Prisoners in New South Wales jails are producing more of their own food, shaving $4 million a year off the grocery bill for Corrective Services while gaining formal job qualifications.

It costs $17.8 million annually to provide around 30,000 prison meals each day.

Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin says without the self-sufficient "grow your own" program, that bill would be much higher.

"We save a lot of money to the taxpayer in doing it and we also provide some vocational training skills," he said.

Savings for self-sufficient prisons: Product Savings An apple Save 14 cents Loaf of bread Save 71 cents 1kg pumpkin Save $1.90 1kg lean mince Save $1.36 Sausage roll Save 21 cents Source: NSW Corrective Services

Inmates are offered a range of courses in primary food production and processing, business administration and short courses - like forklift driving and using a chainsaw.

And with the prison population growing - around 800 new inmates in the year to June - the cost savings have never been more important.

New South Wales Attorney-General and Justice Minister Brad Hazzard says prisoners are managing livestock as well as crops.

"From the prisons' paddocks to the prisoners' plates, we're getting more than a million apples, more than a million loaves of bread, millions of litres of milk," he said.

"We're also seeing 80 per cent of the beef that is being used actually come from the prisoners themselves."

Vegetable harvest expected to triple this year

The St Heliers Correctional Centre at Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Valley is the biggest producer of beef and vegetables for the program, accounting for about 70 per cent of food that goes into jail meals.

Inmate, Carlos, is responsible for drenching cattle at St Heliers Correctional Centre at Muswellbrook in the New South Wales Hunter Valley. ( ABC News: Nicole Chettle )

This year is it expecting to triple its vegetable harvest to more than 100 kilograms of broccoli, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage and capsicum.

One inmate, Carlos, is responsible for drenching cattle in the fields at St Heliers.

A former industrial engineer, he has used his time behind bars to gain new qualifications.

"I have been able to get my certificate III in IT," he said.

"Eventually I will be able to get certificate IV and then the diploma, stuff like that.

"With the skills that I have been provided here I feel confident that I will get a job as soon as possible."

Program reduces risk of reoffending: Minister

The Justice Minister hopes the program will reduce the risk of reoffending when prisoners are released.

"They're going to be sitting next to you on a bus," Mr Hazzard said.

"It's good to know that they are better people. They are skilled up.

"We think it's quite a positive outcome in terms of lowering the recidivism rate - that is the rate of people coming back into prisons."

Shannan from Gunnedah is father to five children aged between four and 12.

Inmates prepare packaged dinners with food they have grown and cooked. ( ABC News: Nicole Chettle )

He has learned to drive a tractor and apply chemicals to control weeds, and he hopes to use those skills to find a job at the end of his sentence.

"I've got a few photos on the wall, and I look up and see the kids and I can just imagine how disappointed they are that I'm not there," he said.

"So it's just a reality check and it's something to strive for when I do get out."

Shannan says any inmate who does not do the training is crazy.

"You're in custody doing a sentence for something you've done wrong. You've got an opportunity to better your skills so you can avoid coming to jail," he said.

St Heliers has an on-site processing plant to cut up the vegetables that are transported to the Dawn de Laos centre at Silverwater jail in Sydney to be made into meals.

Security manager at St Heliers, Col Matthews, is passionate about the importance of giving a man the skills to earn a living outside jail.

He says the community benefits as well because the mines are sucking up skilled workers and creating a shortage of people with the right qualifications to work on farms and in other rural industries.

He believes the program could be expanded across the country because jails have an important advantage - it is, quite literally, a captive workforce.

"We've got a labour force," Mr Matthews said.

"You can do it. I reckon in certain circumstances you could do this just about anywhere."

Security manager Col Matthews watches over the inmates working on the broccoli farm at Muswellbrook in the News South Wales Hunter Valley. ( ABC News: Nicole Chettle )

Prison self-sufficiency program to expand

The NSW Government is expanding the program by building a new $6 million food manufacturing plant at the John Morony jail at Windsor, north-west of Sydney.

It will snap-freeze meals - replacing the current cook-and-chill system.

Other Correctional Centres involved Cessnock : Roast meat for sandwiches, meat and potato patties for evening meals. Soon to make coleslaw and potato salads.

: Roast meat for sandwiches, meat and potato patties for evening meals. Soon to make coleslaw and potato salads. Mannus , south of Tumbarumba: Beef cattle and apples. About 15,000 extra trees to be planted in July 2014.

, south of Tumbarumba: Beef cattle and apples. About 15,000 extra trees to be planted in July 2014. Yetta Dhinnakkal, Brewarrina : Beef cattle.

: Beef cattle. Balund-a residential diversionary program, Tabulam : Beef cattle.

: Beef cattle. Emu Plains : Dairy and milk processing.

: Dairy and milk processing. Long Bay : Bakery and sandwich production.

: Bakery and sandwich production. Goulburn : Evening meals and sandwich production.

: Evening meals and sandwich production. Mid North Coast : Evening meals and sandwich production.

: Evening meals and sandwich production. Bathurst : Sandwich production.

: Sandwich production. Wellington: Bakery.

The Government says that will reduce the jail system's carbon footprint by slashing the number of truck journeys required to transport fresh food around the state.

It will also save an extra $1.5 million on the food bill and offer prisoners more choice at meal time.

The new manufacturing plant will also offer courses up to Certificate IV level in a range of areas including food processing, logistics and warehousing.



One inmate at Silverwater, who cannot be identified, has served four years of a seven-year sentence.

During that time he has completed courses in hospitality, business administration, hygiene and first aid.

He wants to carve a new life for himself and never return to jail.

"We just need another opportunity for people to accept us," he said.

"We did the wrong thing, but we still want to have another chance."