Mount Gambier Prison

Mount Gambier Prison
Location	Moorak, South Australia
Security class	Principally medium and low security male sentenced prisoners; can also accommodate short-term high security males and females.
Capacity	294
Opened	1995
Managed by	G4S

Mount Gambier Prison is an Australian prison located in Moorak immediately south of Mount Gambier.^[2]

Mount Gambier Prison is the only privately managed prison in South Australia. It is currently managed and operated by G4S Custodial Services Pty Ltd (previously Group 4 Corrections Services).

Accommodation

The prison accommodates medium and low security male sentenced and remand prisoners. Short-term high security male and female prisoners can also be accommodated when required.^[3]

Accommodation includes:

a traditional cell block arrangement
shared living cottages
semi-independent living cottages
an induction area that houses new prisoners
a small allocation of high security cells.

Prison life

Consistent with other prisons in South Australia, prisoners are placed on incentive based regimes that provide varying levels of privileges based on behaviour.

Prisoners are engaged in a range of work programs including grounds and building maintenance, cleaning, laundry and kitchen work. The prison also has a large timber furniture manufacturing workshop that produces bedroom and living room furniture for dispatch directly to retail outlets in South Australia.

Education and program activities focus on numeracy and literacy skills and cognitive skills programs are aimed at high risk offenders.^[4]

Increase in capacity and security improvements

In March 2009, an expansion of the prison was announced.^[5] With a project budget of $22.9m, it will be the first South Australian prison to employ the cheaper and faster modular construction method using shipping containers. The cell block is constructed as a single storey facility designed around two wings of 54 beds (total of 108 beds) with a central officers station to supervise both wings. Each wing has a central external exercise yard. A new kitchen will also be built and the prison perimeter will be extended.^[6]

In 2007, to address pressure on the South Australian Custodial Correctional system, the prisons capacity increased from 110 to 139 beds.^[7] In June 2012, the capacity of the prison was 172.^[3]

In 2005, a new $950,000 state-of-the art Control Room was officially commissioned.^[8]

During 2003-2004, work was conducted in the cells to eliminate hanging points and the fire safety systems in the cell block, the cottages and the operations building were upgraded.^[9]

Incidents

In March 2009, Chief executive of the Department of Correctional Services Peter Severin said that since the Mount Gambier Prison was opened in [1995], it has been a stable facility with "very few" incidents.^[5]

In July 2004, the South Australian Coroner was critical of cell design, Group 4 and Department of Correctional Services staff following the death of a prisoner.^[10]

In April 2001 a single prisoner became the first to escape the facility by climbing two razor-wire topped fences.^[11] This is the only escape from within the confines of the prison as of June 2012.