The Tasmanian Government has announced its intention to repurpose the Ashley Youth Detention Centre site into a minimum-security adult prison and agriculture-based prisoner rehab and training facility.
The repurposed facility is expected to accommodate approximately 40 minimum-security prisoners and be contained entirely within the current site's footprint, with the option to use the farmland attached to the site for farm and agriculture-based training.
Minister for Justice, Corrections and Rehabilitation, Guy Barnett, said that the community would be closely consulted on the plan, with the transfer expected to occur when the Department of Education, Children and Youth vacate the site following the completion of the Pontville Youth Detention facility.
"Repurposing the existing facility presents a unique opportunity for the Tasmania Prison Service to accommodate minimum-security prisoners in a setting focused on rehabilitation and education," Minister Barnett said.
"This decision builds on our Government's ongoing commitment to greater rehabilitation opportunities for offenders.
"Establishing a low-security farm prison will support rural training and employment initiatives serving as an important pathway for offender reintegration.
"This is a practical and responsible pathway to ensuring the significant investment already made continues to deliver value for Tasmanians, while strengthening our corrections system more broadly.
"The former Labor-Green Government's decision to close the Hayes Prison Farm in 2012 is widely acknowledged as a major misstep which diverted all prisoners to prison facilities at Risdon, reducing rehabilitation opportunities for low-security prisoners.
"We intend to correct that error, which will not only offer an environment conducive to rehabilitation and training for prisoners who have earnt the right to finish their sentence in a lower-security setting, but also to sustain and create jobs in the Meander Valley and career pathways for Northern-based Correctional Officers."
The Government will continue to consult with the local community, ensuring they are kept informed as this planning progresses.
