VIDEO: Breaking Free

'Breaking Free'

3 June 2024

Four Corners

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Mark?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: How are you mate, how you doing? Nice to meet you. Dennys from Rainbow Lodge. How you going, mate?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah, good.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: All good.

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah all good.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Sweet. Did you want me to grab your bag or anything for you?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Nah, nah I'm right.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: You're all good brother, they give you everything?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah everything.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Yeah mad.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: It's Mark Doyle's first taste of freedom after two years on the inside.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Are you hungry?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: I'm starving.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: What do you want to eat, brother?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: I dunno, we'll go to Maccas, yeah?

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Alright brother, let's get going ay?

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Go get a feed.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The 55-year-old has been in and out of prison for most of his life.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: The Maccas is only down the road anyway bro so we'll go there yeah.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: What about family, brother?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Um, Mum and Dad are both gone, they've passed away God love 'em. My brothers and sisters …

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: I'm sorry to hear that.

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: I haven't had contact now for over 20 years with 'em.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Any kids?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: No, nah. I think back at meself to all the jail I've done and that, and the time I've left, it would have been a shame to have kids and leave them out there on Christmases and birthdays. Because I've spent more time inside than I have out.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Mark Doyle's odds of staying out of jail aren't good. Across Australia, almost half of all prisoners are back inside within two years.

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: They were going to put me in a motel room for two weeks, and then I was on my own.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Mark has no family, and no home.

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Just to be released and thrown out on the street, it's just …you end up back on the drugs, and you're depressed, you end up want to take drugs and block all them thoughts out, yeah.

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: I'll just go for a quick toilet break just there…

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Yeah yeah there's no rush brother. Yeah it's all good there's no, no rush, I've got to go bathroom before we go as well.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: But this time he's got a bed at one of the few places in NSW …

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: A lot of mountains around here, eh?

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: … where he might get a new start. Australia spends $6 billion dollars a year jailing offenders, but just a fraction of that on helping them stay out.

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Hey how you going Mark?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Good man yourself?

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Good to see ya.

DENNYS VERGARA, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: That's Harry.

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah good man yourself?

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Have you filled out one of these before? Fill out as much as you can. If you need help with anything just …

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah I don't have a phone number so … entry date?

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: It's the 23rd … 4th of February.

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: I'll take you to your room. So we've got a basket here, with your toiletries. Toothpaste, soap, a razor, a towel, do you need anything else?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Clothes? If you've got any clothes. I'll be right, I've got a couple of day's worth that's all.

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Is that your only bag?

MARK DOYLE, FORMER PRISONER: Yeah.

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Cool, I'll show you to your room. Just in here, so I'll get you your PIN for the door.

LINCOLN, FORMER RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Rainbow Lodge resident: Imagine now if you hadn't come here, exactly what you'd be doing right now.

ALAN BURTON, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Probably back in jail.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: For 60 years Rainbow Lodge has been helping men coming out of prison. To be eligible, they must be at high risk of both homelessness and reoffending.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: No no there's two approvals. So I approve it and the board has to.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The lodge's manager is Claude Robinson.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I've spoken to Mark …

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I think the philosophy of Rainbow Lodge is we take the men that no-one else takes. We're not a punitive centre, so we use restorative practice.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I'll get the hose.

TRENT HAGAN, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Get the bird shit off…

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeh I know … hey what … that's not …

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Men on parole like Mark …

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: That's so hard that bit there.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: …are on a three month program to help them transition back into mainstream society.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: No that's a crack in your windscreen.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The Lodge has room for eight of them at a time.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: With Denny you're picking up a young Koori lad …

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Here at Rainbow we're the largest provider of post incarceration accommodation in NSW for men or women and we have 32 places a year out of that 19,000 that's released.

TRENT HAGAN, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Looks rad must be mine!

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Across NSW barely more than 2 per cent of people leaving prison get a bed in such a program. It's estimated half of all those leaving prison — in NSW, about 10,000 people — end up homeless.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: You're killing me mate …

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Hey bro fucken killing me hey!!

CLAUD ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: So they might be entitled to three nights temporary accommodation and normally that'll be in an establishment that's riddled with drugs and antisocial behaviour.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: But at the lodge, the men are supported to gradually readjust to normal life.

