WITH great ceremony Kirkconnell correctional facility was recommissioned on Thursday when NSW Corrective Services Minister David Elliott handed over the keys to Bathurst and Kirkconnell correctional centres general manager Bill Fittler.
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Kirkconnell was closed by the state government in 2011 and it has taken considerable work to get it operational again.
The prison will hold 260 minimum-security inmates, mostly young men on shorter sentences.
A crew of 60 prisoners has been working with contractors at the site since February, and more inmates have gradually arrived this month, resulting in a upgrade of the offender reception and intake area as well as extensive improvements to prison security and communications.
Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin said the facility was recommissioned in record time.
“It’s a great honour to be here today to recommission a centre that has been missing for a few years as part of the Bathurst cluster,” Mr Severin said.
He spoke of the significant economic benefit to the community, with 60 staff employed at the correctional centre.
Mr Severin said the community would also benefit through community-based project work that would be carried out by the inmates at the invitation of community groups.
The commissioner said Kirkconnell first opened with 79 inmates and now it had 230, with another 18 on the way. There will be 33 custodial staff, 15 industry staff and 10 people involved with programs.
