After a series of bashings, a stabbing, escapes, the accidental release of a prisoner, drug overdoses and deaths, a prominent welfare advocate has questioned whether the Alexander Maconochie Centre's worst detainees should be transferred interstate to maximum security jail's in NSW.

The idea was explored by a high-level cross-government jail committee last year, however, the ACT government says there are no plans to send inmates interstate to manage over-crowding at the jail.

Instead, the government has expanded the Hume jail a number of times since it's opening as it battles to accommodate surging numbers of inmates behind bars.

The jail is home to about 16 detainees (14 male, 2 female) who are serving sentences for murder.

These killers include double killer Scott Alexander McDougall and axe murderer Marcus Rappel.

About 40 inmates (37 male, 3 female), about 8.5 per cent of the prison population, are long-termers, serving sentences of more than 10 years.

A number of prisoners have links to Canberra's three main bikie gangs, many have a history of violence, while others are career criminals who have spent much of their adult lives behind bars.

Government figures show that the average daily number of prisoners locked up at the jail in 2016 was 445.

This was an increase of 95 per cent since 2010, when the average daily number of prisoners was 228.

Prisoner numbers reached an all-time high of 470 in May last year.

Figures from mid-December show the AMC currently had about 468 prisoners and that number had since fallen.

At that time, seventeen were classified maximum security, 365 medium security, and 86 were designated as minimum security inmates.

ACT Correctives Services said offence type is one factor considered in a detainee's classification. Other factors included behaviour, relationships, employment, and participation in programs.

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service chief executive Julie Tongs said the mix of classifications had compromised rehabilitation programs and jeopardised the jail's goal to be human rights compliant.

"I see so many damaged people coming out of that place, when really they should be coming out in better condition than when they go in," Ms Tongs said.

"Hardcore and violent criminals shouldn't be out there mixing with vulnerable people who are in there because of drug addiction or mental health.

"They've gone to prison to do time because they've done the wrong thing on the outside, they don't need be punished again in prison."

Ms Tongs said the authorities needed to start charging inmates who broke the law and consider moving troublesome prisoners to maximum security facilities interstate, such as Goulburn or Junee.

Before the jail was built, the ACT had an arrangement with NSW whereby Canberra criminals were kept behind bars across the border.

That agreement is still in place.

Ms Tongs said interstate transfers would send a stronger message to inmates to either behave or face the consequences.

"Those hardcore criminals should be in more secure prisons, like Goulburn, or somewhere like that.

"If we truly want the jail to be what it was meant to be, then they need to have a look at it and start moving people out of there.

"Are we just going to keep extending the prison? I don't think so."

The justice directorate last year awarded a $275,000 contract to engineering consultants GHD to explore the case for further construction at the Hume jail.

Fairfax reported that the latest Productivity Commission report on government services found the ACT prison system was the nation's most expensive, costing the territory government $436 per inmate per day, almost $160,000 per year, in 2016-17.

The national average was $286 of recurrent spending per prisoner per day, or about $86,000 per year.

NSW was the cheapest at $237 per day, or $85,000 annually.

Despite the issues, corrections minister Shane Rattenbury said, "At this time, there are no plans in place to proactively send detainees to NSW and/or other participating jurisdictions as a population management measure.

"The location of the AMC within the territory enables families and the local community to engage with detainees during their sentence, which can lead to improved rehabilitative outcomes - both during, and onwards, from a detainee's period of detention.

"While the per-day costs vary across jurisdictions and have decreased in the Alexander Maconochie Centre in recent years, the ACT Government will continue to prioritise the welfare and ongoing rehabilitation of detainees at the AMC."

Although the ACT government has ruled out sending prisoners interstate, the idea was discussed by a high-level cross-government committee in August last year.

The Moss Review implementation committee was established in the wake of the Moss Review, which investigated policy failings in the lead-up to the death of inmate Steven Freeman in 2016.

"Community members expressed concern that the mother of the two Indigenous men who were recently assaulted was not notified of their transfer to hospital," the committee's August minutes read.

"Members discussed the feasibility of sending prisoners interstate, and the impact that this would have on taking Aboriginal people away from country."

In February, the government announced an extra $17 million would be spent on additional health services and security inside the jail, including $8 million over the next two-and-a-half years to establish the Winnunga Nimmityjah model of care.

Ms Tongs hoped the introduction of Winnunga Aboriginal Health and Community Services as a service provider in the jail might help improve the situation for prisoners.

Winnunga started delivering services to female prisoners at the AMC, with moves to a full delivery of wellbeing services this year.

Ms Tongs said Winnunga wanted to be inclusive in the jail and planned to offer services to all inmates eventually.

The announcement came after the independent inquiry into the treatment in custody of Steven Freeman highlighted the need for improvements in a range of areas including cultural proficiency to more effectively manage the welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander detainees.

Ms Tongs said it would continue to be an independent entity but work in with the ACT government to complement the services to deliver better outcomes for Indigenous detainees.

"It is groundbreaking to have an Aboriginal community controlled and managed organisation delivering health and wellbeing services within its own model of care to inmates in prison in this capacity," Ms Tongs said.

"Winnunga delivering health and wellbeing services in the AMC and changing the way the system operates is the legacy of Steven Freeman, a young Aboriginal man who tragically died whilst in custody in the AMC in 2016.

"There's a lot of work to be done, but if we do that work, I think we can make a difference."