AMC detainees can gain skills at two newly opened cafes: Hume Cafe and Daily Grind. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
A hot chocolate teeming with marshmallows. Freshly baked sausage rolls and Vegemite scrolls. Juice boxes and coffee with whatever milk you like.
That’s what’s now on offer for visitors to Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre, handmade and served by detainees.
The AMC is now home to Hume Cafe (in the visitors centre) and Daily Grind Cafe (exclusively for staff), which not only provide caffeine hits but also valuable skills for detainees to take with them once their sentences are served.
“Before, we literally only had the coffee machine [in the visitors centre] and then some biscuits, some desserts from the bakery and some fruit, which really wasn’t cutting it,” AMC director of industries Katherine Brown said.
“This way, the detainees know what it’s like working in the hospitality industry on the outside. I wanted to bring a cafe where they serve, take payments and clean up after themselves as well because that’s what you do when you work in the hospitality industry, you don’t just stand behind a coffee machine.”
External providers deliver training and refresher courses, including Work Health and Safety and Hygiene courses, for detainees who successfully apply for a position behind the counter.
Three men and two women are currently working across the cafes. Hume Cafe is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and the Daily Grind is open each morning for AMC staff.
There are plans to extend the opening hours.
“We’re opening up Hume Cafe to full weekends in mid-February, and then every month after that we’re opening up an extra day until we’re open all week,” Ms Brown said.
Detainees help with stocktaking and also provide feedback on what else visitors would like to see for sale.
Ms Brown said the changes had been particularly beneficial for the children visiting.
“[The visitors] really enjoy it. They like that they can actually come in and feed their kids a proper meal now, not just a quick snack.”
Several considerations are in place to operate the two cafes.
Men work behind the Hume Cafe counter during women’s visiting hours, and vice versa, so no one misses out on seeing family or friends.
Only women work at Hume Cafe.
“A lot of the females that are in custody have been victims of domestic violence … we really, really do try to separate the men and the women while they’re in our custody because of vulnerability,” AMC security operations senior director Cindy Botha explained.
“[Hume Cafe] is much closer to their accommodation area and they don’t actually have to move through the rest of the centre.”
It’s not only had an impact on detainee skill-building but also on staff morale.
“[AMC] is so remote, we can’t just run across the road to go get a cup of coffee or something like that,” Ms Botha said.
“For staff to be able to go and get a coffee and have a bit of a chat while they are having their coffee is really nice.”
Work is underway to eventually expand Hume Cafe’s opening hours to seven days a week. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
Opening the cafes also ticks a box by providing more educational opportunities and structure for detainees.
The Custodial Services Inspector’s reports on AMC have consistently been critical of the lack of meaningful activities for those behind bars.
Corrections Minister Dr Marisa Paterson said there were many challenges to consider when setting up educational programs and activities for detainees, but the government wanted to do better.
“Every individual comes in with a different set of circumstances. Some come in remanded, others sentenced – there’s a whole different set of requirements around both of those statuses – and then there’s different levels of security. There’s a whole range of different issues with people not being detained with other people … there’s medical appointments, there’s appointments with lawyers.
“The logistics of the AMC are incredibly challenging.”
Currently, the ACT Government is testing the literacy and numeracy skills of each person who enters the AMC to determine which activities and educational opportunities could be offered.
Dr Paterson said addressing low literacy levels was a particular focus.
“It’s a significant issue for many detainees; it’s very hard for people to participate in education if they don’t have the basic literacy skills,” she said
“We see this as an opportunity to understand the level that people are at and meet them where they are.”
A detainee education and reintegration rehabilitation board has been established to identify other opportunities that can be offered at AMC.
