New Derby prison in doubt
Posted
The State Government has refused to commit to building a prison at Derby, saying there may be more appropriate sites elsewhere in the Kimberley.
Planning is well underway on the $93 million Derby Prison that is due to be operational by 2011.
The Department of Attorney General is now conducting a review of the proposal and says there may be logistical advantages to locating the prison elsewhere.
John Welch from the Prison Officers Union says a decision must be made urgently to deal with the huge level of overcrowding in the Broome Regional Prison.
"We certainly raided in the past some concerns about the siting of the prison at Derby," he said.
We've gotten as far as we have with the designs because there are already designs that have been done and a whole range of site works that we understand are about to begin, we're concerned to ensure that we move forward as quickly as we can."
