Canberra's adult jail may get a medically supervised injecting room, after it was chosen as the preferred model for a prison needle and syringe program (PNSP).

A working group believes a supervised injecting room was the "most viable model" for the environment at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury said on Friday.

"Our primary focus in developing a needle and syringe program is to reduce the spread of serious blood-borne viruses among detainees" – Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones

The working group's decision comes after a year of consideration and signals a PNSP may now finally be a step closer.

The working party was established after the government deferred controversial plans for a PNSP in Canberra jail in April 2015 due to protracted opposition by prison staff.