HM Prison Barwon

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Barwon Prison

Location	Lara, Victoria
Status	Operational
Security Level	{{{classification}}}
Capacity	{{{capacity}}}
Opened	January, 1990
Closed	-
Managed by	Corrections Victoria

HM Prison Barwon is a maximum security Australian prison located on Bacchus Marsh Road, 6 km from the township of Lara, (near Geelong), Victoria, Australia. Barwon provides accommodation and services for maximum security mainstream prisoners including a 20-bed facility for high security prisoners and a 60-bed facility for maximum security protection prisoners. Barwon was built to cater for demand due to the recent closures of HM Prison Geelong in 1991 and HM Prison Pentridge in 1997. A campus of the Gordon Institute of TAFE operates at the prison providing corrections education.

Barwon is located adjacent to the newly built 300 bed medium security Marngoneet Correctional Centre, opened in 2006.

1 History
2 Accommodation units
3 Notable prisoners
4 Criticism
5 References

[edit] History

Construction of the prison commenced in 1986. It was completed in October 1989 and the first prisoners were received in January 1990. Barwon is the only maximum security prison located outside the Melbourne metropolitan area.

[edit] Accommodation units

The prison is split into many separate units.

Acacia

A high security unit. Also used to accommodate high risk prisoners

Banksia

Protection unit for prisoners requiring close supervision or protection. Most cells in this unit are shared with two prisoners per cell. The Banksia unit is separated into three smaller units

Coast
Heath
Waratah

Hoya

Protection unit.

Cassia

Mainstream unit which houses new prisoners.

Diosma

A mainstream unit which accommodates prison workers.

Eucalypt

A mainstream unit used to house older, more settled long term prisoners. The unit is known as an honor unit and is drug free.

Grevillea

Opened in April 2003, housing maximum security prisoners.

[edit] Notable prisoners

Victor Brincat, underworld figure on remand on charges of murder
Mario Condello, disgraced former lawyer, drug trafficker and underworld figure (released and murdered)
Bendali Debs, convicted of the Silk-Miller murders
Paul Denyer, the Frankston serial killer
Peter Dupas, convicted multiple murderer and rapist.
Keith Faure, convicted murderer
Domenic Gatto, Melbourne underworld figure (released)
Peter Gibb, notable for escape from the Melbourne Remand Centre using explosives, in 1993
Saleh Jamal, aka Jihad Jack, accused terrorism supporter
Brian Keith Jones, convicted of the abduction and sexual assault of six children (released)
Julian Knight, convicted of the 1987 Hoddle Street massacre
Craig Minogue, Russell Street bomber
Jason Roberts, convicted of the Silk-Miller murders
John Sharpe, convicted of the double spear gun murders of his wife and child in 2005.
Joseph Thomas, convicted of receiving funds from Al-Qaeda and altering his passport, spent three months on remand in the Acacia Unit, now awaiting sentencing.
Matthew Wales, 2002 Society Murders in Glen Iris, Victoria
Carl Williams
Alexander George Gellmann

[edit] Criticism

During construction and shortly after opening the prison has come under attack from members of the public for being of five star hotel quality accommodation housing some of Australia's most notorious and dangerous criminals.

[edit] References

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