If Walls Could Talk: Remembering Pentridge

In a new book, Pentridge: Voices From the Other Side, writer and photographer Rupert Mann presents the devastating, moving and funny stories of people who lived and worked at Pentridge. In this discussion, hosted by Hilary Harper, he is joined by former chaplain Peter Norden, former prison officer Pat Merlo and celebrated actor and former inmate Jack Charles. They discuss criminal justice, collective history and the new development on the old site. From 1851 until its closure in 1997, Pentridge Prison in Coburg was the scene of many humiliations and acts of brutality – as well as unlikely alliances, and stories of hope, survival and friendship. The prison was home to thousands of people over several generations, from notorious criminals to ordinary men and women. The last man executed in Australia, Ronald Ryan, was hung there in 1967. Today, Pentridge is described by developers as ‘a vital hub of creativity and commerce interlinked with residential opportunities’, but efforts are being made to hold on to the memories and the heritage of Victoria’s longest-running prison.