RIOTING teens from the Parkville Youth Justice Centre will be sent to a wing of the maximum-security Barwon Prison.

The young offenders, which include ringleaders who trashed Parkville and held police at bay while barricaded inside a unit, will be transferred within days but will be kept separate from adult prisoners.

Separate entry and exit points, and facilities such as kitchens, will be created to avoid contact between the teens — most of whom are on remand — and sentenced adult criminals.

There will be more than 40 prisoners moved to other areas of Barwon, or to other prisons around the state, to make room for the youth offenders, who will be held there “for a number of months”.

media_camera Police prepare to enter the Parkville Youth Justice Centre during this week’s riots. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Victorian Corrections Commissioner Jan Shuard said there was enough capacity in the system to cope with the changes.

The Community and Public Sector Union has backed the plan, with state secretary Karen Batt saying it is time to end the violence staff has faced at youth detention facilities.

“The attacks, the assaults, the damage that has been caused has had significant traumatic effects on the staff who work in the (Parkville) facility,” she said.

“It’s a smart response, it will break the cycle of violence in youth justice.”

Families Minister Jenny Mikakos could not say what the cost of the changes would be, but said it would enable the Parkville facility to be rebuilt.

media_camera Dozens of police leave the Parkville Youth Justice Centre. Picture: Tony Gough

The minister was also asked whether the teens were being sent out of necessity or as punishment, to which she said: “We are sending around 40 young offenders to Victoria’s highest security prison”.

“This, I hope, will be a wake-up call to those young offenders,” she said.

“We said we were going to take steps to send these young offenders to adult prison, and we have done exactly that.

“The young offenders in there will be kept quite separate from the adult prisoners.”

A government application to send seven of the rioters to adult jail — not in the youth wing with the 40 other teens being transferred — was rejected by the Youth Parole Board.

media_camera Inside the new super max Barwon Prison, guards inspect cells. Picture: Tony Gough

Those seven youths were sentenced criminals, rather than teens on remand awaiting trial who cannot be transferred to an adult jail.

Premier Daniel Andrews brushed off questions about the Youth Parole Board, saying the government would continue with its plan to send 40 offenders to adult prison.

“What I will say is this though: I make no apology for the fact that 40 of these violent, repeat offenders who have been involved in completely unacceptable conduct are going to adult prison. That’s where they belong,” Mr Andrews said.

“I’m sick and tired of the way they have been behaving. I think Victorians — hard working Victorians who pay their taxes and have an expectation that people will do the right thing — I think they’re sick and tired of this as well.

“Some will criticise me for that view, good luck to them. That’s my view, that’s the government’s policy, and we make no apology for it.

“As far as youth justice is concerned, we are looking at a range of different issues and we will have more to say about that soon.”

In a press release, Shadow Corrections Minister Ed O’Donohue slammed the state government’s handling of young offenders, saying there was a “crime tsunami” engulfing Victoria.

“Due to the minister’s incompetent management of youth justice centres, there have been over 20 riots the last of which at Parkville has all but destroyed the facility costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars,” he said.

“This is a hopeless minister in a hapless government.”

Ms Mikakos said there would be “fortifications” made to Parkville, to stop rioting in the future.

She said Parkville had been ‘left languishing and struggling’ as more and more violent young offenders were brought to the facility.

“We have had some significant issues,” she said.

The teens sent to Barwon will be held in the Grevillea unit, which opened in 2003 and has housed protection prisoners in the past.

media_camera Aerial view of HM Barwon Prison, in Lara. Picture: Google

Ms Shuard said the dedicated cell block would be a “prison cell block” in a maximum security facility.

“They won’t be mixing with prisoners, that’s why we have selected this particular area,” she said.

“The facility will be operated by youth justice but with the support of our officers.”

Director of Secure Services at the Department of Health and Human Services, Ian Lanyon, said youth prisoners would be subject to a strict management regime and a process would be taken to select some of the worst Parkville rioters.

Both sentenced and remand youths will be able to be sent to the jail, under the order made by the Governor at the request of the Andrews Government.