Overview
- The Tasmanian government has signalled it will repurpose the Ashley Youth Detention Centre in Deloraine into a roughly 40‑bed minimum‑security adult prison that uses surrounding farmland for agriculture-based rehabilitation and training.
- Justice Minister Guy Barnett framed the move as correcting the 2012 closure of Hayes Prison Farm and said the site would support rural training, career pathways for northern correctional staff and jobs for the Meander Valley.
- The change is conditional on the Department of Education, Children and Youth vacating Ashley after replacement youth capacity is delivered at Pontville and the facility is expected to close as a youth centre in 2028.
- The scaled‑back proposal follows strong community opposition to a previously planned 270‑bed northern prison, which the government abandoned before reworking the Deloraine option.
- Ashley has faced repeated critical Custodial Inspector reports and long calls for closure, and the government says it will continue local consultation as planning advances to manage community concerns and the transition.