A major overhaul of all New South Wales juvenile correction facilities is underway, with an independent review into a riot at a Central Coast facility exposing systemic failures and consistent violence.

Key points: A total of 63 recommendations are handed down into the NSW youth justice system, following riots at a centre in July

A total of 63 recommendations are handed down into the NSW youth justice system, following riots at a centre in July Former NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Lee Shearer found the system was in "constant conflict"

Former NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Lee Shearer found the system was in "constant conflict" A union covering staff at youth detention centres says it had been talking to the Government about concerns for three years

In July, 32 inmates were involved in an "extremely violent" 21-hour riot at the Frank Baxter Youth Justice Centre at Kariong, which resulted in the hospitalisation of six people with injuries including stab wounds and broken limbs.

Twenty-six detainees have been charged and a further six are awaiting charges.

The detainees who allegedly committed the attack were aged between 11 and 16 and are accused of arming themselves with chainsaws, garden tools, and metal poles and refusing to come off the centre's roof.

A total of 63 recommendations have now been handed down by former NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Lee Shearer to overhaul the entire system, which she found was in "constant conflict".

"The youth justice custodial system is under such strain all parties suffer due to the extreme and often violent behaviour of a small but recalcitrant group of detainees who consistently require the attention of the staff from the units," Ms Shearer wrote.

The NSW Government said it was committed to turning the entire juvenile justice system around.

A detainee at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre is brought down from the roof and handcuffed. ( ABC News, file photo )

NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said it was a "significant overhaul of the system".

"This particular riot, as devastating as it was, is an opportunity for system-wide reform and that is what I'm delivering today," Mr Ward said.

The Government has allocated $3.6 million for the first stage, which will begin immediately.

Purpose-built, high-risk offender units are being established at Frank Baxter and Western Sydney's Cobham Detention Centre, with a new system to re-categorise and separate offenders as well as specific measures to help rehabilitation.

Teenagers on the roof of the Kariong Correctional Centre in 2019 after reports of an escape attempt. ( ABC News, file photo )

The general secretary of the Public Services Association, Stewart Little, said they had been calling on the Government to implement these changes for years.

"We were talking to the Government about this three years ago," Mr Little said.

"It's cause for concern when you've had assault levels in these facilities treble over the last three or four years.

"The incident in July was certainly foreseeable.

"We've seen a huge escalation in assaults and incidents involving high-risk detainees, which is why we've been calling on the Government to identify people as high-risk and establish facilities for them."

Uniforms would be introduced for staff at all six NSW youth facilities to "engender respect" and the Government was investing in an Essential Support Unit at Frank Baxter.

The review recommended $50 million be spent over four years, but the State Government was yet to commit to any future funding.

"I'll have to go back through the budget process for the other recommendations, but some things were critical and needed to be done straight away," Mr Ward said.

Shocking statistics

New South Wales' six juvenile facilities cost $100 million every year to run, with 245 young people detained as of August 1. This works out to be around $400,000 per detainee annually.

Forty-seven per cent of detainees are Aboriginal, while 68 per cent of inmates had experienced neglect or abuse.

While rates of youth crime have fallen across Australia, the percentage of young people in detention who demonstrated a high or medium–high risk of reoffending had increased by 30 per cent since 2010–11.

Eighty-four per cent of detainees had been in custody at least once before, with an average of 5.3 times.

Violent incidents were increasing, with 740 incidents of physical assault and 172 listed security breaches last year across the system. This included 121 assaults on staff by detainees.

More than $21 million had been spent on repairs and maintenance for the six centres in the past three years, with a large portion of damage caused by detainees.

Purpose-built, high-risk offender units will be built at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre (pictured) and at Western Sydney's Cobham Detention Centre. ( Supplied )

A second chance

The union's Stewart Little said the Government needed to fund these recommendations to keep staff and detainees safe.

"The culture within youth justice is a problem and that has been recognised in this report," Mr Little said.

Mr Ward said the focus was on protecting staff and inmates and rehabilitating the detainees, to drive down the high reoffending rates.

"I want young people who have experienced trauma in their lives but have made mistakes to have opportunities to turn their lives around so that they can leave youth justice and never return again," he said.

"Because they're young people it's incumbent upon Governments to do everything they can to turn these lives around."

The ABC understands staff within the system have been happy with the approach taken by Ms Shearer and the thoroughness of the investigation.

"I've asked Ms Shearer to chair a committee to oversee the implementation of these recommendations so we don't lose her knowledge and experience," Mr Ward said.

In her report, Ms Shearer made it clear "significant reform is difficult" and transforming the system would not be straightforward.

"It is clear they are failing to protect detainees from high-risk detainees and not striking the balance between therapeutic outcomes and safety and security of staff and detainees," Ms Shearer wrote in her report.

"A large section of the operational staff, including therapeutic providers, are completely disengaged."

But she said there was also passion and dedication across the board to get it right.

"Participants were highly engaged in the process, which clearly indicates the significant level of interest this review generated," Ms Shearer wrote.

"It also demonstrated the level of passion and commitment to the welfare of juveniles who come into custody and are detained.

"The recommendations of this review are intended to ensure every opportunity is afforded to all young people in custody, even the most violent and difficult."