A youth justice centre once plagued by staff assaults, riots, and escapes is set to reopen two years after it was closed.
On Tuesday 28 October Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan confirmed the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre would reopen to house young people held under the state’s new bail laws.
An initial 30 beds will be opened at the centre for the lower-risk cohort aged 17 years and older.
The reopening is expected to cost $140 million over four years.
This is part of a new model for the Malmsbury centre, which the state government said will deliver a more intensive program of education, vocational training and job opportunities for the lower-risk cohort.
It will also allow for more tailored programs to be offered at Cherry Creek and Parkville.
To support the reopening, the state government said 114 staff members will be recruited to work at the centre.
Works will begin immediately to upgrade the infrastructure and security at Malmsbury, with the extra beds to come online in a staged approach from early next year.
“Our tough new bail laws are working – remand numbers are up – so we need more prison beds for young people,” Mr Erdogan said.
“We are all horrified by these violent and brazen crimes that are increasingly committed by children.
“We’re expanding the youth justice system to take serious youth offenders off the streets while also providing opportunities to lower-risk young people to get back on track and away from crime.”
Operational since 1965, the facility has been plagued with problems including inmate riots, staff shortages and escapes.
Just months before closing, one youth justice worker and several inmates were assaulted after a guard’s keys were stolen.
The incident led to three youths being taken to hospital with upper body injuries, while a fourth was given first aid at the scene.
In 2017, 20 prisoners escaped after assaulting a guard and stealing his keys, and another incident in 2019 when inmates were locked in their cells after workers were attacked with a cricket bat.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said the centre required millions of dollars in repairs, adding it should never have been closed in the first place.
“They said when they closed (that) it was outdated, it wasn’t fit for purpose. Now all of a sudden, it’s needed,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
The state government said works will begin to upgrade the infrastructure and security at Malmsbury, with extra beds to come in a staged approach next year.
The reopening is expected to cost $140 million over five years, with an extra $4.8 million to be used on upgrading security.
– With AAP
