Take a look behind the scenes at Mobilong Prison Industries
The Department for Corrections has allowed members of the public inside Murray Bridge’s prison to show them that working there may be worth considering.
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Mobilong Prison has opened its doors – well, some of them – for a public information session and tour to demonstrate that working there can be a great career option.
General manager Michael Dent said there were currently employment vacancies within Mobilong Prison Industries.
He hoped the information session would encourage suitably qualified people to apply for the positions.
“We want to get as many applicants as we can – not only for here, but if we get enough applicants that are suitable, there may be a position somewhere else,” he said.
“There’s a training school commencing (in) January/February next year, so we need to identify suitable candidates to get them in that school.”
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Mr Dent said there were misconceptions about what it was like to work in a prison, so he wanted potential job applicants to learn what Mobilong Prisons Industries was actually like.
“Prisons is a bit of a closed-dooor industry, and you don’t know what goes on inside if you don’t know someone that works in that environment,” he said.
“If we can promote to potential applicants what the actual role is and they can see the prison workshops and see some of the prisoners at work, they’ll have a sense of where they could be working and what they could be doing.
“It’s just (about) trying to take some of that mystery out of it and say, ‘Look, it’s a great place to work, it’s a great job, and the benefits are good.’”
Assistant GM Rowan Walling agreed that working at Mobilong was highly satisfying, and not at all like how prisons were portrayed in the movies.
“I love the variety of the work, the rewards that come from seeing prisoners succeed and not come back, and the staff,” she said.
“It’s the state’s best secret.
“I got told that before I came here, and it’s true – it’s just not what you’d expect working in a prison to be.
“You’re engaging with prisoners, and you’re helping to make a difference.”
What is Mobilong Prison Industries?
At the Mobilong Prison Industries tour, run by industries manager Steve Cheriton, members of the public got to walk around the prison’s main workshop areas and observe prisoners working.
These areas include a commercial kitchen and bakery, a metal workshop, a clean industries assembly area and a firewood and kindling assembly area.
The bakery supplies the majority of prisons in South Australia with bakery products, and the other areas provide parts and items for a variety of Australian businesses.
The clean industries area allowed items to be assembled and packaged in a clean environment and, according to Mr Dent, was particularly popular with prisoners.
“It’s clean and air conditioned, and prisoners can listen to the radio and have coffee – very relaxed atmosphere in here,” he said.
There are 193 industries jobs available within Mobilong Prison on any given day, catering to people with varying levels of skills and abilities.
“The main thing with Prison Industries is it provides prisoners with an opportunity to do meaningful activity, to meaningfully engage, and helps them develop that work routine, the daily routine that we all adhere to in the community,” he said.
“It also helps them develop transferable skills when they go back to the community and hopefully assists them in gaining employment and in becoming contributing members of society and making better choices.”
- More information about working for the Department for Correctional Services: Phone DCS on 8226 9000 or visit corrections.sa.gov.au.
