It was opened in January 2005 as a replacement for the now-closed HM Prison Beechworth.

Accommodation in the prison is made up of several self-catered and fully catered units.

Prisoners in self-catered units are given a weekly budget to buy groceries and cook their own meals.

[1] Like other minimum security prisons, the Beechworth Correctional Centre has a zero tolerance policy on drugs.

Any prisoner who tests positive for drugs is moved into a punishment cell and moved to a higher security prison.