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What to Expect

Throughout their prison sentence, prisoners can keep in contact with family and friends through personal visits.

The minimum requirement for personal visits is:

• one contact visit of at least one hour per week for prisoners who are eligible for contact visits
• one non-contact visit of at least one hour per week for prisoners who are ineligible for contact visits.

Each prison publishes a 'Schedule of Prison Visiting Times' for contact and non-contact visits.

Entry requirements

All visitors must provide appropriate identification when entering a prison, or visiting a prisoner who is in hospital. These details are recorded in a visitors' register. Visitors must provide 100 points of identification to gain prison access. Anyone without satisfactory identification will not be permitted to enter the prison.

Satisfactory identification must be one of the following:

100 points

Current Drivers Licence, Correctional Services Pass, Consulate ID Card, Law Card, Valid Passport, Key Pass, Police member ID.

50 points

Sixty Plus Card, Birth Certificate, Australian Citizenship Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Defence Department ID, Government Authorised U16.

25 points

Medicare Card, Centrelink card, student card, credit card or bank book.

Visitors can only use one type of item in each category as part of their 100 point total, for example one credit card, not two.

All identification presented must be current.

Conditions of entry

All prison visitors are subject to the orders of the prison's General Manager who may enforce conditions or constraints which they believe are necessary for the management, good order and security of the prison.

It is an offence to disobey a lawful order by the prison's General Manager or a Prison Officer, and may result in the visitor being banned from entering a prison.

Person or property searches

The prison's General Manager may require prison visitors to have either their person or property searched. A visitor who refuses to be searched may be allowed to have a non-contact or supervised visit with the prisoner, unless the prison's General Manager has reasonable grounds to believe that the visitor is attempting to introduce banned substances into the prison.