CLAUDE ROBINSON RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Each of the men are responsible for keeping their rooms clean, cleaning the bathrooms and the toilets and the common areas and there's a cooking roster, so one of the residents will cook each night, which we find is a really important part of the program.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: The way our prison system works, it's very inflexible and structured. And then we release these people into the community and suddenly they have to pay rent, clean the house, get to appointments on time.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Did Harry make it? Did you make it?

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: The evidence tells us people go back to prison because they find the level of personal responsibility in the community without a transitional support too overwhelming.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: For men whose mistakes have seen them cast out by the world, Rainbow Lodge is a light in the darkness. The same is true for the boss.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I think I feel really privileged that I get to do the work I do. You know, my life could have turned out so differently. You know I was a resident here 17 years ago, you know, when I was released from Goulburn Prison in 2006. Seven and a 1/2 years in prison. Every time I didn't think you could get lower, it got lower.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: During his time in Goulburn jail his parents died leaving him a 60-thousand dollar inheritance.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: The reality was unfortunately, within six weeks of getting out, I, you know, I'd shot up all that money, you know, in the Astoria Hotel in Kings Cross. This is the insanity of it. I woke up that last morning and I just before that, you know, every couple I wake up with my girlfriend go I will stop using when there's 20,000 left, when there's 10, you know, and I woke up that last day and there was no money left. And I was just filled with such dread and terror. And I thought my rational thinking was that I would go to Centrelink and say to them that I'm on the run from parole, which I was and that I don't want to rob anyone. So can you give me a counter cheque? And I thought that that they would go, oh, that's a really good idea. You know, And I just remember the, the person saying, you know, just like laughing at me, going there's no way you're getting a counter cheque. And I was so desperate. You know, I, you know, I jumped the counter and, you know, robbed him of his phone and all that. And like I still connect to the shame of that, you know, as like, you know someone who's got children who goes to work and that I just think, I still think of that man because I still think of that. Like all he did was go in to work that day. You know, he had, I had no right to do what I did to him.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Claude gave himself up, did another term of prison and got clean. He spent the next decade rebuilding.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: All these different people encouraged me to keep going, you know, And the opportunity came up, you know, nearly three years ago to come back to Rainbow Lodge as the manager.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: It just sort of it focuses your mind but it allows your mind to sort of drift.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Upstairs Nathan Schmalz is doing everything he can to stay sober, and out of prison.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: It wasn't until I spent extended times in like confined space, you just have to find other ways to allow your mind to be free.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: He's been at the lodge for five months. Last year the 38-year-old pleaded guilty to a string of crimes, including an aggravated break-and-enter and a serious assault.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: My last crimes there was a whole lot of them man. I ended up taking a few cars and then getting on the drugs and breaking into some homes doing putrid stuff that no one should have to sit there and have put up with, you know these people work for a living, these people you know acquire these things, and to have someone go into their homes and do the things that I've done and take from it, it's not nice you know what I mean.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: It's a new day, and a new start for Nathan. He's got his first proper job in 15 years.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Look at that of all the cars he could have pulled over he's pulled over the most shitty lookin' little car…. some poor member of society that's just struggling to get to work…. That's pretty shit. It's the norm.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: With him in the truck is Rod. He's also gone through Rainbow Lodge.

ROD, FORMER RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I've never tried anything like Rainbow before man I'm nearly 50 now you know …

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Have you found it hard building new social circles and shit?

ROD, FORMER RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Not really but I got a girl, I just go out with the girl heaps, I don't really want anyone from jail you know what I mean. Fuck that….

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: No definitely bro. 25 years plus is enough, you don't want to deal with that when you're in there.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: What's the process, just stack and take it?

ROD, FORMER RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Just stack them up, just put them in the back.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: We've met a few times in custody, this is the first time we've caught up out here, having a crack at life together.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Just shows that there's a pathway to do it, what I'm doing is not frivolous, it's not doing without meaning.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: What's something you'd be doing today after work Rod?

