A 16-year-old boy who was being held in Barwon Prison near Geelong has suffered a fractured vertebra after being bashed by fellow inmates on Monday.

Key points: 16-year-old held in Barwon Prison for stealing cars

16-year-old held in Barwon Prison for stealing cars Suffered fractured neck after being bashed by inmates

Suffered fractured neck after being bashed by inmates Mother says her son had also been punched in the face by guard

Mother says her son had also been punched in the face by guard Lawyers had asked for boy to be removed for own safety

The youth spent Monday night in hospital before being released on Tuesday afternoon.

His mother, who along with her son cannot be identified, was horrified when her son's lawyer called on Tuesday afternoon to tell her the 16-year-old was in hospital with a fractured neck.

She said it was the third time her son had been assaulted in Barwon — once, she said, was by a guard who punched him in the face.

She said the boy had also self-harmed, cutting himself with a piece of a fan whilst inside Barwon.

She spoke to her son on Tuesday evening.

"He was outside, there was something going on inside, another incident, it had nothing to do with him," the mother told 7.30.

"He just knew the person that was involved and getting beat up, and then all of a sudden he heard his name being called and 'watch out'.

"Then he was grabbed from behind, thrown to the ground and repetitively stomped on until he blacked out.

"He's got a fracture in his neck, damage to two vertebrae, he's had a head injury, he was knocked unconscious during the incident, which was totally unprovoked."

The boy is now back in the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, north-west of Melbourne.

It has been the subject of numerous riots and disturbances, including a mass breakout of inmates in January.

Do you know more about this story? Email 7.30@abc.net.au

The Victorian Government has been widely criticised for its handling of problems in youth detention centres and for using adult prisons such as Barwon to hold juvenile offenders.

"I'm disgusted that it's taken all this, all these people, all this effort of everyone saying that they're not safe; it's not a place for children right now," the mother said.

The boy was not involved in the rioting that sparked the Victorian Government's decision to move juvenile detainees to the adult prison and he has never been involved in a violent crime.

He is on remand on charges concerning car theft and has been in the Parkville juvenile detention centre several times before for stealing cars.

"We told them they're not safe where they are and this has just proven it — my son has ended up in hospital and it's not the first time he was attacked in there," his mother said.

"He shouldn't be in Barwon — it's a maximum security prison for adults."

Barwon is currently using its Grevillea Unit as a makeshift unit for youth offenders.

"It's not ready and it shouldn't be legal," the boy's mother said.

Lawyers warned that the boy was not safe

The boy's lawyers had been begging authorities to remove him from Barwon because they believed he was at risk.

Alina Leikin says she has concerns for the boy's welfare. ( ABC News )

And despite the latest incident happening on Monday night, the boy's lawyers were not told that he was in hospital until Tuesday afternoon.

7.30 had, coincidentally, arranged to meet the lawyer, Alina Leikin from the Human Rights Law Centre, at Barwon on Tuesday as she went to check on the boy.

Ms Leikin said she had been very worried about the boy because of the previous assaults on him and his self-harming.

On the way she discovered that he was not there and had in fact been in nearby Geelong hospital overnight.

Ms Leikin spoke to 7.30 after coming out of the Grevillea Unit, which is a hastily-arranged youth justice facility on the grounds of the high-security adult Barwon prison.

"Last week we notified the Government that this young man was unsafe at this facility, that he was feeling incredibly at risk," she said.

"This is a vulnerable boy and he expressed to us his fears about being here.

"The Government did not respond to the grave concerns we raised about his safety and now this has happened — and it's taken an incident of this seriousness for this boy to be removed to an appropriate youth justice facility."

Ms Leikin is also concerned for the safety of another boy held in Barwon and has asked for him to be removed as well.

The Minister for Families and Children, Jenny Mikakos, said Barwon Prison's Grevillea Unit was, "lawfully established and is safe, secure and functioning appropriately as a youth justice facility and remand centre".

"The Government has always said that offenders were sent to the Grevillea Unit because the damage caused by the riot made parts of the Parkville facility unfit for purpose," she said.

"The Government will continue to act to ensure the safety of staff, the young offenders and the community."