Recommendation 169

This recommendation is assigned to CSNSW.

Recommendation

That where it is found to be impossible to place a prisoner in the prison nearest to his or her family sympathetic consideration should be given to providing financial assistance to the family, to visit the prisoner from time to time.

Context

The Royal Commission report stated that correctional services should recognise the importance of visits from family and friends in the development of a humane and sensitive environment and in the rehabilitation of the prisoner. The Commission considered that cost implications of new schemes relating to family visits should be balanced against the contribution to the management and welfare of prisoners as well as security considerations for particular institutions. Recommendation 169 is directed providing opportunities for inmates families to be supported financially to visit from time to time.

Detail of implementation

Funded Partnerships Initiatives

CSNSW funds limited travel assistance for people visiting a family member in prison where they are eligible for some reimbursement for the cost of fuel, fares and/ or accommodation. The COPP section 9.2 Application for financial assistance for families of inmates outlines the criteria and procedures for applying for travel assistance and is publicly available on the CSNSW website.

The Community Restorative Centre (CRC) is funded by CSNSW to provide travel and accommodation assistance through financial reimbursement to eligible applicants to visit an inmate in a NSW correctional centre. To be eligible for the funding the applicant:

• must be aged 18 years or older
• must be a member of the inmate’s immediate family, support network, a friend or have a kinship relationship
• receive a Commonwealth (e.g. Centrelink) benefit, or are experiencing financial hardships and must be able to provide proof on request
•  live more than 100km away from the centre where the inmate is housed, or if they live less than 100 km away, personal circumstances prevent them from visiting
• travel assistance has not been previously claimed within the last 12 weeks.

Reimbursement from CRC for travelling expenses may include those incurred from train and bus fares, fuel that is purchased within two days of the visit, and taxi fares where public transport or other suitable alternative is not available. Financial assistance may also be provided by CRC for accommodation expenses in cases where travelling distance or personal circumstances suggest that accommodation is required.

Family, Friends and Children’s Visitor Support Service (FF&CVSS)

The Family, Friends and Children’s Visitor Support Service (FF&CVSS) is a service provided under the Offender’s Children and Family stream of the Funded Partnership Initiative (FPI). Service is provided by SHINE for Kids. There are a number of services to be provided including the operation of Family, Friends and Children's Visitor Support Centres which are located at several metropolitan and regional correctional centres:

• Silverwater Correctional Complex
• John Morony Correctional Complex
• Long Bay Correctional Complex - In-reach Services
• Bathurst Correctional Centre
• Cessnock Correctional Centre
• Goulburn Correctional Centre
• Mid North Coast Correctional Centre
• South Coast Correctional Centre
• Wellington Correctional Centre

A range of other services will be provided, including supporting children during visits and facilitating Child/Parent Activity Days, which enable children to have a higher quality visit with the inmate-parent.

Some others include:

• Operation of the Family, Friends and Children’s Visitor Support Centre for a minimum of five (5) hours per day, three (3) days per week across nominated locations
• Child/parent activity days within some correctional centres
• Correctional Centre in-visits program to provide diversionary activities for children during correctional centre visits
• Supervision and support for children, as arranged with parent/carer, who will be leaving the visits area while their parent/carer remains with the inmate (only at locations with Family Friends and Children’s Visitor Support Centres)
• Support and information to family, friends and children visitors

Offender tablets

The potential benefits of providing digital services in NSW Correctional centres were first identified in 2016. The promise of this technology was to employ in cell technology to transform the offender environment by:

• promoting personal autonomy and responsibility
• extending access to programs, services, and information
• supporting pro-social family contact
• encouraging constructive use of “in-cell” time
• enhancing program effectiveness through multi-modal delivery
•  improving staff efficiency and productivity through the reduction of routine administrative tasks and basic enquiries.

An initial pilot of offender tablets at John Morony and Dillwynia was paid for via a Technology Innovation Fund established under the Offender Telephone System contract for the Department of Communities and Justice at no cost to the public or government.

Following the successful pilot, Offender Tablets have been made available to 27 public and one privately operated (Junee) correctional centres. There are approximately 12,100 offender tablets available for inmates as at January 2025.  

In addition, there are 1,200 offender devices available at Clarence Correctional Centre, which were funded by the operator of that centre.

There are an additional 800 Internet Protocol Televisions (IPTV) available at the rapid build centres, Macquarie and Hunter.

This level of expansion has been made possible by an allocation from the NSW Government Digital Restart Fund.  

An important feature of the new technology is the capacity to maintain contact with family and friends during lock in times. As at 10 January 2025, over 17.278 million calls have been made to approved family and friends, legal contacts, and approved services, via the offender tablets, totalling 1,942,846 hours of talk time.

In a study conducted by Corrections Research Evaluation and Statistics unit in 2022, 'Implementing digital technologies in prisons: A qualitative study of inmate experiences' Inmates reported that access to the tablets had both direct and indirect positive impacts on their experience of life in prison, including improving their relationships in and out of prison, providing them with a greater sense of autonomy, and enhancing their overall wellbeing.

Evidence

• Implementing digital technologies in prisons: Inmate uptake and perceived value of in-cell digital tablets (PDF, 530.1 KB)
• SHINE for kids programs website