With a focus on community safety, the state-of-the-art facility will feature the highest and most stringent level of security. The new facility will improve community safety and help reduce recidivism with new health, education and recreation facilities.
During construction the team is collaborating with local social enterprises to employ the marginalised and disadvantaged. They are also employing young workers from areas with high unemployment and procuring over 90% of materials from Australia and New Zealand.
The construction site covers an area approximately five times the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, near the existing Barwon Prison Precinct that includes Barwon Prison and Marngoneet Correctional Centre.
The prison is designed to separately accommodate and manage the different classifications of prisoners – mainstream, protection, remand and sentenced prisoners. It will include eight prisoner communities, each with 78-bed units.