The '''Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre
(formerly known as the Mulawa Correctional Centre'''), an Australian maximum security facility for females is located within the complex, and began service in 1969. The centre is divided into twelve living units, a protection/segregation area, an induction unit, a hospital annexe, and provides accommodation for both sentenced and unsentenced inmates and various special program units. The facility began as the old women's prison at
Long Bay was converted into a medium security facility for men. In the 2010 New South Wales state budget, the prison was allocated $200,000 for a new video conferencing system. The Centre will close most of its facilities by September 2026, as they are beyond repair & cells have ligature points, and will be moved to Dylwynnia Women's Jail at Cessnock. The Women's Remand and Reception Section will be the only remaining female facility at Silverwater: https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/nsw-prison-reforms-pave-way-for-a-safer-modern-system-responds-to-growing-demands
Notable prisoners •
Lindy ChamberlainNew Zealand-born Australian convicted and later acquitted of murdering her 9-week-old daughter
Azaria; Chamberlain gave birth to another child of her husband
Michael Chamberlain while in custody; she was held at Silverwater (then Mulawa Women's Prison), then transferred to
Berrimah Prison; incarcerated from 29 October 1982 to 7 February 1986. •
Violet Cococlimate activist with 15month sentence for blocking one lane of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge in December 2022. •
Kathleen Folbiggconvicted of the murders of her 3 infant children; incarcerated in 2003 and pardoned in 2023 •
Maddison Hallconvicted of the murder of hitchhiker Lyn Saunders. •
Katherine Knightconvicted of the murder of de facto husband John Price. •
Theresa Lawson(1951–2014) convicted of the largest fraud in NSW history. •
Rachel Pfitnzer – convicted of murdering her son
Dean Shillingsworth. •
Sandra Willson – transferred to Mulawa Detention Centre from Parramatta Psychiatric Centre in 1970, after being declared not guilty on ground of insanity for the 1959 murder of a taxi driver, released in 1977 following protests on her behalf by the Women Behind Bars activist group. ==Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre==