A teenager had his skull cracked in an attack by a member of a rival gang inside a Melbourne youth detention centre.
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The 17-year-old, an inmate at the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre in Parkville, was king hit by another teenager shortly before midday on Monday.
The victim is believed to be an associate of the Apex gang, a group blamed for a spate of home invasions and carjackings across the city.
As a result of the attack, which is understood to have come from a rival gang member, the teenager fell down some stairs and cracked his skull.
A number of staff members were in a management meeting about inmate behaviour at the time.
The victim, who was hospitalised on Monday, returned to the facility on Tuesday.
A Victoria Police spokesman said detectives from Melbourne North Police Station were investigating.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said the safety of staff and clients at the Melbourne Youth Justice Centre was of "paramount concern".
The facility has come under increased scrutiny after recent violent stand-offs between inmates and staff.
Community and Public Sector Union spokesman Julian Kennelly said the types of young people in custody had changed and facilities were ill-equipped to deal with them.
"[There's the] influence of gangs, [and] Saturday night is notorious for police picking up drug affected offenders and bringing them into Parkville and being held on remand," Mr Kennelly told 3AW.
"The place is antiquated in sections, it's overcrowded. There needs to be a much different approach put in place."
The Commissioner for Children and Young People Liana Buchan launched a sweeping review of the youth justice system and the use of lockdowns, isolation and separation tactics after an increase in the number of serious incidents at the state's centres.
The Victorian government passed legislation earlier this year to strengthen the Commissioner's oversight powers. The Commissioner now receives reports of all critical incidents in Victoria's youth justice centres and has the power to investigate and report on any issue relating to the system.
Department figures show there were 183 category 1 reports in the past four years, of which 100 occurred in the last 12 months.
