Victoria’s prison population hits record 7231 inmates in 2017

VICTORIA’S prisons held a record 7231 inmates in 2017 as the state continues to grapple with a population boom behind bars.

VICTORIA is grappling with a prison population boom after the state hit a record 7231 inmates in 2017.

The number of people held behind bars surged by 410 inmates in November, compared to the year before, as the unprecedented growth continues in Victorian jails.

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In the bid to deal with the population boom, the Andrews Government announced a further 470 new beds at prisons across the state despite the opening of the medium security Ravenhall prison last year.

And Corrections Spokeswoman Courtney Crane confirmed the trend was likely to continue after inmate numbers have “grown by around 50 per cent in the last five years.”

“To keep pace with demand, we have increased capacity by around 3800 in recent years by building new facilities and delivering additional beds,” she said.

Barwon Prison. Picture: Jason Edwards

Despite concerns the state’s jails are bursting at the seams, Ms Crane said “Victoria is currently using around 83 per cent of its available bed capacity — well below Corrections Victoria’s operational target of 90 to 95 per cent.’’

It is understood almost a third of inmates are remandees — being held while awaiting trial — which is contributing to the unrest in some facilities.

Warnings have also been sounded about many serious criminals opting to not apply for parole and serving their full sentence behind bars.

The Sentencing Advisory Council reported fears the move was leading to a surge in numbers but also helped dangerous career criminals avoid restrict post sentence supervision.

An independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission report released in November flagged overcrowding issues projecting inmate numbers to hit 8300 in 2019.

“The recent growth of Victoria’s prison population creates challenges for the safety of prisoners and staff. Overcrowding can place pressure on shared facilities and increase conflict and violence.’’

It also warned of the increasing chance of corruption and misconduct as “large-scale recruitment of corrections officers,” was difficult and resulted in lower quality guards.

The Andrews Government have previously declined to commit to new facilities.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy — who has announced a series of tough on crime policies — said if elected the Coalition would seriously consider the need for a new jail.

In October he unveiled a plan to cut costs behind bars, including a full review of facilities and introducing initiatives to make prisons self-sufficient including inmates growing their own food.

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Originally published as Victoria’s prison population hits record 7231 inmates in 2017