The Department of Corrective Services has not selected a site for the future work camp hub to be constructed in the Wheatbelt region, contrary to today's media reports.
However, nominations will soon open for expressions of interest from community organisations and all Wheatbelt local governments to host a permanent, purpose built work camp hub in their community.
The proposed work camp hub will house up to 20 male, minimum-security prisoners who will perform community work projects including work for not-for-profit organisations. Offenders on community supervision will attend the centres and join with prisoners to work on a range of valuable community work projects ranging from infrastructure, environmental and heritage projects to disaster relief.
Having a new work camp hub in the Wheatbelt region will make a valuable difference to the community by using the skill of prisoners for projects that would otherwise be neglected due to the isolation of many communities, a shortage of volunteers and competing priorities for available finances.
Last year alone, work camp prisoners repaid WA communities with some 75,000 hours of work, worth about $1million.
The camp will provide a full range of correctional services and, for the first time, enable offenders on community-based orders to access education and life skill with prisoners.
The EOI process is expected to be completed in the coming months and the total site selection by July 2010, with the facilities available for operation early in 2011.
A letter will be sent to all Wheatbelt shires in the coming weeks calling for nominations and more information will be provided at that time.
ENDS