History
Following a recommendation of the Royal Commission into New South Wales Prisons (1976–1978), a prison was established at Parklea and initially designated as a maximum security prison. The prison was scheduled to open in October 1983, but following a scandal involving Rex Jackson, the opening did not take place until September 1985, although the first inmates were received in November 1983. The Centre opened with about 220 maximum security inmates with about the same number of prison ollicers.
On 13 December 1987 prisoners began a disturbance that was attributed to the consumption of 'gaol brew' alcohol from fermenting fruit and sugar. During the riot, ten prison officers were injured, one officer was struck over the head with a typewriter, and several required transport to hospital. A subsequent review of procedures resulted in the withdrawal of oranges and sugar from all NSW correctional facilities.
A second riot occurred on 23 September 1990, following the introduction of a restrictive policy for prisoners private property by Minister Yabsley. The incident caused massive damage to the gaol and a number of other prison institutions across the state who rioted in protest against the policy. Lockdowns in the prison system occurred across the state, which led to the Australian Human Rights Commission to describe the conditions in NSW as "a very serious violation of human rights". A large number of prisoners remained locked in their cells one month following the riots.
After the riots, the prison was reclassified from maximum security to medium security, and in February 1992 was designated as a correctional prison for young offenders. In 2001 Parklea was reclassified to maximum security, and inmate numbers were expanded as an additional 92 cells were completed.
In the 2008 'mini-budget', the New South Wales Government announced its plans to privatise two prisons, Parklea and Cessnock Correctional Centre. Protesting against the privatisation plans, prison officers commenced industrial action during May 2009. While the privatisation of Cessnock was eventually ruled out, on 30 September 2009 it was announced that GEO Group Australia had been awarded the contract to manage Parklea Correctional Centre, commencing on 1 November 2009.
Read more about this topic: Parklea Correctional Centre
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