Barton's Mill Prison to be formally decommissioned

30/10/94

Attorney General Cheryl Edwardes announced today Barton's Mill Prison would be formally decommissioned and the site near Pickering Brook returned to the Department of Conservation and Land Management.

The minimum security prison was shut down in 1989 and has been maintained since then by the Ministry of Justice, which leases the site from CALM.

The formal decommissioning process will be completed next month.

Opened in 1942 and able to house up to 120 prisoners when fully operational, Barton's Mill was phased out in favour of Karnet and Wooroloo Prison Farms.

Some buildings have been removed from the site but the majority remain. These include eight staff houses, 19 two-bed huts around the main compoud, various workshops and leisure activity.

Media contact:  Diana Russell Coote 421 7777