at least 18 deaths in custody at Risdon in 12 years, the findings of the coronial inquiry, and the failure of successive governments to address problems at the centre. During the 2001 coronial inquiry, it was recommended that young inmates should not be housed with sex offenders. In spite of this recommendation, in 2004 it was reported that young inmates were often sharing accommodation and shower facilities with convicted child sex offenders. On 7 May 2005, male prisoners took prison officer Kenneth Hannah and several other inmates hostage to protest against poor conditions, demanding the resignation of Tasmanian Attorney-General Judy Jackson and the public servant in charge of prisons. The siege ended on 9 May 2005. On 16 April 2006, Easter Sunday, prisoners took keys from a female prison officer and a 20-hour siege ensued, ending the next day. The ostensible reason for the action was the quality of food served to inmates. Some within the community argue that the current facility, programs and management of prisoners are actually counter productive in promoting rehabilitation of criminals or reducing crime. In 2015, Robin Michael, a health official took his own life in the jail. He had allegedly murdered his wife a few days earlier. Notable prisoners Andy Muirhead (1975-) TV and radio presenter Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read (1954-2013) Notorious criminal and author (Imprisoned here for a while and was imprisoned in Victoria) Martin Bryant Gunman responsible for the Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 on 28–29 April 1996 Rory Jack Thompson (1942–1999)Australian CSIRO scientist and convicted murderer Randall Ludlow Askeland (1947–?)Launceston lawyer, stamp collector, and notorious wife murderer Wayne William Howlett (1980- ) powerlifter Edmund Rouse (1926-2002) ENT chairman convicted of bribery Peter James Barrett (c1973– )of Hobart, former plumber jailed for 2 years in 2002 after a conviction for processing $4 million worth of illegal abalone and falsifying records. Barrett and some other men smuggled dried abalone out of Tasmania to buyers in Queensland and China. Caught by Tasmania Police's Operation Oakum. Robin Michael, a senior South Australia health official who allegedly murdered his wife. The official took his own life while he was an inmate in 2015. See also Mary Hutchinson Women's Prison References External links Tasmania Prison Service contact details Tasmanian Audit Office – Risdon Prison business case, June 2007 Risdon Prison Complex Maximum security prisons in Australia 1960 establishments in Australia City of Clarence Risdon, Tasmania