Victorian justice reforms that include loosening the nation's toughest bail laws will be introduced in the first half of the year.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said his government had been working on a raft of changes for some time but they had not been fully discussed at cabinet.
There will be a greater distinction between granting bail to violent and non-violent offenders and a bigger emphasis on prisoner welfare.
The changes could apply to all prisoners regardless of their gender but further details have not been made public.
It comes a day after coroner Simon McGregor's damning findings following the death of an Indigenous woman in custody.
Coroner Simon McGregor declared Veronica Nelson's death in January 2020 was preventable and found corrections failed to provide her with adequate health care.
Mr McGregor handed down 39 recommendations, including an urgent review of the state's bail act - widely known as the toughest in the country.
"Veronica Nelson should be alive today, she's not, for that we are truly sorry," Mr Andrews told reporters in Glenroy on Tuesday.
"We will not waste a moment in responding in full to the findings that the Coroner has handed down."
The state government made changes to the Bail Act in 2018 under expert advice in response to the 2017 Bourke Street massacre.
Mr Andrews said reforms had to strike a balance between the reasons they were introduced and the coroner's findings, which included concerns about medical care given to Ms Nelson.
"(It's) not just about the way the laws are written, it's about the way services were delivered - or in this case, not in fact delivered," he said.
It's unclear whether bail reforms would apply to those already in custody.
The Victorian opposition has said it would consider any sensible proposals, as long as they did not put community safety at risk.
Ms Nelson died alone in her cell at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in January 2020.
The 37-year-old Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman died from complications of Wilkie's syndrome, in a setting of withdrawal from heroin.
Mr McGregor also raised grave concerns about the monitoring of deaths in custody by the Corrections Department, including what he described as a "disturbing 'don't ask, don't tell' arrangement" between departments.
He said if Ms Nelson's death had not proceeded to a coronial inquest, the internal report, death in custody report and formal debrief would have remained as the only official investigations into her passing.
He also pointed to a debrief following Ms Nelson's death, chaired by Governor of the Marngoneet Correctional Centre, Pat McCormick, who closed the meeting applauding the efforts of prison staff.
"After reviewing the incident pack I can't see much that could have been improved," Mr McCormick had said.
"Maybe this incident would not have been handled as well at a different prison. The difference between good and poor prisons is the way you treat the prisoners."
Mr McGregor noted in the 12 months after Ms Nelson's death four more women died at the same jail, including one woman who was also Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
He also referred the prison's healthcare provider, Correct Care, to prosecutors for criminal charges because it failed to prevent a risk to the health and safety of non-employees.
Correct Care has acknowledged the coroner's findings and will review them, a spokesperson told AAP.
Corrections Victoria will consider all recommendations and had already stared to implement changes, according to Corrections Commissioner Larissa Strong.
"We take the care and wellbeing of all those in custody extremely seriously. However it is clear that we must do better," Ms Strong said.
