There's no doubt Tasmania's prison system is under pressure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Prisoner breakouts, growing recidivism rates and "degrading" infrastructure that fails to meet the needs of a modern corrections system, according to the Custodial Inspector Tasmania, means the government must get the settings right for the new Northern Prison.
But what would a successful prison look like?
Is it one that ensures there's enough space to keep offenders behind bars for longer? That's certainly a stated goal of the government, to ensure prisoners "are not let out before their court-ordered sentence is completed".
Is it a prison that offers meaningful rehabilitation so what when they're released, prisoners have the opportunity to reintegrate into society with work, housing and improved mental health? That, too, has been mentioned by Attorney-General Elise Archer in the past.
At the moment, 46.3 per cent of Tasmanian prisoners end up back behind bars within two years - the fastest growing recidivism rate in the country. The state's prisoner population is approaching 700, and at the rate of growth since 2014, it could exceed the additional beds from the Northern prison within 10 years.
Crime rates, particularly across the North, indicate this is unlikely to change any time soon.
But while Ms Archer describes this prisoner growth as a "trend" that is mirrored across the nation, it does not necessarily need to be this way.
And the Northern Prison can play its part by ensuring drug, alcohol and mental health rehabilitation services are properly built and well funded, employment and skills programs are relevant and meaningful, and the prison environment is constructive, not just punitive.
The government already spends $130,000 per year, per offender, and the prison will cost $1 million per bed.
Taxpayers demand value for money, so isn't the best value for money a prison that has a goal of reversing the upward trend of prisoner numbers with real rehabilitation?