Victorian government commits $727m in state budget for more prison beds after bail reform
The Victorian government has promised to spend $727 million ramping up capacity in the state's prisons and youth justice centres, following tougher new bail laws introduced in March.
It has vowed to increase the number of adult prison beds in Victoria by almost 1,000, with a further 88 beds to open at youth justice facilities at Cherry Creek, located in Little River, and Parkville, in Melbourne's inner-north.
"The Labor government introduced Australia's toughest bail laws to protect people in the community from the risk of serious crime — and now, more serious and repeat alleged offenders are going to jail, not getting bail," a government spokesperson said.
The extra prison beds would cater for an increasing number of alleged offenders being denied bail, and support the opening of the new maximum security Western Plains Correctional Centre, the government said.
In March, new bail legislation for Victoria passed both houses after a marathon sitting, becoming law.
The contentious changes mean that remand is no longer considered a last resort for youth offenders, and there are stricter bail tests for people who commit a crime while on bail.
There is also a requirement for those accused of sex crimes, manslaughter and armed robbery to show "compelling reasons" they should be granted bail.
The changes drew criticism from community legal groups and youth advocates, which accused the Allan government of "ramming through dangerous and discriminatory bail laws which will deeply harm Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and breach human rights".
Premier Jacinta Allan had been facing mounting pressure to address rising crime rates, particularly due to repeat youth offenders.
On Tuesday, the government said its $727 million injection would also support the opening of the new maximum security Western Plains Correctional Centre.
The $1.19 billion prison, located in Lara, has sat empty since 2022, but is scheduled to start accepting prisoners in the middle of this year.
The government has previously spruiked Western Plains as a state-of-the-art facility with 1,248 beds, however the prison is expected to open with about 600 beds initially.
Thanks to a recruitment drive, more than 640 prison officers and more than 170 youth justice officers have also joined the corrections system in the past year, the spokesperson said.
"The Budget will continue this recruitment, with funding for a further 320 new roles in youth justice and 400 new roles in adult corrections."
A sign-on bonus of $8,000, announced at the beginning of the year to woo new recruits to Western Plains and Hopkins Correctional Centre, in Ararat, has also been extended to all other adult prisons, the government said.
The government on Tuesday said it would also introduce amendments to the Corrections Act to crack down on prisoners who assault and injure custodial staff.
"This makes it crystal clear that any prisoner convicted of assaulting and injuring a corrections worker can expect additional time added on top of their existing sentence."
The state budget will be handed down on May 20.
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