Canberra, Australian Capital Territory - WHEN the 613-bed Metropolitan Remand Centre opened in Truganina two years ago it was billed as one the most advanced of its type in Australia.

The centre - a temporary home for hundreds and workplace for 350 employees - operates rather like a village: it has medical facilities, libraries, a Koori centre, legal resource centre, factories, conference rooms, a canteen, sports facilities and a multi-faith chapel.

A point of difference is that the centre's inhabitants aren't free to come and go as they like.

Our first taste of the inner workings of life on the inside was a sneak peek at the high-tech security systems.

The equipment used to detect people being smuggled in or out of the compound is the same used in the US to catch Mexicans attempting to cross the border illegally.

The 'human presence detector', a modified seismograph, can detect the amount of force the human heart exerts on a vehicle's suspension.

Our guide, prison supervisor Marcus Sharpe said the equipment was so sensitive it could detect the heartbeat of a creature as small as a cat if it were hidden in a car's chassis. The 14-hectare grounds are monitored by movement detectors and 524 cameras.

Prison officers must undergo retina and fingerprint scans and there are elaborate management systems for keys and equipment.

Most of the people incarcerated are awaiting court hearings and sentences, with 25 per cent there less than three months and 17 per cent less than a year.

For many, it's their first experience behind bars and the facility is separated into a number of different sections, including one for people aged 18-25, and a protection wing.

There's a heavy emphasis on keeping inmates occupied and out of trouble.

Unlike a correctional facility for sentenced prisoners, work is voluntary. However, many inmates choose to spend part of the day at one of the centre's wood or metal work factories or educational facilities.

Earning up to $7 a day, inmates manufacture 120 chairs a day for a retail supplier and use the offcuts of wood to make toys for hospitals and kindergartens.

Prison industry supervisor Eddie Morrison said tool control in the workshop was strict, but incidents were rare and and inmates took pride in their work.

"It gives them a routine like day-to-day work on the outside ... The ones that come down here want to work ... it gives them skills to reduce reoffending. If they can get employed outside they are less likely to reoffend."

Cells are utilitarian and comprise a basic bed, shower, toilet, basin, television and kettle. Electrical cords are shortened and there are no "hanging points" to reduce the risks of self-harm.

There is a micro-economy in the centre, with prisoners allowed to receive a maximum of $140 a month from relatives. But there's also a compulsory $20 deduction for phone calls. Cigarettes, soft drink and other items are available at normal retail prices from an on-site shop.

Visits from the outside are an important part of the day and inmates are strip-searched before and after the visit. Contact visits are allowed but are limited to hugs and kisses at "hello" and "goodbye".

METROPOLITAN REMAND CENTRE: A SNAPSHOT

Sentenced and unsentenced prisoners are kept separate as far as practicable.

For the first time in Victoria, the facility can meet United Nations standards for the treatment of unsentenced prisoners.

There are usually two medical escorts a day.

The medical wing has its own X-ray facilities.

Kosher, Halal, vegetarian and other dietary requirements are catered to.

The metalwork industry area manufactures oil drip trays, vehicle bike racks and road sign holders.

Each day there can be up to 80 vehicle movements in and out of the prison for court attendance.

Short court appearances or corrections assessments can be held at the prison via video link with courts.

The centre was replicated for scenes in TV series Underbelly.

The centre cost about $130 million to build.

It has an annual budget of $30 million.

NO PLANS FOR NEW CENTRE

WITH the Metropolitan Remand Centre close to capacity most days, and with plenty of Crown land surrounding the centre, there has been speculation a new jail will be built.

But prison supervisor Marcus Sharpe says nothing is in the pipeline.

"There's nothing on paper, no budget has been handed out for any new facility.

"The land around here is big enough for another facility, but there has been no announcement.

"There is always speculation, but there's nothing out there to say they are going to [build another facility]."

He said the Government constantly monitored jail population projection figures.