South Queensland Correctional Facilities Expansion

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Responsible Agency: Department of Justice and Attorney-General
Proposal Stage of Development: Detailed Business Case Complete
Building Queensland Role: Led/Assisted with Detailed Business Case**
Planned Stage End Date: Not Applicable
Estimated Cost of Delivery: $1.22 billion*
Date of Publication: December 2017

NEED

All male high-security facilities in south Queensland are exceeding capacity. Between 2012 and 2017, the total number of prisoners in Queensland grew by 46 per cent and the total number of remand prisoners grew by 86 per cent.

Subsequently, built capacity at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre and the Southern Queensland Correctional Precinct (Gatton) has been exceeded. The need for a specific capacity increase for remandees as well as a capacity increase for the overall prison population has been identified.

PROPOSAL

The South Queensland Correctional Facilities Expansion takes a system-wide approach to managing the prisoner population and system overcrowding. As such, the proposal investigated options to relieve capacity constraints at both facilities—the Southern Queensland Correctional Precinct (Gatton) and the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre. Several options were explored including:

  • better use of existing infrastructure, including reviewing the roles and functions of southern Queensland correctional centres
  • ways to improve existing infrastructure to expand current capacity, including construction of new cell blocks and upgraded and expanded prisoner support services facilities
  • construction of cells at a new greenfield site.

BENEFITS

The project is expected to:

  • enhance safety between prisoners, and prisoners and staff
  • deliver more flexibility to manage the allocation of prisoners to the most appropriate facility
  • increase access to remand-specific programs and health services to better prepare remandees for potential release following court proceedings
  • increase access to education, programs and prison employment opportunities to provide employable skills and readiness for community reintegration in order to lower rates of recidivism
  • reduce future strain on building facilities with less risk of service failures.

NEXT STEPS

Ready for Queensland Government consideration.

* Nominal cost in Australian Dollars 2017, estimate provided by agency responsible for business case.
** Led Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre Detailed Business Case and assisted with Southern Queensland Correctional Precinct (Gatton) Detailed Business Case.