Wombats, eagles, kangaroos and snakes aren’t your typical prison inhabitants.
But Beechworth Correctional Centre in north-east Victoria is proving the perfect place for these injured or unwell animals to recover.
The prison’s wildlife program has allowed male prisoners in the minimum security facility the chance to get hands on with some of the region’s colourful characters and to help them get back on their feet, or paws.
While some of the men at Beechworth have been convicted of serious crimes, most of them are deemed a low-security risk by the time they reach its gates, and the prison aims to rehabilitate them before they are released back into society.
Prisoner Dan (not his real name), who has been in the program for about three months, said prisoners were entrusted to nurse a wide variety of animals back to health in small groups of three or four at a time.
“We’ve got king parrots, tawny frog mouths, a couple of eagles we take care of as well, and we’ve got a wombat we’re still bottle-feeding since it was little,” Dan said.
“When they first come in, sometimes they can be pretty temperamental depending on what sort of animal … they get used to us and, towards the end, we have to ween them away from us so they survive in the wild.
“It’s good for me; it gives me something to get up for every day, and it gives me a bit of satisfaction once we can finally release them after they get better.”
Local shelters deliver the animals to the prison, finding the distressed and often injured animals through calls from the public.
The program, which began in 1999 at Won Wron Prison and moved to Beechworth in 2005, has successfully rehabilitated more than 100 animals.
More than 250 prisoners have been involved in that time, three of whom are still working in wildlife care on the outside.
Catch and release
Another prisoner, Dougal (also not his real name), who has been incarcerated for three and a half years, said releasing the animals from the prison was rewarding.
“I’ve seen a few go, a few birds that we’ve nursed back to health, some that we’ve only had for a couple weeks, others we’ve had for a few months,” he said.
“It’s a good feeling; it’s bittersweet. I guess you’re a bit jealous as well when they’re leaving, wishing it was you going out the door — other than that, it’s a good feeling knowing you’ve done something right.
“You build a bond with them knowing that you’re giving something a second chance — like we’re all hoping for second chances when we get out.”
Dougal said his favourite companion at the program was a wombat called Snappy, who loyally followed him around.
He said he would consider volunteering at a wildlife shelter when he was released.
“It’s probably not something I’d do full-time because there’s a lot of work involved, and I see some of the other people who come and drop things off from shelters … I don’t know how they do it,” he said.
“I’ve done a lot of programs, everything they offer, but nothing compares to this — you’re pretty special if you’re in here working with animals.”
Working together
The prison’s general manager, Terry Jose, said it could be unclear whether the prisoners were rehabilitating the animals or the other way around.
“There’s a number of men who’ve gone through the program and you can see their attitude, their demeanour, has changed a lot once they get into that area,” he said.
“There’s a waiting list at the moment for prisoners who are interested in going in the program, and they really care for the animals, and I think it’s good for them.
“They learn about how to handle the different types of animals, how to treat their injuries, how to re-educate them.”
Taking the pressure off
Mr Jose said the prison had become an essential part of the local response to injured wildlife and that staff and prisoners had developed great relationships with local shelters, which also sent staff to assist in training.
“There’s been a lot of pressure on wildlife shelters in the area, and we’ve been contacted numerous times, and we’ve grown our partnerships,” he said.
“It was originally just Healesville Sanctuary, and now we’ve probably got four other shelters involved because they’re under pressure.
“Some of the animals, if they didn’t come here, they would die, or they’d be euthanised, because people haven’t got the time, the money, et cetera, to care for them.”
(ABC News: Jason Katsaras)
Australian Bureau of Statics 2023 data shows that the number of Australian prisoners increased by 3 per cent, or 1,338, to 41,929 in the last financial year, while the imprisonment rate also rose by 1 per cent.
Victorian Minister for Corrections Enver Erdogan said the program’s benefits didn’t stop at the gates.
“For the blokes inside … it’s their chance to build that confidence and those skills that they can use to get a job, and we know that employment’s one of the biggest protective factors for people upon release,” he said.
“Victoria’s done a good job in staying below the national average … in terms of recidivism, and I think programs like this play an important role.”
The prison’s programs manager, Sheryl Mitsch, said its conditions gave the animals a better chance at recovery.
“We have a state-of-the-art facility here, and we have also the ability to care long-term for animals and give animals a longer period of time to recover,” she said.
“It takes the burden off volunteers in the community … that just don’t necessarily have all the time in the world to give — they have lives to live, they have families to care for.
“These guys appreciate that engagement here and to be able to give that time because it gives them something to talk about, and to educate their families about, and to be excited about.”