Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre: safety and rehabilitation

Why this is important

Rehabilitating children in custody reduces the chance that they will reoffend after they are released back into the community. Successful rehabilitation is essential to lowering Victoria's youth crime rate.

Youth custodial centres are complex to run, because of potential harm to children and staff. It is also expensive, with each child in custody costing Victoria $7,775 per day.

Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre opened in mid-2023. It uses a new 'communities in custody' approach where teenage boys live in small units with living and outdoor areas. The design was based on a 2017 youth justice review's recommendation that centres with smaller, more normalised environments are safer and more effective.

Following the 2025 tightening of Victoria's bail laws and introduction of adult sentencing for children who commit violent crimes, the number of young people in custody is increasing. It is timely to test if Cherry Creek's new approach to youth justice is delivering on its vision of improving safety and rehabilitation.

What we plan to examine

We plan to examine if Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre promotes safety and rehabilitation.

Who we plan to examine

Department of Justice and Community Safety