Controversial youth detention centre to reopen as new bail laws keep youth offenders in custody

A controversial Victorian youth detention centre is set to reopen as the state government works to house an increased number of youth offenders denied bail.

Malmsbury Youth Detention Centre will reopen 30 beds next year for young people aged 17 and over who are remanded in custody under the government's new bail laws.

"We are seeing these repeat patterns of brazen and violent offending that is increasingly being undertaken by children," Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said.

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"There needed to be consequences and as a result of those tougher bail laws we are seeing an increase in the number of young people on remand."

It comes two years after the facility was shut following a string of riots, violence and attempted inmate escapes.

The centre was thrust into lockdown in January 2017 when inmates used metal table legs to destroy property and intimidate staff.

In 2022, two inmates were returned to police custody after escaping from the centre by climbing onto the roof.

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During an October 2023 riot, an inmate was bashed severely and staff members were taken hostage after an inmate stole keys from a security guard.

The government hopes reopening the centre will allow them to divert low-risk offenders from the Cherry Creek and Parkville Youth Detention Centres.

It will also allow "more tailored" rehabilitation programs to be offered to young people at respective facilities.

But ex-staff members say they are shocked to hear the facility's doors will reopen.

Former youth justice worker Shelley Parker lives with chronic PTSD after witnessing the brutal bashing of two colleagues during the 2017 riots.

"My daughter eventually opened up, who's now 15, and said to me, 'I was always scared you wouldn't come home at the end of the shift, Mum'," Parker said.

"It gives me a lot of anxiety, but also makes me very angry because again, it is just another band-aid that the Allan government are doing."

The government will need to recruit 114 workers to staff the facility.

The infrastructure and security at the 60-year-old facility will also be upgraded.

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"It's the same physical facility but the model will be tailored to a lower-risk cohort," youth justice minister Enver Erdogan said.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) says it will be watching the rollout very closely to ensure past mistakes are not repeated.

"It's not as simple as just reopening the facility either. The government must invest in decent working conditions to retain skilled staff," CPSU Victoria secretary Jiselle Hanna said.

"If the jobs aren't safe, sustainable, and worth staying in, people leave. That churn hurts everyone."

Remand rates for young people in Victoria have increased by 46 per cent year-on-year, the government says.

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