ROD, FORMER RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Today so I'm going away for the weekend … so this afternoon we're just going shopping to get all the food, so I've got a 4WD, I've got a fridge in the back, so we're just going camping for 3 days. Normal stuff man, first time ever like, yeah I like it, you know what it's actually good man, it's actually really good.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: While Nathan's still at work, the Lodge staff find a problem in his room.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: The girls have called me to come upstairs cause they've found something in someone's room.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: It's never good when they call me on the phone and I know they're in the building.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Oh, well that's illegal. So it's a camera that's panning the room… which for us is concerning, because it's a protected space here.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: So we'll have to go through everything now.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: There's a 600 dollar dress.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: 600 dollar dress?!

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Things like this always concern us, anything that's got a tag on it.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: So what's that a thousand dollar's worth of women's clothes. What's his income it's like 840 a fortnight or something, and that's before they take rent out and stuff.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Sometimes they do get stuff that's donated.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Not with tags on it like that. Not expensive items of clothing like that.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: When you're done with that durry, do you want to come in and catch up in the office?

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yep

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Yep thanks.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: A few hours later Nathan is back from work.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Have a seat Nathan.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yep. what's going on?

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Um ….the girls were upstairs cause they're looking to do new furniture. We found about a thousand dollars worth of women's clothes with tags on them.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Nah they're all from charities. So it's just like buying like second hand stuff. Like you can have a look at it. They're all from like just charity stuff.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: So this stuff here, my partner didn't want … You can have a look on the camera I showed. I showed it to her the other weekend when she came up. She didn't like none of them. So I'm just going to donate ….

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: So who are you saying you got them from?

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: So you you've just buy them from charity stores like, so you can go to any of the charity stores, but you mate, you can go and have a look at any of the any of the things there….

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: But, but normally the charity store won't leave the original…

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Have a look mate. Everything's reduced, reduced, reduced, reduced……

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: But yeah, I'm going to, they're all in there because I'm going to donate 'em back. That's why they're there….

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: You can understand….

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Absolutely and that's ….

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: My concern …

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: You don't find those sorts of things in those shops Nathan, alright it's quite simple …sorry can i just …. um they wouldn't be in the Salvos shop stores like this …and I guess and if you did buy them you wouldn't have paid …

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: No they were only like 15 bucks each.

DANIELLE ALLEN, Rainbow Lodge Case worker: It's just the price of them that's concerning.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I'll be honest like … we've had someone arrested here for doing this previously. So like, that's why. Well, I'm not. I'm not being silly. Like we take it really seriously.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Mate ..you you can keep all that stuff and you can look into everything you need to look into. It's an absolute dead end like … if you have …

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: I mean, they've got tags on them still.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: 100 per cent.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: You don't find those in those shops.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Well obviously someone donated them in there and that's exactly what I was going to do. I'm donating them back. That's why they're in that bag.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Well, we're going to keep them all here and ….

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Of course, Feel free.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I, need to voice to you like I'm concerned.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Sorry for the inconvenience mate.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: No no, that's alright, no worries, cheers.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I could just tell by the way his reaction, you know, it's yeah, he's churning inside. He, I can tell he was uncomfortable. So, you know, I go at a minimum, we're holding him accountable. You know what I mean? We're mandatory reporters so we can be criminally liable, you know, which I think it's up to $20,000 fine and two years in prison for not informing the police of a potential committing of a crime.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: I think it was a … the reason made sense, that he had it all, it made sense, conveniently made sense I think.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Inconclusive would be the findings.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Oh Harry!

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: All that gym work Harry, what for?

TRENT HAGAN, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Feeding the birds?

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeah

TRENT HAGAN, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Mad!

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Mark Doyle and Trent Hagan are more used to life inside prison than out.

TRENT HAGAN, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Ah yeah there he is, he's right under.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Mark, you know, was put into care into juvenile centres and taken from his parents at a very young age, you know, abused, trauma response. And part of that was, you know, obviously it's so painful they start drinking and taking drugs.

HARRY BYRNE, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: What's the day today?

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Monday.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Mark, have you had anything else today?

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: No darlin. I'm good, I'm good.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: … No no no I'm just checking on how you're doing…

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: After two months at the Lodge … Mark's feeling the pressure. Case worker Lucy Cook is worried.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Piss it off, piss it off

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Mark tested positive for some ice use and some marijuana this morning. He was quite elevated and we didn't want to trigger any of the other guys. So we asked him to maybe spend the day out and about until it kind of wears off a little bit. He's come back. He said he just needed to get something from his room and he's heading back out again. So we'll see.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Where did you say you were going?

