Long Bay Correctional Centre
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| Location | Malabar, New South Wales |
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| Coordinates | 33°58′10″S 151°14′45″E / 33.969488°S 151.245818°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum and Minimum (Males and Females) |
| Capacity | Various |
| Managed by | Corrective Services NSW |
Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in the suburb of Malabar in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Long Bay comprises six institutions, four maximum security and two minimum security.
History
Long Bay was opened due to the imminent closure of Darlinghurst Gaol. The State Reformatory for Women was opened in 1909 and the State Penitentiary for Men was opened beside it in 1914. The reformatory became part of the prison in the late 1950s, known as the Long Bay Penitentiary. The women's prison was vacated after Mulawa Correctional Centre opened in 1969 at Silverwater.
Current divisions
Metropolitan Special Programs Centre
Until recently called the 'Malabar Special Programs Centre', the MSPC is a maximum through to minimum security facility which houses many different types of inmates. It is the second largest gaol (in terms of inmate population) in the state of New South Wales, with a current inmate population around 1200. It is a jack-of-all-trades holding remand inmates, medical transients (inmates undertaking medical treatment), inmates with short sentences and inmates undertaking programs. The programs areas of the gaol comprises the Violent Offenders Therapeutic Program, Developmentally Delayed Program, Lifestyles Unit (for HIV-positive inmates), which has been unused and empty since 2002, the Kevin Waller Unit for at-risk female inmates (currently used for aged males), ACMU for active suicidal prisoners, Multi Purpose Unit (high risk inmates on segregation orders and inmates requiring non association for safety) and CUBIT (CUstody Based Intensive Therapy) sex offenders program.
A large part of the maximum security area is a transit area where prisoners await a bed in their gaol of classification, or stay whilst obtaining medical treatment/surgery, or are held on remand whilst awaiting trial. 'Metropolitan Medical Transit Centre/LBH2' was a maximum security facility used to hold inmates who had been discharged from Long Bay Hospital or were awaiting medical appointments. Since closure in January 2006 the MSPC now undertakes the role of housing inmates receiving medical treatment. The MMTC re-opened in 2009 but now holds general population inmates.
Industrial Training Centre/MSPC 3
This gaol is now under the control of the Metro Special Programs Centre and is known as MSPC 3. It now contains sex offenders, main stream (General Population), low security classification inmates and inmates with alcohol and other drug issues.
Long Bay Hospital
The new Long Bay Hospital is a maximum security facility which holds a total of 120 inmate patients in four wards. It is jointly administered by the Department of Corrective Services and Justice Health (NSW Department of Health). The hospital became operational in July 2008, replacing the old Long Bay Hospital which was completely demolished in October 2008. The site of the old Long Bay Hospital is now the Long Bay Forensic Hospital, which took its first patients in late November, 2008.
The old hospital was prominent in the news in January 2006 when inmate Robert Cole lost 14 kg in weight and slipped through the bars of his 'A' ward cell. Cole was recaptured three days later at Bondi Junction.
Special Purpose Centre
'Special Purpose Centre' is a maximum security facility which holds inmates requiring special protection. The identities of inmates housed in this location are not disclosed and staff working there must sign confidentiality agreements.
Former divisions
Katingal facility
Long Bay is probably best remembered for its Katingal facility, a prominent supermax prison block built in 1975. Dubbed the "electronic zoo" by inmates, "Katingal" was designed essentially as a purpose built total Maximum Security institution. However, some inmates claimed that its true purpose was to engage in a form of sensory deprivation. The facility with its 40 prison cells had electronically-operated doors, accompanied with several surveillance cameras,which were to supplement the existent security facilities within the Unit. Although the Unit did not have windows, it was serviced by a fully integrated air-conditioning system which circulated fresh air throughout. Additionally,inmates were permitted to engage in physical exercise in two purpose built yards situated at each end of the Unit.
Katingal was not escape-proof. There existed several 'blind spots' which were not corrected during the initial design phase. Consequently, an inmate, Russell 'Mad Dog' Cox, an armed robber and hostage-taker, took advantage of one of these 'blind spots' making good his escape from Katingal after cutting through a bar on the roof of one of the exercise yards.[citation needed] "Katingal" operated for just two years before it was closed down over human rights concerns, and was finally demolished in early 2006.
Notable prisoners
- Rodney Adler, businessman[1]
- Darcy Dugan, armed robber[2]
- Neddy Smith, gangster[3]
- René Rivkin (deceased) businessman
- Simon Townsend, journalist and conscientious objector
- Milton Orkopoulos, former Australian Labor Party politician
- Jai Abberton, Bra Boy
References
- ^ "Rodney Adler Silverwater Correctional Centre Treatment Page: 15799". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
- ^ "Bakery Bulletin" (PDF). Hurstville City Council. 2002. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- ^ "Fairfax Digital". The Sydney Morning Herald. May 27 2003. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
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