Secret figures show new prison will be needed to house criminals

SA is locking people up faster than it can find room in its cells, new figures reveal, as the push to build a new prison gathers pace.

The addition of 270 new beds at Yatala Labour Prison next year will not alleviate the need to build a new prison at Gillman as inmate numbers increase dramatically over the next eight years, Correctional Services documents reveal.

The projected prisoner numbers in the documents show the number of female prisoners will increase by 107 to a projected 332 and the number of male prisoners will increase by 1114 to a projected 3933 by 2029/30.

Last week there were 3133 people being held in SA prisons – just 35 below the all-time prisoner record of 3168 in March 2018 – with the prisoner population growing by about 10 per cent annually.

When the 270 new beds come online at Yatala total bed capacity for the prison system will be 3577 beds – a shortfall of 688 beds on the 4265 Correctional Services modelling shows will be needed in 2029/30.

The Advertiser on Monday revealed a huge parcel of government-owned land at Gillman has been identified as the preferred site for a new prison – but no decision has yet been made to proceed with the project.

Inside the Adelaide Womens Prison.

The site has been selected from a shortlist of nine locations by Correctional Services, Renewal SA and consultants preparing the business case for the new rehabilitation prison.

While Correctional Services has undertaken an aggressive program of creating infill beds at major prisons over the past decade – with 1250 new beds created since 2010/11 – the strategic business case prepared in preparation for the full business case states future infill opportunities “were now limited’’ and building the new prison was the most cost effective solution.

The document states that “despite the successful use of non-custodial interventions, there is limited capacity to expand prison sites to accommodate the forecast demand.’’

“In addition, there is a lack of capacity to facilitate multiple occupant cells as a high proportion of prisoners are already housed in shared accommodation,’’ it states.

“There is a pressing need to increase cell capacity in the prison system and this requires new infrastructure.’’

Correctional Services CEO David Brown. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Correctional Services Minister Joe Szakacs. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Correctional Services received $500,000 funding in the 2021/22 state budget to develop the strategic business case and another $1.5m in the last budget to complete a full business case for a new prison.

Consultants PwC, Renewal SA and Correctional Services examined nine sites, including at Dry Creek, Edinburgh, Penfield, Waterloo Corner, Woodside in the Adelaide Hills and at Mobilong, before deciding on Gillman as the preferred site.

The site requirement was for a 60ha prison footprint surrounded by a 100m buffer zone that was not in a residential area, within 2km of a school, under a flight path or in a Hills face zone.

In 2009 the Labor government shelved plans for a $750m super-prison at Mobilong because of the cost, but in 2012 outgoing Correctional Services chief Peter Severin warned it was “inevitable’’ a new prison would have to be built to house SA’s rapidly growing prisoner population.

Correctional Services CEO David Brown on Monday said the full business case for the new prison would be presented to the government “in due course”.

Correctional Services Minister Joe Szakacs said the government had provided support to the department “to undertake a business case on examining future rehabilitation and therapeutic approaches to custody.”

“The government is working through this long-term options planning with the department,’’ he said.