Cooma Correctional Centre
Below is official information.
The reality is very different as was shown in the NSW Inspector’s Report.
We ask people who have personal experience to fill in the online Questionnaire so we can publish reports on the iExpress website.
| Name of General Manager | Phillip Patricks |
| Year of Establishment | |
| Postal Address | Locked Mail Bag 7 COOMA NSW 2630 |
| Street Address | 1 Vale Street COOMA NSW 2630 |
| How to Get There | Public Transport: By Air - Aeropelican offers a daily air service between Sydney and the Snowy Mountains (Cooma). The airport is ten minutes from the centre of Cooma. Bookings and schedules are available from www.aeropelican.com.au By Rail - CountryLink provides a daily service from Sydney to Canberra with a connecting bus service to Cooma. From Melbourne, there are frequent bus and daily train services to Albury, for connection to Greyhound Pioneer. Countrylink Information By Bus - CountryLink provides a daily service from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Greyhound Pioneer operates frequent coach services from Sydney and Melbourne to Canberra. Bookings and schedules are available from Greyhound and Countrylink. Private Transport: From Sydney - Cooma is located approximately 410 km from Sydney. Travel south via the Hume Highway, which takes you through Canberra. From Melbourne - Cooma is located approximately 652 km north of Melbourne. Take Highway One through Gippsland, turning in at Cann River to the Monaro Highway and Bombala and then on to Cooma, or continue on to Merimbula and Bega and take the Snowy Mountains Highway up Brown Mountain to Nimmitabel and onto Cooma. However, this route will take approximately two hours longer. From Canberra - Cooma is located approximately 114 km from Canberra. Travel south via the Monaro Highway. |
| Phone no. | (02) 6455 0333 |
| Population | 160 |
| Capacity | 160 |
| Number of Staff | 53 |
| Health Care Services | |
| Education & Skill Development | Industries: Industries employing inmates include domestic service, laundry and food services within the Centre, and Textiles (manufacturing clothing) which currently employs up to 45 inmates, maintenance trade position, Corcraft and special projects. Museum: The Museum is open Tuesday to Friday, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm and Saturday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Corrective Services' Museum is a living Museum, as it employs select inmates in a variety of areas such as tour guides, sales assistants, collection management and craft manufacturing. For further information, telephone 6452 5974. Education: Accredited courses, with nationally recognised qualifications, are made available to inmates at each correctional centre. The Adult Education and Vocational Training Institute (AEVTI) provides literacy, numeracy and communications courses in all centres. Many centres also offer vocational courses such as Information Technology, Horticulture, Construction, Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft. AEVTI contracts TAFE NSW and other providers to deliver courses in a range of vocational areas such as Hospitality, Business Skills, Building, Cleaning, Transport, Aboriginal Studies, Horticulture and various WorkCover licenses. AEVTI also co-ordinates traineeships and offers support for distance education. Each centre has a library giving inmates access to a range of fiction, non-fiction and reference books. Inmates can also login to a secure internal network called the Inmate Legal Portal which gives them access to material of a legal nature. For more information regarding these programs visit the AEVTI WebPage. Offender Services & Programs: A range of educational, vocational and therapeutic programs are facilitated by professional staff, including Welfare Officer, Senior Correctional Education Officer and Psychologist. External service providers also facilitate various educational and vocational programs. Inmates' sentences are managed in accordance with the Corrective Services' Case Management Policies and Procedures. Community Projects: Inmates paint buildings, maintain gardens, river/creek banks, showgrounds, ovals, town and village road entrances, undertake minor maintenance works in and around Cooma and its surrounding villages and provides assistance to local community groups, schools and centres. Inmates also participate in the yearly Clean Up Australia Day Campaign as well as providing much needed assistance to groups and individuals to undertake bush fire hazard reduction works. |
| Level of Security | Minimum and Medium |
| Availability of Activities | |
| Contact with Outside World | Saturdays and Sundays only 08:30-11:45 12:15-15:00 |
| Time Out of Cell |
