VICTORIA’S independent Commissioner for Children Bernie Geary says kids locked in youth detention face “torture” in the summer heat.

Mr Geary has gone public with his concerns about overheating in the Parkville Youth Justice Centre, telling the Herald Sun last week community volunteers had raised concerns about child health.

“If you want to know how to torture a traumatised child, lock him or her in an overheated room for 10 to 12 hours,” he said.

Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge said the Government had made large investments in the Parkville centre, including a new school, and that there were cooling systems in the wider precinct.

“Like many Victorian homes, Parkville Youth Justice Precinct can get warm in the summer months,” she said.

“Parkville has a combination of split system, evaporative and refrigerated cooling. A pool is also available.”

But Mr Geary said individual rooms were the problem, and children were sleeping in showers, or on the floor.

“There are health issues that come with overheating ... (and) also issues about mental health and the good order of the centre, because people get angry.”