Guard injured in Victorian youth jail riot

Prison guards used capsicum spray to force back youths who injured a guard during another riot at a Victorian youth prison.

The guard was assaulted trying to break up a fight at the maximum security Barwon prison near Geelong on Monday night.

He is in hospital being treated for a facial injury.

Corrections Victoria Commissioner Jan Shuard said the guards were forced to use the spray for their safety.

"OC spray is a defensive weapon that we can use for the safety of our staff and the people there," she said on Tuesday.

"It was used for that purpose"

Sixteen young offenders barricaded themselves in an exercise yard after the fight.

Corrections Victoria Assistant Commissioner Craig Howard was at the unit during the riot and said the youths also managed to break into the visitors' centre and armed themselves with items nearby.

"A number of the offenders had sourced items that were in there and in the visitors centre," he said.

"There's gym equipment in there, windows, there are fire extinguishers."

Extensive damage was caused to CCTV cameras, down pipes and exercise equipment.

The teens eventually surrendered just before 10pm, with Corrections staff using handcuffs to subdue them.

Corrections Victoria says repairs will be made as quickly as possible and charges are expected to be laid.

Young offenders were sent to the Grevillea unit at Barwon prison late last year after the Malmsbury and Parkville youth detention centres were damaged in riots.

Corrections staff were recently ordered to take control of youth justice security from the Department of Health and Human Services after the riots.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the measure had been successful.

"Exactly the processes we put in place were deployed last night and they worked," he told reporters.

The Human Rights Law Centre, which represents many of the youths in the Barwon prison unit, has argued the teens should not be held in Barwon.

"Facilities like Barwon and maximum security adult prisons are manifestly unfit for children," lawyer Alina Leikin told ABC radio.

Meanwhile, thousands of angry Werribee locals have rallied against plans to build a new 244-bed youth justice centre south of the town.

Mr Andrews admits it was "not an easy decision to make" but says the location was deemed the most suitable.

A petition signed by thousands of residents will be presented to state parliament next week.