Exclusive look behind the walls of Bathurst jail, top crime revealed

The statistics from Corrective Services NSW also show how many of the prisoners, at a given time, have been in jail previously and how many of them are waiting to be sentenced.

In providing the data, Correctional Services NSW has also emphasised to the Western Advocate that the modern jail is a place of education and meaningful work where prisoners are able to get their lives back on track.

The data comes from a snapshot of the Bathurst Correctional Centre on March 20, 2023.

On that day, according to Corrective Services NSW, the crime that had brought more prisoners to the jail than any other was serious assault resulting in injury.

Prisoners are most commonly young men 33 years of age and programs including the Violent Offenders Therapeutic Program are used to rehabilitate them.

On March 20, only 12 per cent (80) of the 645 men in the jail were from the Bathurst area.

Of the 645 prisoners, 289 of them were waiting to be sentenced, while 356 of them were working their way through their jail sentence.

The most common jail sentence for the prisoners at the correctional centre on that day was 14 months, according to the data, and 251 of the inmates on that date had previously served a term of imprisonment.

The population of inmates at the Bathurst Correctional Centre varies on a day-to-day basis, with prisoners admitted, released and transferred between different jails daily, according to a Corrective Services NSW spokesperson.

Bathurst Correctional Centre Governor Tracey Melrose said prison in 2023 is less punitive and more of a place of hope.

While prisoners are "suss" when offered the opportunity to get a trade behind bars - such as in hospitality, horticulture or animal studies - they soon change their mind, she said.

"Their punishment is coming to jail. What I'm not into is creating a punitive environment; it's an environment of education and hope," she said.

"We give them the tools to change their offending behaviour but we also give them an avenue to get a trade so when they get out, they're earning money. We're giving them hope.

"I've been in the job 30 years, so I've seen a lot of change. Jail is now an opportunity and it's saving lives."

Further to work opportunities, inmates are also given the chance to slowly reintegrate back into the community by participating in a variety of work around Bathurst.

"We clean out the creeks, look after the cemeteries and churches. Our boys from the dog unit go into the aged care areas at the hospital," Ms Melrose said.

"We're very focused on getting them to a point where they're ready to reintegrate.

"We talk about legacy. When you leave, what do you want to leave behind to educate those that come after you? That's how we sell it."

Bathurst Correctional Centre can hold a maximum of 850 inmates at a time, with 10 of those being women.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: