The three-yearly inspection of Casuarina Prison will be occurring in October 2025. Casuarina Prison is a maximum-security facility for male prisoners, originally opened in 1991 with a capacity for 397 men. In 2025, the prison has 1,631 general purpose beds, with a total capacity of 1,796. The prison provides specialist statewide functions for specific cohorts of prisoners, including the Special Handling Unit, the Special Protection Unit, Crisis Care Unit, Mallee Rehabilitation Centre, and the Infirmary. Works are underway to expand the prison further and to introduce a forensic mental health unit and assisted living and high dependency units. This will bring the total capacity to 2,044 beds, inclusive of Unit 18 (which is currently utilised as a youth detention centre).

Following the 2022 inspection, the Inspector posed the question ‘How big is too big?’ and raised concerns about the ability of the prison to provide its growing population with a meaningful daily routine. Since this time the custodial estate has had a significant increase in population, placing immense strain on operations. This inspection will provide an opportunity to evaluate how Casuarina Prison is performing under these challenging conditions and the impact its intended increased capacity will likely have on service delivery.

The inspection report is anticipated to be published in the second quarter of 2026.

Click here to read about our last inspection of Casuarina Prison