* 45 beds added to Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, following 30 beds announced last year
* Additional capacity is required due to recent bail reforms which have already resulted in a 40 per cent increase in the number of young people on remand, yet to be convicted of a crime
* The cost of locking up children to fill these new beds could add up to $117m per year, despite the evidence showing that prison is not effective at reducing re-offending when compared to community-based alternatives
The expansion of Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre is a significant investment at the wrong end of the system using money that would be far better spent on evidence-based solutions that prevent crime from occurring, says Jesuit Social Services.
Today’s announcement from the Victorian Government will see 45 beds added to Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, following 30 beds announced last year, to create additional capacity required due to recent bail reforms which have already resulted in a 40 per cent increase in the number of young people on remand, yet to be convicted of a crime.
According to the Productivity Commission’s recent annual Report on Government Services, the cost of locking up children to fill these new beds could add up to $117m per year, despite the evidence showing that prison is not effective at reducing re-offending when compared to community-based alternatives.
“This is a direct outcome of recent changes to bail laws which we highlighted at the time would drive up prisoner numbers while doing nothing to address the underlying drivers of crime. Expanding the state’s prison capacity is not something to be celebrated, it is evidence of systemic policy failures and of misplaced priorities.” says Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards.
“In Victoria, expenditure on the detention of young people has almost tripled in the past decade – from $115 million in 2015-16 to $323 million in 2024-25. The daily cost of incarcerating a young person in Victoria is $7,304 ($2.6 million per year). If we want to build stronger, more cohesive communities, this money would be better spent on vital community services that help people to lead productive and fulfilling lives where they don’t offend and don’t use violence.”
“We know that around 40 per cent of people who exit prison in Victoria return to prison in the next two years. This demonstrates that prison is not conducive to rehabilitation, and isn’t ensuring people return to the community better off than when they entered.”
In its Victorian Budget submission, Jesuit Social Services recommended the Victorian Government invest an additional $12.78 million over four years into the Youth Justice Community Support Service (YJCSS). At an average cost of $3.17 million per year, this program could be funded for the cost of incarcerating two children for a year, despite YJCSS delivering far better outcomes.
“If we are serious about preventing crime we must be supporting more people who have justice system involvement into employment. Through our programs, we’ve seen that adults with justice system involvement who are supported into jobs for more than six months are significantly less likely to re-offend. This is exactly the type of program governments should be investing in.”
“We urge the Victorian Government to focus on the evidence of what works, instead of continuing to spend on a costly and ineffective prison system.”
About us:
Jesuit Social Services is a social change organisation working to build a just society, where all people can live to their full potential.
