Glenorchy tops list of Tasmanian suburbs with highest prison population

A suburb in Hobart’s north has been revealed as the area with the most residents behind bars in Tasmania.

Glenorchy tops the list of the top 50 suburbs with the highest number of incarcerated people, according to data from the Tasmania Prison Service.

Of the 3,401 prisoners in the state’s jails between January 2023 and June 2024, 160 were from Glenorchy, representing 4.70% of the total incarcerated population.

Devonport locals account for 142 prisoners (4.18%), while Bridgewater had 140 (4.12%) residents locked up in the more than 12-month period.

The data also shows that 127 prisoners, or 3.73%, listed their addresses as interstate or unknown.

Launceston, Hobart and Ravenswood round out the top seven with 116 (3.41%), 104 (3.06%) and 93 (2.73%) prisoners.

During the period, 89 suburbs had just one person behind bars, including Nubeena, Zeehan, Lower Sandy Bay and Turners Marsh.

50 Tasmanian suburbs with the most prisoners:

1. Glenorchy (160)
2. Devonport (142)
3. Bridgewater (140)
4. Interstate/Unknown (127)
5. Launceston (116)
6. Hobart (104)
7. Ravenswood (93)
8. New Norfolk (91)
9. Gagebrook (77)
10. East Devonport (62)
11. Claremont (55)
12. George Town (54)
13. Newnham (54)
14. New Town (53)
15. Burnie (50)
16. Clarendon Vale (49)
17. Moonah (48)
18. Rokeby (48)
19. Rocherlea (46)
20. West Moonah (46)
21. Kingston (42)
22. Warrane (41)
23. Wynyard (41)
24. Shorewell Park (38)
25. Ulverstone (37)
26. Mowbray (35)
27. Somerset (35)
28. Sorell (34)
29. Youngtown (34)
30. Mayfield (33)
31. Invermay (32)
32. Kings Meadows (32)
33. Risdon Vale (32)
34. West Ulverstone (32)
35. Herdsmans Cove (31)
36. Summerhill (30)
37. Mornington (25)
38. Waverley (24)
39. Goodwood (23)
40. Latrobe (23)
41. South Hobart (23)
42. Lindisfarne (22)
43. Chigwell (21)
44. Penguin (20)
45. Longford (19)
46. North Hobart (19)
47. Lutana (18)
48. Branxholm (17)
49. Riverside (17)
50. South Launceston (17)

Tasmanian suburbs with more than 10 prisoners:

1. Austins Ferry (16)
2. Montrose (16)
3. Smithton (15)
4. Geeveston (14)
5. Newstead (14)
6. Derwent Park (13)
7. Huonville (13)
8. Prospect (13)
9. Railton (13)
10. Upper Burnie (13)
11. West Launceston (13)
12. Beauty Point (12)
13. Bellerive (12)
14. Berridale (12)
15. Blackmans Bay (12)
16. Carlton (12)
17. Hadspen (12)
18. Lenah Valley (12)
19. Queenstown (12)
20. Spreyton (12)
21. St Leonards (12)
22. Acton (11)
23. Brighton (11)
24. Deloraine (11)
25. Pelverata (11)
26. Cygnet (10)
27. Granton (10)
28. Perth (10)
29. Scottsdale (10)