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Just for a walk. I don't know.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Alright, have you got your phone on you still, Mark?

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeh.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: You got it? All right. I'll call you again soon.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Alright, dunno why.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Pretty, pretty elevated and doesn't think that there's much of an issue which we see all the time that they say I'm fine, I'm totally fine. And you know you live, you pretty much live with them so you can tell immediately when something's off. But Mark thinks he is killing it at the moment. So we'll see how he goes when he comes back. I'll call him soon and see where he's at. Keep an eye on him.

ALAN BURTON, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Excuse me Lucy.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Yeah.

ALAN BURTON, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Would I be able to get some milk, please?

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Absolutely, absolutely. Oh, give me one second.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The staff fear that one slip-up can return these men to a spiral of more drug-use and crime.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: I think he went out for a walk. I think he went for a walk.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: They've been using forever. They're out in the community. Things are gonna happen. Mark says that he ran into someone in the in the city yesterday, who just offered it to him. So it's not as simple as just saying no necessarily. And obviously if it's a repeat, like if it's a something that happens every day, then that's a big problem. If it's a one off or if it's an every so often thing or, you know, it's very case by case, Yeah. So hopefully Mark comes back in a better state.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Days later … Mark's been caught again, this time drinking. The staff are deciding if they'll kick him out of the lodge.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: And this is within a couple of days of each other. Like it's not been a couple of weeks and he's …

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: No, I know. Believe me, I've been thinking about it all night. I know the pros and cons so …

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Alright Does someone want to grab Mark?

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Only half the men who come to Rainbow Lodge finish the three month program.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Grab a seat, Lucy. Come on, Harry. I want everyone here. No, I want everyone here, Mark, because it's not this is like …

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: It's not funny I know.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I let you stay last night so you can have a think about it. But my thing is my concern is like what's going to be different? Like we've done everything I… because from our point of view I'm not sure what else we can do.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I'll go to groups every night, you know, I promise I give you my word, it's not going to happen again.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I'm sorry, Claude, I am.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I just, you know and you know if you are to stay, you know, the simple thing will be there's no more chances. So and that's why I want my staff here, there'll be no ringing Claude. S and you get you need to go to the meetings, whether it's NA or AA.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I will I promise you Claude I will every night.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Cause I'll tell ya you're saving grace is that I'm worried that if I exit you, you'll die.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeh.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: That's your saving grace, you know. I think jail's a good outcome for you if you're exited. You know, I think you know, you're at risk of dying. You can't keep doing this Mark.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I know, I know Claude.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Alright. Cheers. Thanks. It's about you though, Mark. It's not about me.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeah I know.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I'm just no no we're going, 2 minutes and then we're going alright…. 2 minutes.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Nick Pholi, age 33, is also on bail. He's pleaded guilty to armed robbery. Here at the lodge he gets access to programs designed to help the men break with the past.

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: My name's Nicholas Pholi. Proud Bunjalung man. What brought me here? I'm sort of on me own journey. We're all on our own individual journey but ….

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Nick came to the lodge after a successful stint at rehab.

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: So I'm actually at the lodge now, you know, which I'm pretty grateful for. It's better than jail but like I'm getting healthy you know. And connecting with my culture a bit more through this program here. Just learning a lot more about myself, I think. Yeah, that's me ay?

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: It's a warm afternoon in mid-April. The TV room is getting a long-overdue upgrade. Mark is doing better. He pitches in with his housemates.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Three couches.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Yeh it's pretty good leather.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Four normal guys could do this. One of me and one of Nick.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: That'll do. We'll put it over here.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: NSW spends 2-billion-dollars a year on prisons. Less than half-a-percent of that money goes to community programs like Rainbow Lodge. It's a similar story across the country.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Is it a reclining?

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Yes!

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Ah, it struck my nose.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Oh no, you and that nose. Are you right?

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeh.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Show me.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeah I'm right.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Ooh. Let's get the rest in.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: That's crazy man.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Well these two will have to do it.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I just finished work man.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: It's only a trip down the road and around the corner.

