How we do it

DCS employs over 2000 staff who contribute to the management of prisoners and offenders in the state’s nine prisons, 16 community correctional centres and the department’s central office.

Prisons

There are nine prisons located across metropolitan and regional South Australia.

Metropolitan prisons

Regional prisons

The four specialist prisons (AWP, APC, PLP and CTC) are intentionally combined within the Community Corrections portfolio to ensure an increased focus on prisoner reintegration upon release from prison into the community setting.

The aim is to create synergies between custodial and community services within the department particularly for those prisoners at the end of their sentences.

Community Correctional Centres

There are 16 community correctional centres which are located throughout the state.

Community Corrections manages the supervision and monitoring of offenders in the community who are placed on:

Community Corrections also provides information to the courts and the Parole Board to assist with sentencing and/or the setting of the conditions of bonds and other orders.

Prisoner profiles – statistics and figures

The department’s Annual Reports and Performance Summaries hold comprehensive information and statistics about the department and its activities.

To compare nationally, the Report on Government Services, released annually includes a comparison of services provided by correctional jurisdictions throughout Australia.

There are two sections of the report that are relevant to Correctional Services:

  • Volume C of the report (Justice) contains information that relates to re-offending rates and the general interaction of the justice system, and
  • Chapter 8 of the Report deals specifically with Corrective Services and includes information against a number of performance indicators.

For further information on the department, go to Reports and Publications.

Privately managed prisons in South Australia

Mount Gambier Prison and the Adelaide Remand Centre are the only privately managed prisons in South Australia.

Mount Gambier Prison has been managed and operated by G4S Custodial Services Pty Ltd (G4S) since opening in 1995.

The Adelaide Remand Centre has been managed and operated by Serco since 2019.