New remand centre offers rehab hope

State’s first purpose-built remand centre will ease pressure on other facilities and offer occupants a better chance of rehabilitation, writes Elise Archer

THE Tasmanian Liberal government is continuing to invest in infrastructure in our corrections system that will help keep our communities and staff safe, while providing offenders with more opportunities for rehabilitation.

A new remand centre on the Risdon Prison site has been a key part of our plan, and I was immensely proud to officially open the new 156-bed facility last week, fulfilling a significant election commitment.

This is the state’s first facility designed specifically for people held on remand (who are not yet convicted or are unsentenced) that will allow them to be housed separately from sentenced offenders, in line with bestpractice operational guidelines.

The Southern Remand Centre will ensure the Tasmania Prison Service has modern, fit-for-purpose correctional facilities that not only provide secure accommodation and facilities for remandees and staff, but also allow for a strong focus on rehabilitation.

This is part of our significant investment of more than $415m for major TPS infrastructure projects, which also includes the Northern Correctional Facility, and a new maximum-security unit and other new facilities within the Risdon Prison complex. These are necessary to upgrade our infrastructure and address reoffending rates.

Importantly, both the physical environment and the operating model of the remand centre support rehabilitation, providing a therapeutic and rehabilitative space while maintaining the strict security and safety requirements essential to a modern correctional facility.

Remandees will have access to dedicated health, legal and welfare services, work, education, therapeutic programs, recreational activities, religious observance, and other relevant activities and services. These are all necessary services for those on remand and to positively address offending behaviour.

The Southern Remand Centre will receive remandees in a staged approach in coming weeks, easing pressure across other correctional facilities.

I wish to especially thank

Hansen Yuncken for managing the project and for continuing operations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting about 130 local jobs and our economy, as well as all other companies and businesses who worked on the project, and our correctional staff for their practical input.

Also continuing is my strong focus on recruitment to attract more correctional officers into the TPS, with 21 new recruits commencing their training last week. They will undertake an intensive 10-week training program that combines classroom learning with on-the-job placements.

They join 23 recruits who had already completed their training, who will now commence work across our TPS facilities statewide.

This once again confirms my ongoing commitment to correctional officer recruitment since coming to office, with four recruit schools in 2022 (the most ever held by the TPS in one year) along with bridging courses for existing, experienced correctional officers we attract from interstate and overseas.

These bridging courses run for three weeks, providing accelerated entry for those with existing skills, knowledge and experience in the correctional officer role.

The next bridging course is scheduled for August, with five additional correctional officers set to join the TPS workforce.

Boosting correctional officer numbers remains a key focus of mine for 2022 and beyond, and a selection process is already under way for the next round of recruits who will start their training in September, with a further intake in November.

I very much look forward to seeing the positive flow-on effects that will come from our government’s significant investment.