By AIDAN KNIGHT

 

FULHAM Correctional Centre, an institution that has been in operation since 1997, came under scrutiny after the facility experienced a death in custody last year.

Jake McGregor, an 18-year-old offender from Wodonga, was found deceased in his cell days before Christmas 2025, despite some outlets reporting the death as “January 2026”.

The young man was in custody for crimes relating to a dangerous police pursuit, from Ebden to Baranduda, near Lake Hume, close to the border of New South Wales.

McGregor was found to be the driver of a stolen white Toyota Camry in Wangaratta on September 27, 2025, and travelled at speeds of up to 140kmph on the wrong side of the road when evading police.

McGregor and his passenger, a woman named Samara Sabra, were apprehended after the vehicle was stopped with police spike strips. Sabra was released on bail, while McGregor was sentenced to six months in prison on October 31. Under Victoria’s current “dual track” justice system, persons aged 18-20 convicted of an offence deemed to have a reasonable prospect of rehabilitation are able to serve time in a youth justice centre instead of adult prison.

This comes under the Victorian Sentencing Act (1991) . McGregor’s lawyer, Dane Keenes, however, made a case with submission specifically requesting that the sentence be served exclusively in an adult prison.

Corrections Victoria released a statement on its website, published December 23, acknowledging the event but did not mention the prisoner’s name or cause of death.

“Corrections Victoria acknowledges the death of an 18-year-old person in custody,” it reads.

“We recognise that all deaths in custody have an impact on family members, friends and those working within the corrections system, as well as victims of crime. All deaths in custody are reported to the Coroners Court of Victoria, which formally determines the cause of death.”

The Express contacted Fulham Correctional Centre directly, but did not receive a comment.

The last time an inmate died in custody at Fulham was September 2016, which raised similar questions of the care of offenders within the prison system. This took place as the last of a series on unusual circumstances at the prison, including a pet snake found in a cell and cannabis plants being developed in the nursery, as well the escape of two prisoners who were later apprehended along the railway line in the Traralgon area (as reported by the Express on October 4, 2016).

At the time, the state government publicly backed the prison’s operator following a string of incidents, including the death of a 41-year-old Indigenous inmate found in his cell. The death was not initially treated as suspicious but was referred to the coroner. Opposition figures at the time said the number of incidents raised serious questions about the operation and oversight of the facility, while the government said additional security measures and penalties had been implemented.

Nationally, deaths in custody remain a persistent issue. The Australian Institute of Criminology recorded 104 deaths in custody in 2023/24, rising to 113 the following year, one of the highest totals since national monitoring began in 1980. More than 3300 people have died in custody since the late 1970’s, with most prison deaths attributed to natural causes, though suicide and self-harm remain ongoing concerns.

While deaths in custody are comparatively rare in Victoria, they remain tightly monitored. The Australian Institute of Criminology recorded 13 prison deaths statewide in 2023/24, with most years falling between eight and 15. Every case is subject to mandatory investigation by the Coroners Court of Victoria, including those at privately run prisons like Fulham, which operate under state oversight despite private management.

As Gippsland’s only major adult prison, Fulham Correctional Centre holds a unique place in the region’s justice system. The facility, just out of Sale, houses inmates from across eastern Victoria and beyond, and as one of the state’s few privately operated prisons, incidents there often draw heightened scrutiny locally. Despite private management, the prison operates under the oversight of Corrections Victoria.

Neither the Fulham facility or Corrections Victoria has actually specified which date in December McGregor’s death occurred, or even when he was found to be deceased.

Youth justice advocates have previously argued that younger inmates placed in adult facilities may face higher risks due to the different environment and support structures compared with youth detention.

A brief is required to be released from the Coroner’s office by April 8, 2026, under the same laws requiring an inquest be triggered by the events.