IT houses some of the state's most dangerous offenders, but, for many what goes on behind the walls of Bathurst Jail and others like it is a mystery.
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But as part of National Corrections Day, on January 15, Corrective Services NSW aims to give the community some insight into the workings of the jail.
Governor of Bathurst Correctional Centre, Faith Slatcher, commended the work of her staff, work which is often overlooked in the community.
She said as the work that goes on behind the walls of the jail is unseen, it's often unrecognised, and said National Corrections Day was a brilliant way for people to learn more about what corrections do.
"They (her staff) deal with inmates who are confronting demons which have chased them their whole lives.
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"It's an incredibly rewarding job, that's what keeps us here," she said.
She praised the jail's High Intensity Program Unit, set up to address recidivism by providing offenders with targeted support.
She said the inmates learn life skills, and how to deal with addiction and aggression, the behaviours which led them to offending in the first place.
"The idea is to reduce re-offending and help them integrate back into the community in an effective manner."
What the inmates learn is what many take for granted; how to write a resume, set up a bank account, literacy and numeracy skills, which many just don't have.
Georgie Ross a senior sentencing programs officer at the jail said the 16-week course had received positive feedback from inmates.
As the name suggests the program is intensive; it runs Monday to Thursday for four hours a day; session one is from 7.30am until 9.30am the second 10-12.
In their downtime, inmates also work one on one with support workers
Ms Ross said typically the inmates do the course at the end of their sentence, so they can take the lessons they learn back into the community with them.
She said since the program began 250 students had gone through the ranks, with some writing letters from the outside, thanking them for their support while in custody.
"We are really proud of them. They are much more excited to get out in the community and live a meaningful life," she said.