Attorney General announces $4.2 million upgrade of Rangeview Juvenile Remand Centre

16/12/00
Attorney General Peter Foss today announced plans by the Ministry of Justice for a $4.2 million upgrade of the Rangeview Remand Centre in Murdoch.
The main focus of the upgrade will be the construction of a new 24-bed accommodation block which will bring design capacity for the centre to 56 beds, with the ability to accommodate up to 72 in times of peak demand.
"In addition to increased accommodation at the facility, the upgrade will expand the educational areas and allow for earlier and better case management to reduce the level of re-offending," Mr Foss said.
Rangeview is Western Australia's only remand centre for young people aged between 10 and 17 years.
The centre is for young people - male and female - who have been arrested and are either waiting to be bailed out, are waiting for their court case or are waiting to be sentenced.
"At Rangeview we already have a facility which is performing a crucial role in the management of juvenile offenders, and we will be improving it even further to make it more responsive to the changing demands," the Attorney General said.
Mr Foss said the benefits of the upgrade would be recognised by all those involved in the juvenile justice system including the detainees, their families and staff.
Educational/vocational programs would increase with the creation of four classrooms, a new arts and crafts area, a workshop learning area, and an outdoor activities area.
The case management area would be expanded to allow for better and earlier commencement of the process of assessing what each person needs to equip him or her to return to the community and/or to be rehabilitated, eg: vocational and education training courses, self-care programs.
Other components of the upgrade include expansion of the visitors' area, improvement of the video court/case conferencing facility, and the creation of additional car parking space at the front of the facility.

At today's ceremony, Mr Foss unveiled a sculpture by artist Tony Jones, which will sit in the grounds at Rangeview.
The upgrade is scheduled for completion by September next year.
Media contact: Danielle van Kampen 9321 2222