St Heliers Correctional Centre Explained

Prison Name:St Heliers Correctional Centre
Location:Muswellbrook, New South Wales
Status:Operational
Classification:Minimum (male)
Capacity:286[1]
Opened:September 1989
Managed By:Corrective Services NSW
Coordinates:-32.2279°N 150.9136°W

St Heliers Correctional Centre is a prison farm for men located outside the town of Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia, and operated by the Corrective Services division of the Department of Communities and Justice. St Heliers generally holds prisoners serving sentences under State or Australian criminal law and has a capacity of 256.

History

The property was originally settled by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dumaresq and named after Saint Helier, Jersey. The New South Wales State Government purchased the property in 1945 and it was used as a child welfare institution until its closure in 1986. It reopened as a correctional centre in September 1989.

The centre is largely self-sufficient in terms of beef and vegetable produce and provides the 9,700 prisoners in the other low security prisons in NSW with food. At peak, the centre runs 350 head of cattle.[2] Inmates are also involved in furniture restoration, work in a local abattoir, and help maintain the Muswellbrook Cemetery and Vietnam Veterans Memorial.[3]

The mobile outreach program of the correctional centre has worked on signage and restoration of the Great North Road, a trail from Sydney to the Hunter Valley built by convict labour during the 1820s,[4] and listed on both the Australian National Heritage List and UNESCO's World Heritage list. The mobile prison program was suspended in 2003.[5]

In 2012 the centre commenced a thoroughbred retraining and rehabilitation program in conjunction with Racing NSW.[6]

Notable inmates

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Key moments in Penal Culture in NSW 1970 - present . The Australian Prisons Project . The University of New South Wales . 2010 . 5 May 2012 .
  2. News: Work release . Andrews, Caitlin . 20 June 2008 . 5 May 2012 . Muswellbrook Chronicle .
  3. News: Prisoner work . O'Sullivan, Colleen . 11 May 2007 . 5 May 2012 . Muswellbrook Chronicle .
  4. Web site: Maintenance and Signage . About the Great North Road . Convict Trail Project (Caring For the Great North Road) Inc. . 2003 . 5 May 2012 .
  5. Web site: Statistical Report 2003/04 . 3 . October 2004 . Corben, Simon . NSW Department of Corrective Services . Other Reports . 5 May 2012 .
  6. News: Rehab for race horses . Newcastle Herald. Australia . 3 May 2012 . Thompson, Frances . 5 May 2012 .
  7. News: Rodney Adler released from jail . 13 October 2007 . The Age. Australia . 5 May 2012 .
  8. News: Mass murderer Reg Lyttle to be released on bail . 23 April 2010 . The Daily Telegraph. Australia . Fife-Yeomans, Janet . 5 May 2012 .
  9. Web site: Titus Day released from jail after appeal success in Guy Sebastian case . Mitchell . Georgina . McPhee . Sarah . 26 June 2024 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240325110313/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/nsw/titus-day-released-from-jail-after-appeal-success-in-guy-sebastian-case-20230626-p5djnh.html?ref=rss . 25 March 2024 . live.