The South Australian Government is set to provide $6.8 million over four years to improve security at prisons in metropolitan Adelaide and regional SA.
The new measures will see high-tech security scanners at prisons across the state, including Port Augusta Prison and Mobilong, enabling the detection of banned items and serving as a powerful deterrent, said Minister for Emergency Services & Correctional Services, Emily Bourke.
“We continue to find new ways to target dangerous contraband and keep it out of our prisons,” said Ms Bourke.
“Our Government is doing thousands more searches each year and upgraded security will stop more banned items from entering sites.
“We’re sending a clear message to anyone thinking of introducing contraband into the system it’s not worth the risk.”
The Budget announcement follows the installation of new body scanners at Yatala Labour Prison and the Adelaide Women’s Prison which can detect small substances that are often difficult to identify using traditional search methods.
At Adelaide Women’s Prison, new barriers will be installed on the perimeter fence, to stop contraband being thrown over to prisoners. People have recently been caught hitting tennis balls filled with contraband into the prison yard.
There will also be further digital upgrades at the prison and cameras with built-in Artificial Intelligence.
Treasurer, Stephen Mullighan said more searches are being conducted at SA correctional facilities, with more than 104,000 searches conducted in 2023-24, resulting in nearly 1,600 contraband discoveries – compared to 88,000 searches in 2022-23 and over 900 prohibited items seized.
“Safety is the number one priority for our prisons, so this Government is doing more to protect the staff and prisoners,” said Mr Mullighan.
“We are cracking down on contraband, so we can stop dangerous items entering correctional facilities.”
