HM Prison Barwon
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.
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.
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.
*
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 WilliamsDuring 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.
