Parkville youth justice centre should be closed, says report
UPDATE: THE state of Victoria’s youth justice system has been slammed by the state’s ombudsman with revelations of staff shortages, over-reliance on lockdowns and offenders not receiving toilet paper.
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THE state of Victoria’s youth justice system has been slammed by the state’s ombudsman with revelations of staff shortages, over-reliance on lockdowns and young offenders not receiving toilet paper.
Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass tabled her report into the Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice centres, as well as the situation at the Grevillea unit of Barwon Prison where young offenders are also being held.
Ms Glass has slammed the situation at the high security Grevillea unit where young people “are kept in lockdown for longer periods, creating further unrest”.
The Andrews Government was forced to send teen offenders to the adult prison when rioters trashed up to 60 beds at the Parkville centre.
Her report comes after a review completed last month by former Victoria Police chief commissioner Neil Comrie, revealed in today’s Herald Sun, was scathing of the Parkville centre and declared it no longer fit for purpose.
Ms Glass’s report also raises concerns about the Malmsbury youth justice centre, where a mass breakout occurred last month with young inmates going on a rampage around the state.
These included claims that teen inmates at Malmsbury were required to sleep in rooms other than bedrooms, without toilets and in some circumstances without mattresses or bedding.
The Ombudsman’s investigation also heard concerns about teen offenders not receiving clean clothing.
The report identifies a shift in offending patterns by some young people held in juvenile
justice facilities, with evidence from the Department of Health and Human Services
describing the current cohort as “more sophisticated, socially networked, calculated and
callous offending, characterised by rapidly escalating levels of violence and disregard for
authority and consequence”.
“While staff shortages have long been a problem there, this has plainly been exacerbated by the creation of Grevillea, with the predictable effect that young people are kept in lockdown for longer periods, creating further unrest”.
“The officers observed an evident degree of tension between young people and staff.
Many young people either complained about, or simply mentioned, that they had experienced extensive lock downs either due to staff shortages or as a consequence of repair works being undertaken.”
“While some individual issues will have been resolved by the time this report is tabled, the level of complaints, made formally to Ombudsman staff or informally to independent visitors and others, is illustrative of a system under serious strain.
Complaints about lockdowns are a prime example of this: it is evident that this is affected by a toxic combination of staff shortages and increasing overcrowding.”
It can also be revealed some of the state’s teen offenders are in custody for terrorism related offences, with concerns raised about the need to “carefully accommodate them” for their own safety and to prevent them from radicalising other teen offenders.
It comes as Victoria is facing an unprecedented youth crime wave including aggravated burglaries and carjackings.
Just last month, there was a mass breakout from the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre that included inmates stealing several cars and assaulting victims and climbing up on the roof.
Treasurer Tim Pallas last week hinted the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre could be closed and the land sold once the government builds a new supertax youth jail in Melbourne’s west.
This morning it was announced a new $288 million high-security youth justice facility in Werribee South will house teens that are on remand or sentenced.
But the confidential review into violent riots at the centre in November declared the Parkville centre “not adequate for its intended purpose”.
The damning review found the youth prison had “inherent safety and security issues” which made it an unacceptable risk to staff and young offenders.
Some of these failings helped lead to the violent 17-hour crime spree at the centre in November, which saw 60 beds destroyed after youth offenders made their way into the ceiling and broke out other inmates.
To deal with the influx of rioting teens across the state’s youth justice centres, young crims have been moved to Barwon Prison.
The jail had to be reclassified after the Supreme Court ruled the move unlawful.
Families and Children Minister Jenny Mikakos last night said the centre’s closure should have happened years ago.
“This report confirms what we’ve always said — that we need a new, secure, fit-for-purpose youth justice facility,” Ms Mikakos said.
The executive summary of Mr Comrie’s report, obtained by the Herald Sun, said substantial funding committed to upgrade the centre in recent years would not fix the underlying problems.
“These fundamental flaws have become more exposed and evident in recent years and are now being exploited by a cohort of young violent offenders who are intent on breaking through insecure barriers and causing purposeless, wanton criminal damage to the precinct facilities,” the report’s executive summary reads.
“As a consequence of the incidents of 12 to 14 November 2016, where extensive damage was
caused to the Precinct, rendering all of the residential units at the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre uninhabitable, there are major works being undertaken to reinstate, strengthen and fortify these units.
“Nevertheless, the Reviewer has concluded that these works can only be an interim response to a situation that requires a more extensive and holistic long-term solution.”
The review has recommended a new youth prison be built at a different location to take into account the security failings exposed by the riots at Parkville.
“The security imperatives include precinct perimeter, unit perimeter to secure individual units and internal unit security which requires correctional standard construction of all internal walls, doors, windows and ceilings, and should be capable of being isolated in the event of an incident to prevent escalation and support operational control,” the review said.
The worrying physical nature of teenagers now entering the youth justice system was also raised in the review.
“It is not unusual today for young male offenders to be in excess of 100 kilograms in weight and 190 centimetres in height,” the report stated.
“Some of these offenders are very conscious of the fact that they can use their physical stature to intimidate staff and other clients and do so on a regular basis.”
Young offenders entering the youth justice system with terrorism related offences was also highlighted by Mr Comrie.
“These young persons need to be every carefully accommodated to not only ensure their own safety but to ensure they do not radicalise other impressionable clients,” the report said.
“Staff recruitment, training and equipment must be revisited to ensure that youth justice workers are capable of intervening early in incidents of violent or disruptive behaviour by detainees and not be reliant on police responses to these situations as is the case at present.”
The over-representation of youth offenders with mental health issues, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island, Maori, Pacific Island and South Sudanese teens, was also raised as a concern.
Ms Mikakos said the State Government would focus on building a new centre.
“The Andrews Labor Government’s plan is clear — we’re getting on with building a new, fit-for-purpose youth justice facility to keep young offenders secure and the community safe. You cannot rehabilitate anyone in facilities that are unsafe and unsecure.”