Figures obtained by Fairfax Media indicate Wellington Correctional Centre has risen to a new level and is now just behind the super max at Goulburn in maximum security numbers. Wellington has 406 maximum prisoners, just 42 less than Goulburn.
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The figures also show Wellington has the biggest population of maximum security indigenous prisoners in the state.
The numbers are part of a report which looks at 'the state of play' in correctional centres across the state, according to its official census.
Wellington has 406 in its maximum security unit, 149 in minimum and all of those males.
It has 48 women an increase of 6.7 per cent. In total there are just over 500 inmates at the correctional centre.
The Correctional Centre in Wellington houses 204 indigenous prisoners in maximum security. In the minimum security area there are 49 men and 26 women.
The last known address of indigenous prisoners entrenched in jail from the Orana and Far West region is 251 males an increase of 11 per cent and 20 females, an upward trend of 8.5 per cent.
The NSW adult prison population has fallen from a peak of 10,825 in April to 10,426 in September, according to the September quarterly corrections report released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Most of the fall occurred because of a decrease in the number of defendants being on remand (down 16 per cent from 3238 in April 2014 to 2720 in September).
There has been very little change in the offence profile of those held in custody. Prisoners held on remand are most likely to be facing charges involving acts intended to cause injury (24.9 per cent); drug offences (21.9 per cent); robbery/extortion (9.3 per cent); break and enter (9.1 per cent); or sexual assault offences (9.7 per cent).
Sentenced prisoners are likely to have been convicted of similar offences, although a significant proportion of sentenced prisoners (14.7 per cent) are serving sentences for justice procedure offences (e.g. breach of a suspended sentence, breach of an apprehended violence order).
The number of juveniles in custody also fell significantly over the period April-September, 2014 (down 21 per cent from 322 to 255).
Once again most of the fall was due to a drop in the number of defendants being held on remand (down 39 per cent from 155 to 95 over the period April-September, 2014).
According to the director of the Bureau, Dr Don Weatherburn, the recent decline in juvenile and adult custody numbers is partly seasonal and partly due to a reduction in police use of bail court attendance notices (bail CANs) in the period leading up to and immediately after the commencement of the new Bail Act in May this year.
"This change in the method of proceeding against offenders resulted in a sharp fall in the number of defendants refused bail,'' he said.
Police use of bail CANs is now increasing again, so it is unlikely the sharp fall in remand numbers will continue."
