Inside NSW jails with Nick: The cracked perspex and the threat to his family

<p>If you heard our full episode on 2 October, you have already had this one. This is Luke&#39;s chat with Nick on its own, for anyone who just wants the prison stories.</p><p><br></p><p>Nick was a NSW prison officer for 15 years, at Lithgow and at the women&#39;s jail at Emu Plains. In B unit, he watched an inmate crack the perspex with a pool ball, and he tells Luke why he says three months of training was mostly about paperwork.</p><p><br></p><p>He explains why officers walk the yard unarmed and why he says they couldn&#39;t properly search visitors&#39; prams. Then there&#39;s the inmate who threatened his family. Nick&#39;s view is that most prisoners don&#39;t want to be rehabilitated. The ones who do, like the woman who left jail a qualified chef, get there because they want the help, he says.</p><p><br></p><p><em>This interview contains strong language. It discusses sexual assault in prison, domestic violence and the death of a prison officer.</em></p><p><br></p><p>1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 (24/7)</p><p>Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7)</p><p>In an emergency, call 000.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Should prisoners get a second chance?</p><p>01:46 Why the inmates called Nick Chief</p><p>02:45 Why he swapped his own business for a prison job</p><p>04:45 Trapped in B unit when the perspex cracked</p><p>07:14 Three months of training, signed off on paper</p><p>08:02 The officer who died at Silverwater</p><p>09:00 Double shifts and big overtime</p><p>10:31 His sister, assaulted at Parramatta Gaol</p><p>11:06 Unarmed in a yard of 30 inmates</p><p>13:40 Why officers couldn&#39;t search prams</p><p>14:48 Who really controls a jail?</p><p>16:22 Case management with no training</p><p>17:45 The inmates who care for injured wildlife</p><p>18:53 Should prisoners be paid $25 an hour?</p><p>19:30 The kiss that smuggled drugs into Lithgow</p><p>21:35 Corrupt officers: blue, not green</p><p>22:22 Why lifers are the easiest to manage</p><p>23:53 Why he&#39;d rather work with maximum security men</p><p>25:10 What men fear most about going to jail</p><p>26:26 The inmate who walked out a chef</p><p>28:12 Knives in the kitchen and a Shawshank moment</p><p>29:55 Why are Indigenous Australians over-represented?</p><p>32:21 Do prisoners want to be rehabilitated?</p><p>34:08 The inmate who threatened his family</p><p>36:32 Seen as weak, or called a dog</p><p>38:30 The prisoners who come back for the security</p><p>40:16 Should prisoners have to work?</p><p>41:29 Get out of the job or I&#