Plans for new prison in Victoria as system groans
A MASSIVE new prison is being planned by the Andrews Government to ease pressure on Victoria’s overloaded corrections system, with locations being assessed as the search for suitable land continues.
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A MASSIVE new prison is being planned by the Andrews Government, to ease pressure on Victoria’s overloaded corrections system.
The Herald Sun can reveal the search is on for suitable land for another jail, which would be built with enough space to hold 1000-plus beds.
It is understood locations on the urban fringe have been assessed. Feasibility work has been occurring for at least six months, and further reviews of flora and fauna and soil quality are expected. Victoria’s prison population has surged by almost 30 per cent, to almost 8000, since Labor was elected four years ago.
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And recent restrictions on the granting of bail have increased the pressure on remand centres. Last month, the Herald Sun revealed police cells in areas such as Narre Warren, Dandenong and Frankston were filled to breaking point, leading the police union to call for action.
It is expected a formal announcement of the jail plans will be unveiled closer to November’s state election.
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This year’s Budget included $690 million for a new 700-bed maximum-security jail in Lara, due to open in 2022, and $362 million for a new 102-bed unit at Fulham prison in Sale, 300 extra beds at Ravenhall prison, and 71 more at the Metropolitan Remand Centre.
But since March, the Department of Justice has carried out further significant planning for a separate jail.
At the end of July, Victoria had 7836 prisoners, up from 7152 in July 2017 and 6073 in July 2015. Government spokeswoman Georgia Brumby said: “Like any good government, we undertake a range of activities to plan for and meet demand.”
Opposition corrections spokesman Edward O’Donohue said the government had been asleep at the wheel: “Despite the long lead times for new prison infrastructure, only now has Daniel Andrews realised there’s a prison capacity crisis.”
In April, Corrections Minister Gayle Tierney blamed the former Coalition government for failing to deal with pressure on the prison system, saying it had known tougher sentencing laws and more police meant more people would be locked up.
Victoria’s corrections system has been running at near-capacity in recent months. Inmates have regularly missed court appearances because resources are too stretched to transport them; some are being detained in holding rooms in police stations and sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and others have been sent all the way from Melbourne to Wangaratta in search of a spare cell.
Last month, Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said more remand space was needed to remove inmates from police stations.