RONAN SHARKEY, CAMERA OPERATOR: Give us a look mate. What have you done?

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: He's done himself a mischief.

DANIELLE ALLEN, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Get the door, doorman.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: So I'm just going to go around and check the syringe containers.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Claude's hearing rumours someone is using drugs.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: The thing I find frustrating is, you know, you spend all this time and they go on about they want to change and they want to get out and see their children and all this stuff. And then, you know, they're not about two minutes and they're, you know, wanting to use, if not using drugs. That part I find frustrating.

RAYMOND 'BUBBLY' WEATHERALL, FIRST NATIONS WORKER: Claude.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: In the alleyway…

RAYMOND 'BUBBLY' WEATHERALL, FIRST NATIONS WORKER: How'd we go with the ute?

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: There's something going on… there's bad energy though.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: A suspected drug dealer has been spotted on CCTV.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: There was a guy in a red jumper walking up the alleyway who's kind of lingered and made eye contact with me as he was walking up. And he looked pretty suss.

RAYMOND 'BUBBLY' WEATHERALL, FIRST NATIONS WORKER: Dodgy.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Dodgy, dodgy.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Yeah he looks as suss as anything.

RAYMOND 'BUBBLY' WEATHERALL, FIRST NATIONS WORKER: Doesn't look suss at all.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: He comes in!

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Woah! Woah!

RAYMOND 'BUBBLY' WEATHERALL, FIRST NATIONS WORKER: What's the time? 9:07:20.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Claude calls a house meeting.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I just want to speak to everyone and just in general, no one in particular, But I just want to be really clear. In the last week we've had two instances of the safety of this facility being breached. All right, I've got the CCTV. The neighbours have come to me. They caught a person dropping drugs here yesterday. All right, so I'll be really clear. If you want to use, fuck off. Stop being a coward, Don't use in this facility and fuck it for everyone else. Leave. Go on the run. Do whatever you want. If you want to use, your choice, but don't do it here because you're screwing it for everyone else and you screw up for the guys that are waiting in custody. And I'm a bit sick of it, so I've got the CCTV footage, so it's not going to take long till we find out who's doing it and I guarantee you there will be consequences. All right? It just needs to stop.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: A few days later staff think they've worked out who's using.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Hey can I open the door?

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Claude wants me to drug test you. One wipe.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: What's wrong? Got a headache or something?

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeah.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Very gloomy in here.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: Alright. I'll let you know …

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: It is positive for pills … opiates. Oh what am I talking about it's positive for heroin. What am I talking about?

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Course it is … yep as we knew … I'll take a photo oh can you put his initials on it for me.

LUCY COOK, RAINBOW LODGE CASE WORKER: It's not strong but it's there.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: See look at the things. Cocaine. So it's opiates.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Nick now faces the very real prospect of returning to jail.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I'm just emailing his lawyer and the DPP. See what happens.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Hello Claude speaking ….Hey how you going? … oh I've had better days!

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: If we can get him into detox and he agrees to that and comes back … that's awesome, awesome alright champion, you're a legend, thanks mate see ya.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: I just spoke to Chris. Chin up. Cause 2 things are going to happen … they'll put in a detention application and you'll go back to custody, or you'll keep using and go back to custody.

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeah i know,

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: This is hard, it was never going to be easy, and don't think because you got off the methadone and you have to go back but don't think you're failure or anything like that, it's not … this is hard, this is like life changing.

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: It's different.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: It is. So can we make some calls and see what we can organise?

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeah, might be better yeah.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Alright, just hang in there.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Claude wants Nick to talk to the house.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Come over here Nick, with me. No no cause you need … we're here, to stand with ya.

RAYMOND 'BUBBLY' WEATHERALL, FIRST NATIONS WORKER: You know I am, I tell you all the times.

NICK PHOLI, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: I just apologise to you boys ay, fuck I don't mean to make it any harder than it already has to be. Like Claude said you know, I am struggling a little bit and I should reach out to you boys a little bit more, you know? Yeah, fuck I gotta dig deep and try harder. I don't want to go back to gaol either. I wanna stay, you know it's a good bunch of boys and that. Sorry if I made it harder for you fellas you know. Doing what I've been doing here and …

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Alright, beautiful.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Bro it's hard to speak like that in front of anyone so thank you for doing that. I know how difficult that is, a big thing bra thank you for saying that.

