 Interactive map of Broken Hill Correctional Centre | |
| Location | Broken Hill,New South Wales |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°57′54.55″S141°27′23.35″E / 31.9651528°S 141.4564861°E /-31.9651528; 141.4564861 |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Minimum to medium (male and female); Periodic detention centre |
| Managed by | Corrective Services NSW |
Broken Hill Correctional Centre, formerlyBroken Hill Gaol, is an Australianminimum and medium security prison for men and women located inBroken Hill,New South Wales, around 1,190 km (740 mi) fromSydney. Opened in 1892, it is the fourth-oldest prison still in operation in NSW.
The original jail was built in 1892,[1] designed by theColonial Architect,James Barnet, who also designed theSydney Museum, among others. Its construction cost £15,000, and was carried out by Dobbee and Son. Broken Hill Gaol, as it was named, opened on 8 November 1892 as a 90-bed facility with fiveprison wardens and initially holding two female and 19 male prisoners.[2]
On 11 June 1907, Peter Sadeek was hanged for the murder of a woman, and is the only prisoner executed at the prison.[2]
DuringWorld War II, from 1942 to 1944 the prison, after being vacated, was taken over by theCommonwealth Government, to use as a safe place to store the nation's reserves of gold, holding around £AU44.8 million of gold, owned by theBank of England,Commonwealth Bank and theBank of Java.[2]
It remains the fourth-oldest operating prison in NSW.[2]
The centre is operated byCorrective Services NSW, anagency of theDepartment of Communities and Justice of theGovernment of New South Wales. The centre detainssentenced andunsentenced inmates under New South Wales and/orCommonwealth legislation. The medium security section is a reception prison for a large area of the state, bordered byQueensland in the north,Victoria in the south, andSouth Australia in the west.[3]
As of 2017, the prison employs more than 60 staff, some of whom work from a city office with prisoners onparole, and 90 prisoners. It is important to theFar West region, as it allows for imprisonment closer to families who live in the area.[2]
Many of the prisoners are employed by Corrective Services Industries, in work such ascatering, maintenance and community work, and they are also offered various vocational and education opportunities as a means of helping them to gain employment after their release.[2]
Since 2021,yarning circles have been introduced forAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in men's andwomen's prisons across NSW, starting with Broken Hill – in the men's prison in 2021, and the women's prison in 2022. The aim of the circles is to encourage communication, connect Indigenous inmates with their culture, and reduce reoffending and the high rates ofincarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.[4]
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