward/ch2t.html

Sorry to break it to you, but gaols are known for fostering brutality in both prisoners and gaolers. That's just one reason why they don't work very well in reducing crime.

I suspect that spending time inside doesn't do all that much for accountants, either :)

Hi there Col R. ...

Again, I find myself in agreement with your latest thread. It's interesting that many folk who have an interest in penology, for one reason or other, find an article or statement that seems to fit their perception of what actually happens 'inside', and consequently seem latch on to it!

C.J. Morgan...

I don't believe anyone denies for a minute, that the dreadful physical assaults, that were perpetrated upon inmates at H.M.Gaol, Grafton, actually occurred. And occurring apparently, from the mid-forties right through 'til the seventies, when the KSSU was eventually opened. And it is correct too, that on arrival, the prisoner was subjected to, what has been described as, the 'reception biff'! These events were clearly established by the Nagle Royal Commission.

However C.J.Morgan, I can assure you that, this type of conduct and behaviour, WAS NOT REPEATED at the KSSU. Nor was any member of the staff, or the executive (internally or externally) engaged in any type or form of:- behaviour modification; sensory deprivation; or psychological manipulation.

And further, other than medication that would normally be prescribed by the appropriate Institutional Medical Officers, there was absolutely no 'chemical restraints' given to any prisoner, either voluntarily or mandatorily, during their time in the KSSU. Naturally, notwithstanding the above, some psychiatric preparations were administered to some inmates, as deemed necessary by the relevant Prison Medical Officer and/or Psychiatrist.

Accordingly, to any reader of this thread...you may ask or put any question/s (apropos the operation of Katingal), and I'll do my level best to answer them as truthfully and candidly as possible. Essentially, it's over to you folks, if your interested!

Though perhaps not as 'riveting' or intellectually engaging as a good substantial book. However, I'll do my best.

Kind regards...osungwu.

Thanks for the civil and generous response, o sung wu. I have little knowledge of Katingal, but I've known a couple of blokes who went through the 'reception biff' at Grafton so I felt I had to correct Col on that point. One of them was in there for draft-dodging during the Vietnam War, would you believe? I guess they decided to make an example of my pacifist mate...

While I have little firsthand knowledge of gaols, through my interactions wih former prisoners and training in the social sciences I have formed a view about the integral nature of penal institutions in Australian culture. I believe our society is quite unique in the way that prisons have been ingrained in the Australian psyche since the First Fleet.

One thing that's always fascinated me is why anybody would want to work as a 'screw' in a gaol. When I was a student many years ago I worked a few shifts as a 'youth worker' in a juvenile correctional facility, and I found the experience quite abhorrent, if interesting. Friends of mine go inside gaols regularly in their capacities as lawyers, psychologists, social workers etc, but what little they say socially about prisons is invariably slightly embarrassed and always negative.

If you don't mind me asking, o sung wu, why did you decide to become a prison officer? Did you volunteer for Katingal, or were you selected? And what made you leave to become a police officer?

In your posts that I've read in this forum, you come across as a decent chap with an admirably balanced perspective on his former profession - certainly not the stereotypical 'screw' or 'copper'. Which is why I'm asking, I guess :)

H there, C.J. Morgan...

Thank you for your thread, and valued comments therein. Why did I become a 'screw' ? Got out of the military after eight years, with active service in:- Malaya; Borneo; and another S. E. Asian location. Saw an ad. in a Sydney paper - passed a rather simple selection test (both academic and police check), and ended up at the State Penitentiary, Long Bay (March 1967).

CJM, it certainly was a culture shock marching through the front gates for the first time, and I don't mind admitting, that initially I was quite scared. As a 3rd class Prison Officer, I found the work was reasonably boring. Interestingly, I was recognised by my peers and former Army colleagues as being quite a 'tough' sort of fellow (physically). However, that meant absolutely 'nought' in gaol. Nor did the majesty of the uniform intimidate many inmates either!

I learnt very quickly indeed, CJM. It's the WAY you speak to prisoners - that is the most important and useful skill of all!! Being an aggressive, foul-mouthed, tough guy, won't get you anywhere. Other than a 'smack in the mouth' and a complete loss of respect...'AND FACE'.

I tried to use that particular skill over and over again in the police force...Why make a very difficulty job even harder ? Speaking to an individual civilly, is not a sign of weakness, it's a mark of maturity, in my view.

And why did I join the coppers...? I suppose I liked the security of being employed in a government service...I guess also, I'd seen 'inside the fence', so to speak, and often wondered what sort of activity actually got people custodial sentences in the first place. Without being further exposed to the nauseating spin of the print and electronic media. The flat $$ was reasonably good too, I've gotta say !!

In closing CJM, a long standing friend of mine, a 1/C Sergeant, often said...

"A Prison Officer has a job"...
"A Police Officer has a career"...

Emmmmmm, I don't know if I agree with that view altogether ?

Kind regards...osungwu.

Hi OSW - thanks for your candid response and apologies for not responding sooner. I've been off camping and fishing with the kids for a few days.

It seems to me that you're the kind of bloke that we need more of in our law enforcement system. With respect to prisons, it occurred to me that the current fad for privatising them might actually be a good thing because of the impossibility of changing the culture that exists in those run by public servants.

Would you agree? Cheers.