MICHAEL PITT, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: We'll go through it together bra, we're here to help one another bra you know. I'm here for you bra you know what I mean, talk to each other you know in a positive way my bra you know. Start back all over again you know my brother I love you my bra you know.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: Yeah thanks everyone, cheers. Alright.

TRENT HAGAN, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: How you doin' my brother? Alright?

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: A week later Nick uses heroin again. He's kicked out of the Lodge. It's a very different story for Nathan Schmalz. Today he's hoping the District Court will allow him to vary his bail and move into his own apartment. Nathan's in a trial case management program for Indigenous prisoners awaiting sentencing, called the Walama List.

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: Got your winter woolies on.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Judge Warwick Hunt removes his wig, and comes off the bench.

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: You look a bit tense today.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Aways tense coming to court.

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: Well we can have a yarn, alright ….

ALEX STEELL, LEGAL AID NSW: The main point of discussion for today will be Nathan's transition into his community housing.

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: And if somebody walked up to you on the street and offered you a taste. What's the strategy there?

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: My strategy is mate, I'd just be blatant and say mate, I've just come from this stuff. I've got 25 years of this stuff behind me. Please don't insult me with that and I'd just put distance between me and whoever that was. Politely, but that'd be the strategy.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The prosecutor is worried about Nathan living fulltime in the community unsupervised.

ANTHONY BROOKMAN, CROWN PROSECUTOR: In terms of my Walama practice, his offences are basically, in simple terms, the most serious. The proposal for a few days, Ithink a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday while you're working obviously, I find that a lot more of an attractive proposition than complete living on your own in the community, you know what I mean?

AUNTY BARBARA, 'RESPECTED PERSON': I'd like to put the mob perspective on the table. We are caught here between, you know, the Westminster system, between the Western legal culture and what we would do. And it is one of the hard things for us to do in here, isn't it, Auntie? We want to see one of our people thrive and he's just received the tools to thrive. So when is the point that we're going to let this man thrive?

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: Well that's all on the table. Everyone's heard that.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The judge decides to let Nathan live in his flat, three nights a week. Down the track he will formally sentence Nathan for his crimes. At that point he could still be sent back to jail.

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: Keep ticking those boxes.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Thanks very much judge.

WARWICK HUNT, NSW DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: OK thank you very much.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The following week, he moves in.

NATHAN SCHMALZ, Rainbow Lodge Resident: It's a natural happiness you know what I mean, not taking some artificial happiness and comes from in here and up here and it's a good feeling. If I sit there and say oh it's going to be all rainbows and unicorns that's bullshit that's not what it's going to be, I'm facing jail time that's the reality of my situation, and if I don't take this opportunity and don't show that the 20 years of shit that I've been doing has stopped, I'm just a normal member of society, well then I don't have a chance I'll be back in jail.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: Yeh i know I'm going to make it, I've had enough. I have I've had enough.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Mark Doyle wants a future too.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: This beats anything than a prison cell. I don't know why I didn't wake up earlier. It's been a hard life man, and it's over.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: The crimes of his past never leave him.

MARK DOYLE, RAINBOW LODGE RESIDENT: if I could pay these people back i would you know what I mean, but I've served me time for it, I've done a lot of time for it, I think personally for what I've done and that, no one should do time like that, yeh ….

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: No one can rebuild a life on their own.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: When I sat down the other day with Mark I could see in his eyes, you know that and I connected with that. If Claude gives up on me, then I'm fucked. I'm gone.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: Research shows ex-prisoners who don't get to do the Rainbow Lodge program … are twice as likely to reoffend when they get out. Time and again … the evidence has shown that if we make the choice to help these men, far fewer will reoffend … and we're all safer.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: But you know that that connection of one human to another sometimes is all we need to cross over that precipice.

LINTON BESSER, REPORTER: In a country that's recorded one of the highest reconviction rates in the world … Rainbow Lodge poses a fundamental question for us all.

CLAUDE ROBINSON, RAINBOW LODGE MANAGER: What's the harm in giving someone a second chance? You know, I can always exit someone, but I may never be able to get them back.

ENDS