A major boost to the State's prison system was announced today by Corrective Services Minister Joe Berinson.
The Minister said planning would commence this year to construct a new $35 million maximum security prison at the Canning Vale prison site.
Mr Berinson said existing high security prisons were already holding their planned capacity, and extensions to Bunbury prison (to be opened in July) and to Albany prison (now under construction) would only meet requirements for the next two to three years.
"The Government has therefore approved the construction of a 200-bed prison within the Canning Vale Prison complex to be completed in 1996," he said.
In contrast to Casuarina Prison, which is based on a campus plan, the new prison would be compact in design and would hold about 100 short-term maximum security prisoners, such as prisoners on remand or waiting on a security assessment.
The Minister also announced that the Government had decided not to close the minimum security prison at Pardelup.
He said the Government accepted the importance of Pardalup Prison Farm to the local economy, particularly in a time of rural downturn.
The Government also recognised union concerns that current numbers of minimum security prisoners justified the continued use of the prison.
He said the Government's decision followed extensive consultation by the Premier and himself with the Plantagenet Shire and the Prison Officers' Union.
