Serco appointed to manage Australian prison
Date : 05 May 2006
International service company Serco Group plc ("Serco") today announces it has signed a five-year contract to manage and operate Acacia prison in Western Australia. The contract with the Government of Western Australia's Department of Corrective Services starts on 15 May and is valued at around Aus$150m over the five years. The Government of Western Australia has the option to extend the contract up to a further ten years. Acacia prison is a medium security establishment at Wooroloo, near Perth. It opened in 2002, accommodates 800 inmates and is the only privately run prison in Western Australia. In recent years the Government of Western Australia has increased investment to improve community safety and reduce re-offending and the new contract places more emphasis on these programmes.
Serco already operates four prisons, a young offenders institution and a secure training centre in the UK as well as one prison in Germany. Christopher Hyman, Chief Executive of Serco Group plc, said: "We look forward to working with the Western Australia Government to provide offenders with the support and skills they need to live a stable, healthy, law-abiding life after the end of their sentences."
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