Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s state budget has earmarked $727 million to expand prison capacity, but justice advocates argue the one-dimensional approach risks exacerbating the very problems it seeks to solve.
“Throwing money at more beds without investing in crime prevention or rehabilitation takes the public for mugs,”
says Brendan Gogarty of Jesuit Social Services.
Newly enacted “tough bail” laws have seen the remand population climb 22% for adults and a staggering 71% for young people compared to April 2024. On any given night, Victoria holds 37.4% of its prison population on remand—the second-highest proportion nationally—and 83% of children in custody are unsentenced. Indigenous youth remain disproportionately affected, making up 13% of those in youth detention despite representing only 1% of the state’s population.
Budget Focus: Beds and Boots on the Ground
Premier Allan insists the funding is critical to “keep Victorians safe” by bringing almost 1,000 adult beds and 88 youth beds online, including the new Western Plains Correctional Centre due to open mid-year. The budget also backs 320 new youth justice officers and 400 adult corrections roles, extending an $8,000 sign-on bonus to attract recruits statewide.
“More serious and repeat alleged offenders are going to jail, not getting bail—that’s why we need more beds, now,”
Allan said.
Rehabilitation and Prevention Overlooked
Critics warn that Victoria risks replicating a national trend where incarceration rates more than doubled over four decades, even as crime, including homicides, halved. The Greens point out that the state spends more on prisons than on public housing, while funding for youth crime prevention programs has plunged by 46%, down to just $12.9 million in 2024/25.
“Without community-based programs—education, mental health support, secure housing—we’re just cycling people through jail,”
says Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service CEO Kirsty Archibald.
A Call for Balanced Investment
While the budget includes some expansion of health, rehabilitation and support services in custody, advocates argue these measures are dwarfed by the emphasis on detention.
They point to the 178% rise in remand over the past decade and the 216% jump in youth remand since 2023, calling for parallel investments in:
- Early intervention: youth mentoring, school engagement, and family support
- Rehabilitation: expanded vocational training, mental health and drug treatment
- Alternatives to custody: community sentencing, restorative justice programs
“This is a mock drill of a bigger war on crime,” says Jesuit Social Services’ Brendan Gogarty.
“We’ll only win if we prevent crime before it starts—beds won’t do that.”
As Victoria braces for a population rebound and the new prison wing at Western Plains, the debate intensifies over whether the state’s response will truly enhance community safety or simply lock more people behind bars without addressing root causes.
For more analysis and reaction to the Victorian budget, visit The Australia Today.
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