Youth justice staff get more power to crack down on assaults
Staff at the troubled Parkville Youth Justice Centre have been given new powers to put inmates into lockdown if they “sense trouble” after a slew of violent assaults on staff.
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Youth prison staff have been given tough new powers to combat unprecedented violence behind bars.
Unit staff at the troubled Parkville Youth Justice Centre are now empowered to put inmates into lockdown if they “sense trouble”.
Previously this could only be done by senior prison officers.
The strict new regimen, introduced this week, comes amid a slew of violent assaults on staff.
It will also include stronger penalties for the most prolific troublemakers.
The regimen also includes stricter movement controls and lockdowns on entire units of inmates involved in violence.
A partial lockdown remains in place at Parkville after three staff members were assaulted during a violent food fight on Saturday.
All three workers sustained upper body injuries and were taken to hospital.
Community and Public Sector Union Victoria spokesman Julian Kennelly said the new regimen was a positive step forward to better protect staff.
However he said it was no “silver bullet” to deal with the new wave of hardened inmates.
“The profile of young offenders coming in is much harder than they have been in a long time,” he said.
“We have never previously seen this behaviour occur as regularly as it has been.”
Plans to establish an interim Intensive Intervention Unit at Parkville have been fast-tracked to deal with the worst inmates.
The unit will be used to isolate violent detainees so they can receive intensive behavioural and clinical support.
Parkville inmates launched 220 assaults on staff in the eight months to July this year.
A large number of experienced staff have been left terrified and have quit their jobs.
This exacerbates violence among inmates as staff shortages mean inmates often spend more time locked up.
A prison insider said new inexperienced staff are often ill-equipped for the job and inmates know it.
“We’re on a knife’s edge of losing control of the facility,” said the source.
“I’ve just had a gutful of it. Something needs to happen before a young person dies or a staff member gets seriously injured.”
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The new Cherry Creek youth justice facility will ease the burden by taking by taking the state’s “most complex and challenging” males aged 15 – 18.
It is due to finish construction in 2021 and will be fitted with advanced technology to monitor inmate movements and specialised mental health and alcohol and drug treatment units.
A Department of Justice and Community Safety spokesman said violence by inmates is “absolutely unacceptable” and those responsible can expect to serve further time in prison.