Woodford Correctional Centre
| Location | Woodford, Queensland |
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| Status | Open |
| Security class | Maximum/Medium |
| Capacity | 988 |
| Opened | 1997 |
Woodford Correctional Centre is an Australian prison facility located in Woodford, Queensland, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres north from Brisbane and 30 kilometres from Caboolture.
It is a high security facility for male prisoners with a capacity of 988 prisoners in single cell accommodation.
Woodford Correctional Centre has a very large industries base with 15 workshops that include manufacturing of furniture, steel products, upholstery, polyethylene rainwater tanks and steel rainwater tanks.
Escape
On 1 April 1997, 120 prisoners managed to escape from the secure unit by 'melting' the lexen walls with toasters & other items, making their way to the central officers unit and then going on into the low security residential area where they were joined by hundreds of angry inmates protesting the new prison policy of it being a non-smoking facility. Prisoners were offered a three month supply of nicotine patches costing the Government $42 million. It took several days before the Centre's Custodial Officers and the TRG (tactical response group) finally resumed control. Woodford Correction Centre has since changed its non-smoking policy.
Murders
Scott Lawrence Topping, 22, was serving time for $1200 worth of unpaid traffic fines when he was murdered inside Woodford Correctional Centre, Queensland, on 12 September 1997. Topping had three weeks left to serve before his release. He would be the first person to be murdered by inmates in Woodford Correction Centre. The term “One day someone on fines will top themselves” is in reference to the murder of Scott Topping in prison. Mark Day was convicted of strangling 22 year old Scott Topping at Woodford prison. Ironically Mark Day was himself murdered in a prison in 2003.
At the Time of the murder of Scott Topping, the security CCTV systems were not fully operational.
See also
External links
- Postcard bandit denied computer
- Woodford Correctional Centre at the Department of Community Safety webpage
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Coordinates: 26°56′53″S 152°45′01″E / 26.94806°S 152.75028°E