Family member or friend of a prisoner

Finding a prisoner

If your family member or friend is in prison and you don’t know where they are, you can find out their location by contacting:

• Corrective Services NSW Inmate Location Line  on (02) 8346 1000 between 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. You must confirm your identity and provide the name and date of birth or name and Master Index Number (MIN) 
• or by emailing CScorporatesupport@dcj.nsw.gov.au.

They will only tell you the location of the inmate.

For more information, see Find an inmate on the Corrective Services NSW website.

Visiting a prisoner

You will need to make a booking if you want to arrange to visit a prisoner. To book a visit, contact the correctional centre by telephone. Contact details for Correctional Centres are on the Corrective Services NSW website.

When you make a booking you will be asked the name of the inmate and the inmate's Master Index Number (MIN).

For your first visit you will be asked to provide identification such as a drivers licence.

You should check the local rules of a centre - they may specify what you can and can't take with you.

Visitors can't take wallets, purses or mobile telephones into the visits area.

If you need to take prescription medication, for example an asthma puffer, you will need to complete a form called an Application for Special Medical Consideration which is available from an officer.

Don't take any prohibited items into the complex, including the car park. Penalties may apply if these are found in your possession.

In some circumstances, Corrective Services NSW may provide financial assistance for travel and accommodation or support and professional services. 

For more information, see Family and Community Support on the Corrective Services NSW website.

For further information, see Visit an inmate on the Corrective Services NSW website. There is also a Visits App for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Video calls

You can also arrange to speak with a friend or family member who is in prison via video call. This can be booked online using the JUSTConnect online booking system. 

The video call might take place within sight of a correctional officer. It may be monitored or recorded.

For more information about video appointments with prisoners, see JUST Connect for family and friends on the Corrective Services NSW website.

Support services

There are various support services available to families of prisoners. If you need assistance with transport for children to and from a correctional centre, you can contact Shine for Kids.

Support services are also provided by Community Restorative Centre (CRC), a community organisation in NSW dedicated to supporting prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families and friends.

Friends and family of prisoners can contact Prisoners Legal Service (PLS) on 02 9066 6046 between 9am and 5pm. However, PLS may be limited in the personal information they can disclose to friends or family of prisoners.

In some circumstances, Corrective Services NSW may provide financial assistance for travel and accommodation or support and professional services.

For more information, see Family and Community Support on the Corrective Services NSW website.

Complaints and Transfers

You can assist a client of Legal Aid NSW to make a complaint or a transfer request, if they have provided consent to speak with you on their behalf.

Legal Aid has strict guidelines about what is expected of private lawyers who undertake work on our behalf. Should a lawyer not meet that standard, or they behave in a way that seems unethical or unprofessional, we are happy to speak with you (or the prisoner directly) about those concerns.

You and the prisoner can then decide if a transfer to a new lawyer and or a complaint is the best course of action.

For more information, see Complaints.