Just over one year old, the new prison designed to house minimum security prisoners at Lara, known as Karreenga, is already the subject of a worrying concern.

More than 7,000 prisoners are currently in prison in the state of Victoria, almost twice the number of prisoners in the system during 2004.

Overcrowding in prisons in Victoria is at crisis point, resulting in the minimum security designed Karreenga prison at Lara undergoing modifications and upgrades and being reclassified to house the growing number of medium security prisoners.

The mental health forensic facility of the prison system in Victoria, Thomas Embling Hospital, has room for just 116 prisoners, leaving many suffering from mental health conditions to remain in the prison system.

Treatment for mental health issues in the prison system is often hard to come by, leaving many alone to deal with whatever demons confront them, with little assistance available anywhere.

I’ve seen it myself.

It’s quite confronting to witness grown men almost broken beyond repair with no assistance.

And perhaps that explains why Karreenga has already seen two suicides on the premises before the prison was even one year old.

What’s even more worrying is one of those prisoners was serving a sentence of just 3 months before deciding to take his own life.

All up, four deaths have occurred at Karreenga since its opening on September 10, 2016 by Commissioner for Corrections Jan Shuard. who said at the time the new facility would help “ensure prisoners were less likely to commit further harm in our community upon release“.

If they make it out that is.

Karreenga is a word lifted from the local indigenous language of the Wathaurong people, meaning “to grow”.

Grow eh?

The current conditions inside prisons in Victoria is nothing less than a fucking harvester of sorrow.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have more mental health services available, both inside, and out here on the outside?

After all, this cool new facility came at a cost of $100million.

How many would that help, and possibly help remain outside?

Anyone needing support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or MensLine on 1300 789 978.