The former chief of Victoria's youth jail schooling system claims the State Government misled the public over the use of Barwon adult maximum security prison to jail young offenders — who he says are being treated in a manner he equates to "torture".

Key points: Brendan Murray is the former head of Victoria's youth jail schooling system

Brendan Murray is the former head of Victoria's youth jail schooling system He says treatment of the young offenders moved to Barwon Prison was akin to "torture"

He says treatment of the young offenders moved to Barwon Prison was akin to "torture" He says he was pressured to give favourable testimony about educating young people in Barwon

Brendan Murray, who resigned in March as executive principal of Parkville College, also claims he was pressured by the Education Department to give favourable testimony to the Victorian Supreme Court about providing education to young inmates in the adult jail facility.

"I was told what the department would like the Supreme Court to hear and what the department wouldn't like the Supreme Court to hear," Mr Murray said.

The Education Department said those claims were false.

"The Department strongly rejects any suggestion that it was seeking to influence testimony," a spokesman said in a statement.

Mr Murray said adequate education cannot be provided at Barwon and said alternative facilities could have been arranged.

He is the most senior youth justice insider to speak out about the crisis in the system. By blowing the whistle, he threatens his ability to work again in public education in Victoria.

His claims come as lawyers for the young Barwon inmates this week began a fresh Supreme Court challenge against the teens' detention in the Grevillea wing of the adult jail.

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'Barwon is the worst I have ever seen'

Brendan Murray believes there were alternatives to sending the young inmates to Barwon Prison. ( AAP: David Crosling )

Mr Murray is highly critical of the Government's decision to send two dozen young inmates to the Grevillea wing of Barwon Prison.

He claims that when he visited the jail in November, young inmates were being intimidated by guards, denied medicine and locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day.

"Each child told stories about not seeing sunlight, not being able to contact family, not receiving medication, being fed through a slot and being told that this is what they deserve," he said.

"I have never seen anything like this in my time at youth justice. There were often isolated incidents of child cruelty, but the coordinated approach to emotional and physical abuse was confronting.

"Teaching staff at Grevillea have all been distressed and most have made daily complaints to me, including in writing, about the conditions and treatment of detainees and how impossible it is to provide education in such a setting."

Mr Murray clashed with the Education Department in January after it was discovered he had given information to human rights lawyers suing the State Government in the Supreme Court over the use of Barwon to jail young inmates after riots destroyed dozens of beds in the Parkville youth jail facility.

He was suspended but later cleared of wrongdoing for sending an email to the lawyers that suggested there were alternatives to using Barwon that were being confidentially considered by the Government.

Mr Murray insists there were alternatives to Barwon being considered by himself and senior officials and that the Government misled the public and the Supreme Court about how secure beds could have been arranged at Malmsbury youth jail.

Government says allegations are 'false and misleading'

Sorry, this video has expired Brendan Murray says that after visiting juvenile offenders in Barwon adult prison he was "convinced they were being tortured".

Mr Murray, who was named Victoria's teacher of the year in 2009, claims two senior bureaucrats pressured him to testify to the Supreme Court about the standard of education that could be provided to young inmates at Barwon.

He claims he responded to one of these phone calls by saying:

"Do you really want to know about this — how bad things are there [at Barwon]? Because it is the worst I have ever seen."

A spokesman for the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services denied Mr Murray's allegations that Barwon did not need to be used.

"The assertions made by Mr Murray are false and misleading," he said in a statement.

"Following the riots at Parkville in November 2016, and the resulting loss of 60 secure beds, the Government considered all options available and determined that the Grevillea Unit was the only facility available to safely and securely provide additional accommodation while the facilities at Parkville were repaired and fortified.

"A similar range of services and programs is being provided at the Grevillea Unit as is available at the other youth justice facilities."

Tough-on-crime reforms could lead to more crime

Police officers in riot gear at the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre at Parkville in November 2016. ( ABC News )

Mr Murray claims systemic failings inside Victoria's youth justice facilities over the last two years undermined the education and rehabilitation programs he introduced to prevent future offending by young inmates.

Mr Murray, who was hand-picked by the Baillieu government to create a schooling system in the state's youth jails in 2011, said the mismanagement and under-resourcing of youth justice facilities led to young offenders being locked in their cells for extended periods.

He said this not only undermined their rehabilitation but created a tinder-box environment in which riots were likely to occur.

"That became the outcry of teachers, they wanted to teach [but] children weren't getting to classes," he said.

"I was seeing empty classrooms ... there's kids banging on doors, asking for contact, asking when they're going to get out [of their cells], not understanding what was going on.

"I mean, it was outrageous."

Mr Murray's comments about the excessive use of isolation and lock-downs in the youth justice system were backed up in a recent inquiry by Victorian Commissioner for Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan.

Ms Buchanan said she was "absolutely concerned that we [Victoria's youth justice system] will go backwards" amid a raft of new tough-on-crime reforms, including a new super-max youth prison and shifting the youth justice portfolio from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Justice Department.

"When issues about youth offending become as politicised as they have, it's very easy for policy makers and those running operations to shift from focusing on the evidence," she said

"The community wants a tough-on-crime response. Sometimes that can drive responses against what works."

Mr Murray issued a similar warning.

"The politicisation of the youth justice system and the Government's desire to appear tough on crime risks leading to more crime because it undercuts education and rehabilitation and prioritises punishment," he said.