I Was an Officer Inside an Australian Youth Prison - This Is What I Witnessed | Anthony Milbourne

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 745 Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 107 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Anthony Milbourne traveled all the way from Australia to sit down with Ian Bick and share his journey into becoming a correctional officer inside an Australian youth prison. In this episode, Anthony breaks down how his life experiences led him to the job, what daily life was really like inside the facility, and the key differences between the Australian and American prison systems — from food, routine, and commissary to discipline and inmate culture. He also opens up about the violent attack he suffered at the hands of inmates, an incident that ultimately pushed him to walk away from the career. _____________________________________________ #YouthPrison #PrisonOfficer #AustralianPrison #PrisonLife #BehindBars #TrueCrimePodcast #InmateStories #lockedinwithianbick _____________________________________________ Connect with Anthony Milbourne: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-milbourne-806b66333 Buy his book: https://www.amazon.com/Psych-Warden-Officers-psychological-account/dp/B0B2TTDCKL _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Violent Prison Attack That Changed Everything 00:25 Meet Anthony Milbourne & What This Episode Covers 00:53 Childhood, Family Life & Early Trauma 03:54 Growing Up in Australia: School & Early Struggles 11:10 Dreams, Ambitions & Early Career Goals 17:40 Art School, Adulthood & Finding Direction 24:42 Career Shift: Entering Law Enforcement 29:04 The Incident That Changed My Life Forever 33:31 Trauma, Recovery & Moving Into Juvenile Corrections 39:42 First Days Working Inside a Youth Prison 45:01 Inside an Australian Youth Detention Center 54:43 Daily Life in Youth Prison: Routine & Structure 01:01:36 Commissary, Prison Food & Inmate Ingenuity 01:07:12 Rehabilitation Programs & Mental Health Inside 01:10:01 Violence, Staff Safety & Gang Attacks 01:21:37 After the Assault: Media, Court & Fallout 01:32:46 Recovery, Career Changes & Personal Loss 01:36:13 Life as a Youth Prison Officer: Daily Realities 01:41:00 Officer Culture, Burnout & Brotherhood 01:44:01 System Failures, Reflections & Writing a Book 01:45:20 Final Thoughts & Lessons Learned Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:53.4	Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup. These guys know how to fight. These are gang members. I put arms down because unfortunately in my head I'm like, I don't want to be the first one to hit him because I'm going to lose my job. So I give him a chance. In my head, I'm like, let him punch me once. And there's cameras
1:10.8	around. He's like, yeah. I was flying. I still remember it in slow motion. His fist is huge.
1:15.8	Breaks my glasses and cuts me across here. And then next thing you know, completely dark. I'm like,
1:21.5	oh my God, I am blind. My guest today traveled all the way from Australia to share what it was really like working
1:28.3	as an officer inside a youth prison.
1:30.8	In this episode, Anthony Milborn breaks down how he ended up in corrections, what daily life
1:35.7	inside an Australian youth facility actually looks like, how it compares to the U.S.
1:40.5	system, and the realities of food, routine, commissary, and inmate violence,
1:45.9	including the attack that ultimately forced him to leave the job.
1:52.3	Where'd you grow up, Anthony?
1:53.9	I actually grew up in Perth, Western Australia. That is actually the most isolated capital city in the world.
2:03.8	It's also the neck of the woods of Heath Ledger.
2:07.8	Yeah.
2:08.6	Dark night, best movie of all time.
2:10.7	Absolutely.
2:12.0	Yeah.
	...

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