Premier John Brumby has had a taste of new living conditions for some of Victoria’s most violent killers, terrorists and sex offenders during a tour of Geelong this week.
Mr Brumby inspected the impenetrable walls of Barwon Prison’s new Melaleuca High Security Unit before its unwilling tenants begin arriving over the next three weeks.
“This is a highly secure and state-of-the-art prison in a prison to house Victoria’s most high-risk criminals, including a number associated with gangland offences,” Mr Brumby said.
State Government’s $6.96 million investment in the 27-bed facility followed recent police successes in putting behind bars violent criminals including alleged plotters of terror attacks.
The unit boasts four-metre concrete perimeter walls, electric fences, microphonic sensors and motion and infrared technology as well as an X-ray machine capable of detecting drugs.