Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre: Police investigate double assault
Police are investigating a double assault against two men at Malmsbury’s trouble-plagued youth prison in Central Victoria.
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Police are investigating a double assault against two men at Malmsbury’s youth prison on Wednesday, the latest attack at the troubled youth centre.
A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed two men, one in his 40s and one in his 50s, were assaulted at a correctional facility in Malmsbury at 4.20pm on Wednesday.
“Fortunately neither man was seriously injured and the investigation into the incident is ongoing,” he said.
A spokesperson from the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre confirmed one staff member had been injured but the prison was not in lockdown.
“One staff member received a minor superficial injury that did not require off-site medical treatment,” she said.
“The safety of staff and young people in youth justice is our utmost priority.
“The Department of Justice and Community Safety takes a zero-tolerance approach to violence and assaults in youth justice centres. All incidents and allegations are referred to Victoria police.”
The spokesperson said recent safety initiatives had driven down the number of serious incidents in custodial facilities by 42 per cent and reduced serious assaults by 59 per cent over the past three years.
An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said paramedics were called, but emergency care was not required.
Police have launched an investigation into the assault, but have not confirmed if anyone has been charged.
In August youth prison workers said they were prepared to walk out of the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre amid violent attacks and poor working conditions.
The Community and Public Sector Union said workers were considering stopping work if the Justice Department did not increase staff numbers and enforce worker to inmate ratios.
Two weeks ago, Youth Justice Minister Natalie Hutchins announced behavioural specialists would be deployed to help undertake a systematic reset of the troubled centre.
She said prison workers at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre would get additional behavioural awareness training as well as being bound to enhanced security protocols to further protect themselves on the job.
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