Ray Hadley is broadcasting live from the Macquarie Correctional Centre, where prisoners are put to work to build new skills.

The Defence Community Dogs program is run in the prison, allowing dog trainers and inmates to train dogs for veterans suffering from PTSD.

Handler and veteran Mick Nobes has had his dog, Lola, for four and a half years after working as a clearance diver with the Navy for 24 years.

He told Ray Hadley Lola turned his life around.

“I wouldn’t leave my house; … now I’m back to what I call pre-navy days, doing lots of things out in the community.”

Mick praises the prison for encouraging minimum-security inmates to get involved in the program.

“I’ve seen these inmates out in the community in Bathurst and they actually get thanked.

“They can see that they can be assimilated back into society because the community’s accepting them.”

Press PLAY below to hear the full interview