Qld govt spends $200m on prison upgrade

A central Queensland prison will undergo a $200 million expansion in a bid to ease overcrowding in the state's jails.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Tuesday announced state cabinet had approved plans to add another 164 cells to the Capricornia Correctional Centre, north of Rockhampton.

The move is designed to ease overcrowding, with the state's prisons at 124 per cent of capacity at the end of last year.

"We inherited a prison system from the LNP beyond its capacity. The additional cells will increase prison capacity," Ms Palaszczuk said.

The project is expected to create 100 jobs during construction and an additional 70 direct jobs once completed.