Did you know that working inmates at one of the state’s correctional centres make luxury, high thread-count linen products?
About 120 inmates are employed by Corrective Services Industries in the textiles workshop at Lithgow Correctional Centre, in the state’s Central West. Manager Stephen Williams said the maximum-security inmates work from 8.30am to 2pm each day pattern making, cutting and sewing garments and other textiles.
“They are mainly manufacturing wares for hospitals, private companies and government departments, creating surgical gowns, sheets and inmate’s pyjamas,” Mr Williams (pictured) said.
“We manufacture about 2,400 garments each week and generate an income of about $850,000 each year, which is put back into the Correctional Services NSW operating budget.
“We have also started making high-quality linen products. They would normally be made in bulk in China, but we can cope with making 1,000 items in a week for a fast order if a customer needs it.”
Two overseers have even built a special sliding table, which makes the sewing of large sheets more manageable and cuts the manufacturing time in half.
Inmates at the textiles workshop can complete TAFE-approved traineeships that gain them a Certificate II and III in Textiles and Design, as well as warehousing and logistics.
“We are all proud of what we do here – it’s hard work getting inmates to work and my team does this daily with success,” Mr Williams said.
“Traineeships are very important to us and we hope they provide a way out of the cycle of crime and reoffending.”
