Victorian government to build Supermax prison unit for dangerous teen crims
They’re the hard core, ultra-violent detainees that have been running riot in youth justice centres, attacking and even “scalping” guards. Now the state government’s planning a supermax unit in a bid to control them.
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A new prison unit is to be built to cage Victoria’s most dangerous teenage criminals.
The state government decision follows a wave of attacks by a hard core of ultra-violent detainees running riot in youth justice centres.
Staff, some of whom are in fear for their lives, say there is a constant threat of random violence at the Malmsbury and Parkville youth justice centres.
And they say that restrictions on practices for restraining and isolating detainees leave them few options to deal with offenders.
The Herald Sun understands the new unit will be built with state-of-the-art measures similar to those used in high-security adult jails and will have extensive CCTV monitoring of inmates. Specially trained staff are expected to be seconded to it.
A state government spokesman said the Minister for Youth Justice, Ben Carroll, had recently set up a dedicated working group to look at youth justice custody, which would have as a top priority the planning of the new Intensive Intervention Unit.
“The IIU will be a dedicated secure unit to accommodate young people who cause harm in youth justice custody and to provide intensive intervention to reduce the risk of violent offending,” he said.
One detainee charged in connection with a homicide has attacked a succession of workers and is regarded as a major initiator of trouble and among the worst offenders.
Another teen, who made at least 11 attacks on detainees and staff, was transferred to an adult jail only after he “scalped” a female officer by smashing a guitar over her head in an unprovoked attack.
The teen, whose behaviour was revealed by the Herald Sun, is pushing to return to the juvenile system.
In March, staff were assaulted in a riot at Malmsbury, and two more were hurt in attacks last month.
Youth justice centre workers have argued for some time that they have the right, for their own safety, to be separated from inmates who have made repeated attacks.
Dozens of staff and more than 100 detainees at Parkville were attacked over eight months last year.
Construction of the new unit was recommended in the Armytage and Ogloff Review, which was set up to examine Victoria’s youth justice system after a period of mayhem.
A youth detention centre is to be built near Werribee, but it is not due to be finished until 2021 and the current problem is seen as being too urgent to wait until then.
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Premier Daniel Andrews said he wouldn’t describe the new prison as a “supermax” but said it would be dedicated to housing some of the most serious youth offenders in Victoria.
“It is basically a facility for our most serious offenders, for the worst offenders in our youth justice system,” he said.
“We do sadly have a group of young people - and indeed a group of Victorians beyond just young people - who do exhibit this sort of violent behaviour.
“They behave very badly and they’ve got to be secured, they’ve got to be dealt with appropriately for the benefit of staff and for the benefit of the broader Victorian public.”
Two of the high-security units will eventually be built - the first at either Parkville or Malsbury youth justice centres.
Another will then be included in the planned new Cherry Creek centre to deal with the “those most violent”.
The units will be run similar to high-security units in adult prisons but also have “intensive programs” aimed at rehabilitation.
“Not just to contain them - that is obviously important - but also to try to work to ensure that they don’t continue that pattern of terrible behaviour once they get out of youth justice,” Mr Andrews said.
“They ultimately will get out, even after a lengthy sentence they will get out.
“We need to have made sure that we have done everything we possibly can to ensure staff and the community are safe when they are inside and that they have every chance of not reoffending once they get out.”
Dealing with youth detainees has become a major problem for authorities in recent years. After months of problems including riots and assault in 2016, a decision was taken to send some of the troublemakers to adult prison.
But that move was later overruled after court action by lawyers for the teens.
One problem for authorities is that many of the worst offenders are being held on remand and are yet to be convicted of any crime.
The rules for dealing with detainees on remand are more restrictive than those for dealing with sentenced inmates.