Follow-up: Contact with family and others while in custody

Contact with and connection to family and friends are key factors to maintaining the wellbeing of people in custody and for their rehabilitation prospects (Taylor, et al., 2023). Given its importance to prisoner wellbeing and successful reintegration, in 2018 this Office examined whether the Department of Justice (the Department) was meeting its responsibility to ensure …

Important positive and negative changes have occurred since 2018 Since our 2018 review, there have been significant shifts in how people in custody maintain contact with their families. A notable improvement is the introduction of a flat call rate that includes mobile calls, making phone communication more affordable, even as the prison telephone system approaches …

While there have been some positive developments in facilitating family contact for people in custody since our review, the Department must address some significant remaining barriers. Social visits have declined, access to phones is still limited, and remandees face reduced entitlements. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing staff shortages have further disrupted visit availability and quality. …

Recommendation 1 Provide support to people in custody and their family members to increase the use of e-visit technology, including with an information package and support when technical issues arise.