The NSW Government is moving to add nearly 1,000 prison beds across Sydney, including the reopening of the 515-bed Dawn de Loas Correctional Centre at Silverwater and more than 360 additional beds at Parklea Correctional Centre.
The expansion comes as the state continues to manage historically high numbers of people being held on remand while awaiting the outcome of criminal proceedings.
The Government has allocated $47.1 million to recommission Dawn de Loas, with around 150 staff expected to be recruited ahead of its planned reopening in early 2027.
Dawn de Loas to Reopen at Silverwater
Dawn de Loas Correctional Centre, located within the Silverwater Correctional Complex, will provide additional capacity for minimum-security remand and sentenced inmates.
The Government says reopening the centre will help reduce pressure on the nearby Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, one of Sydney’s major reception and remand facilities.
The additional capacity is also intended to improve prisoner movements across the correctional network and support the MRRC’s round-the-clock operations.
More than $47 million will be spent bringing the facility back into operation and recruiting the workforce needed to run it.
More Than 360 Additional Beds at Parklea
The Government is also fast-tracking more than 360 additional beds at Parklea Correctional Centre.
Parklea is one of Sydney’s largest correctional facilities and will become predominantly focused on remand once its management returns to Corrective Services NSW.
The prison is scheduled to return to public management on 1 October 2026, following years of private operation.
The transition is expected to secure more than 400 public-sector positions in Western Sydney. Parklea currently has capacity for around 1,576 inmates and is Sydney’s second-largest remand centre.
6,398 People Held on Remand
As of September, the NSW Government reports 6,398 adults were being held on remand, representing around 46 per cent of the state’s adult prison population.
People on remand have been charged with offences but their cases have not yet been finalised.
The latest figure follows a sustained increase in remand numbers. BOCSAR reported that the remand population reached 6,081 in December 2025, up 20.1 per cent in two years, and already accounted for a record 46 per cent of NSW’s adult prison population at that time.
BOCSAR also reported that domestic violence offences accounted for around one-third of the remand population in late 2025.
Bail Laws Tightened for Serious Domestic Violence Charges
NSW significantly changed its bail laws in 2024 in response to domestic and family violence.
People charged with certain serious domestic violence offences against intimate partners must now “show cause” why their detention is not justified before bail can be granted.
The provision applies to serious domestic violence offences carrying maximum penalties of at least 14 years, as well as coercive control offences.
Courts must also consider relevant domestic violence risk factors when making bail decisions, including previous violent, abusive, stalking or intimidating behaviour and conduct involving harm to animals.
Where available, the views of victims and their family members about safety concerns must also be considered.
Since March 2025, bail decisions in NSW courts have also been required to be made by magistrates or judges rather than court registrars.
The NSW Government argues that these reforms have contributed to greater demand for remand capacity. However, remand population trends can also reflect broader factors across policing, court workloads and the criminal justice system.
$184.1 Million for Domestic Violence Services
The prison expansion sits alongside additional funding for domestic and family violence prevention and support services.
The 2026–27 NSW Budget included $184.1 million over four years, representing a 50 per cent increase in core funding across six frontline domestic and family violence programs.
Funding includes:
- $76.1 million for the Safer Pathway program
- $54 million for Staying Home Leaving Violence and Integrated Domestic and Family Violence Services
- $19.3 million for Men’s Behaviour Change Programs
- $17.5 million for the Domestic Violence Response Enhancement program
- $17.2 million for specialist support for children and young people.
The Government says additional prison capacity is intended to ensure the correctional system can accommodate people courts determine should remain in custody while their cases proceed.
With Dawn de Loas expected to reopen in early 2027 and additional capacity being fast-tracked at Parklea, the changes will significantly increase remand capacity across Sydney’s correctional network.
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