Tasmanian Youth Detention Centre to Become Low-Security Farm Prison

The Ashley Youth Detention Centre could be converted into a low-security farm prison and rehabilitation facility once the new youth detention centre site in the state's south is up and running.

The Tasmanian government announced in 2021 it would close the troubled youth detention centre at Deloraine, in the state's north, by the end of 2024, but that date has been continuously pushed out.

It is now expected to close in 2028, but the future of the Deloraine site has been unclear.

The government had considered turning it into a northern prison, allowing prisoners from the north and north-west to be closer to their families, but axed the plan after significant community pushback.

Now, the proposal has been reworked.

Instead of 270 northern-based prisoners, the Deloraine site would house about 40 minimum-security prisoners, with the surrounding farmland to be used for agriculture-based training.

Minister for Justice, Corrections and Rehabilitation Guy Barnett said the facility would support rural training and employment initiatives.

"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," Mr Barnett said.

"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."

Hayes Prison Farm closure a wrong call, MP says

Tasmania previously had a prison farm in the state's south, at Hayes, near New Norfolk.

It was closed by the Labor-Green government in 2012 due to a $4.5 million repair bill and the land was sold two years later by the Liberal government for $2.2 million.

Most of the prisoners were moved from Hayes to Ron Barwick minimum-security prison at the Risdon Vale Prison complex.

Mr Barnett said closing Hayes Prison Farm was the wrong call.

"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," Mr Barnett said.

"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 state government says it will continue to consult with the community as the planning progresses.