Australian
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Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Harry Papadopoulos, a prisoner in Port Phillip Prison, discussing the prison listener scheme and the reasons for its success. He explains that it allows prisoners to befriend and listen to other prisoners who feel vulnerable or suicidal or are worrying about personal problems such as upcoming court cases, their family and financial matters. Harry says the confidential peer support scheme has assisted in reducing prisoner self-harm. The clip also shows Harry walking around within the prison and provides examples of the everyday life of prisoners.

Educational value points

• The prison listener scheme is a peer support program in which listeners are trained to help and support other prisoners who are deemed to be 'at risk’. The premise is that prisoners are more likely to accept advice and guidance from other prisoners than from non-inmates such as counsellors and social workers. According to GSL, which runs Port Phillip Prison among other prisons in Australia, 'The listeners are themselves supported by onsite services including psychologists, drug and alcohol abuse counsellors, psychiatric and other prison professionals’ (www.gslglobal.com, 2006).

• The prison listener scheme shown in the clip is an initiative designed to address the high incidence of self-harm and suicide by prisoners, and involves volunteer prisoners who have been trained in sympathetic listening skills helping other inmates who need support, are vulnerable to assault or at risk of self-harm or suicide. The listeners are available to provide confidential emotional support and practical advice 24 hours a day. The scheme first began at Swansea in the UK in 1991, and within its first 3 years of operation the incidence of self-harm in the Swansea prison had halved. The scheme has since spread to other prisons, including the privately run Port Phillip Prison in Australia.

• Suicide is the leading cause of death in prisons in Australia. It has been estimated that for every suicide attempt in prison there are 60 incidents of other forms of self-harm such as the 'slashing up’ mentioned here, which involves deliberately cutting oneself with a razor or other sharp object. Self-harm is the best indicator of future suicide and is a clear indication of prisoner vulnerability and distress. The term 'self-harm’ describes actions by prisoners such as attempted suicide, deliberate self-harm or self-mutilation.

• Some tattoos created in prison, such as those seen in the clip, have a language of their own. The language is often coded, for example a cat can indicate burglary and a group of cats means that the prisoner was part of a gang. Spider webs across the shoulder indicate the amount of time spent in prison and tombstones can be a symbol of a wasted life. Despite tattooing being banned in prisons, prisoners tattoo with rudimentary, non-sterile equipment and this can be a risk factor in the spread of blood-transmitted diseases.

This clip starts approximately 41 minutes into the documentary.

An interview with Harry Papadopoulos, a prisoner. He is shown walking around the prison and talking to other prisoners in recreational settings. We hear a synthesiser drum track in the background when there is no speaking audio.

Harry Papadopoulos I’ve seen a lot of things. I’ve seen a lot of guys try and hurt themselves. You know, suicides and self-harm. So we decided to start the Prison Listener Scheme, and it’s been a great success.

A prisoner is seen making his bed outside his second floor cell. Another prisoner walks over to assist.

Harry I’ll be the housemaid. They’re unbelievable.

Harry is seen talking to two prison guards who let him through a security door. He walks across a yard and is then seen sitting on a bed conversing with a fellow prisoner.

Harry Now, the Prison Listener Scheme is a scheme where, if a prisoner has got a problem, he calls for a prison listener, and the prison listener can go and see the prisoner and see what his problem is and try and help him solve his problem. Well, they can relate to us. We’re both prisoners. You know, we’re on the same side, if I could put it that way. The staff are here to lock them away. We don’t lock each other away. We get something like, uh, 250 calls a month, and they’re related to people stressing out over their family, financial problems, court cases coming up. That’s a big, major problem. One guy I dealt with, I think I dealt with him for about six months, and he used to slash up all the time. Then he stopped. He just stopped. Any little problem would make him slash up. But after we started dealing with – you know, after I took him under my wing and spoke to him, used to talk to him every day – he’s out now, he’s been released – he stopped this slashing up, which is good for everyone, because no one likes to see people self-harm and hurt themselves.