Union takes action over Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre chaos

A Melbourne youth prison failed to act on “vital intelligence” to stop jailhouse chaos that saw killer teens arm themselves and threaten staff.

The teens were sentenced over the murder of Reservoir teen Declan Cutler.

Jailhous chaos in which teenage killers armed themselves with weapons and threatened staff was “entirely preventable”, the workers’ union says.

The group ran amok at the Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre on Tuesday, the night before getting long jail terms for the horrific 2022 murder of Declan Cutler, 16, at Reservoir.

The Herald Sun has been told a shiv was held to the throat of a staff member during the mayhem.

It was revealed on Wednesday that a swipe access card was stolen from a worker during the incident.

The Community and Public Sector Union says management at the centre, near Werribee, had failed to act on “vital intelligence” about what would happen.

The teens ran amok at the Cherry Creek youth jail on the eve of their sentencing.

The union has written to the Department of Justice and Community Safety outlining what it has called gross negligence.

“The incident on Tuesday … was entirely preventable had the department properly utilised the information at its disposal,” the letter said.

“We want to be unequivocally clear. Our members’ health and safety are our utmost priority and we will leverage every resource at our disposal to ensure their protection.”

The letter went on to say the union would not hesitate to bring in WorkSafe Victoria and seek criminal prosecution for recklessly endangering persons in the workplace.

“In cases of the most egregious negligence, we are prepared to pursue charges of industrial manslaughter. The stakes could not be higher. Our members’ lives hang in the balance,” the CPSU said.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety says no one was hurt in the incident but sources say a shiv was held to one of the staff during the mayhem.

A department spokeswoman said: “We have zero tolerance for violence and we regularly engage with the CPSU and WorkSafe to ensure violence towards our staff is taken seriously. If a young person commits further crimes while in custody, they can face extra charges.”

The union says there has been an “escalating pattern” of targeted violence and abuse inflicted on members and that there had been eight assaults in the past six weeks.

“The time for deliberation has long passed. The union and its members demand an immediate, iron-clad commitment from the department to implement all necessary measures,” its letter said.