CHARITY event or not, there is no such thing as a ‘nice’ jail.
If 35 members from the South East community thought raising money for a good cause would get them a ‘cushy’ ride in jail, they were mistaken.
The group raised over $25,000 at Friday night’s Whitelion Bail Out event at the Old Mount Gambier Gaol, which will be invested straight back into supporting the region’s at-risk youth.
“We have an amazing community and they have once again raised a significant amount of money that is going straight back into the community,” Old Mount Gambier Gaol’s Mel Stephenson said.
“It is another example of how fiercely loyal our community is at keeping money in this town.”
While the figure was a remarkable result, it did not stop the prison guards from cracking the whips at the old gaol.
When prisoners started arriving for their incarceration at 5.30pm, it was clear things were about to get serious.
During the evening prisoners were disciplined for bad behaviour and at times humiliated in front of their fellow inmates.
“It was a really vulnerable experience for some of them,” Ms Stephenson said.
“I spoke to a few of them on the way out and they mentioned losing that control and giving away their personal freedoms was really confronting.”
Mount Gambier councillor Ben Hood was one inmate who found the whole experience rewarding, despite being on the wrong end of some punishments.
“We all went along for what we thought was going to be a good fun night, but it became evident pretty quickly that if you did not follow orders it was not going to be easy,” he said.
“I think they were given a bit of a heads-up about who the ratbags were.”
While the initial lock-up experience was interesting, Mr Hood said it was the testimonies that followed, which stood out.
“To hear the stories of people who lacked that support and fell through the cracks when they were younger was really powerful,” he said.
“If you do not have purpose you do not have hope.
“It really brought it home to me that we can all make a difference to our youth.”
