A NEW offender treatment centre in Ararat will house up to 20 serious violent offenders who have served their prison sentences but have been deemed to still be a risk to society.
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Corrections Minister Gayle Tierney officially opened Rivergum Residential Treatment Centre on Tuesday, a $52 million facility located next to Hopkins Correctional Centre which will house offenders classified under the post sentence scheme.
The post sentence scheme places serious sex offenders and violent offenders who continue to pose a risk to society but have served their sentences under ongoing supervision or detention.
Corrections Commissioner Emma Cassar said the new facility will provide a therapeutic environment for residents to undergo treatment.
“Rivergum is designed to enhance community safety by treating residents in a secure but therapeutic environment that is not institutional and encourages engagement in intensive treatment,” she said.
Residents will take part in behaviour change programs to reduce their risk of reoffending, and will receive mental health and drug and alcohol services to treat issues that often go together with criminal activity.
Ms Cassar said the facility has multiple security safeguards.
“It features a secure, six metre high perimeter fence and will be able to accommodate both serious sex offenders and serious violent offenders.”
The facility will also include CCTV in the common areas and automatically locking doors, and residents will be subject to electronic monitoring.
Head contractor Kane Constructions commenced building in August last year, creating around 100 construction jobs plus additional jobs for labourers.
Ms Cassar said that around 50 ongoing jobs have been created comprising clinicians, specialist case workers and managers.
“Many staff already live in the Grampians region and have worked in other correctional facilities including Hopkins Correctional Centre and Corella Place,” she said.
A Community Advisory Group comprised of local residents, council and business representatives received regular updates and provided feedback throughout the project.
Rivergum has been funded as part of the Labor Government’s $390 million investment in Victoria’s post-sentence scheme, in response to the 2015 Harper Review, including expanding the scheme to include serious violent offenders.
