Prisoner

Legal advice

You can talk to a lawyer about your legal matters.

You can ask the Functional Manager or SAPO (Services and Programs Officer) at your gaol to help you contact Legal Aid NSW.

If you need advice about parole or prison issues, or if you have a criminal law enquiry, you can also call Legal Aid by dialling #2 on the Common Auto Dial List (CADL). If you have a lawyer assigned to your criminal law matter through a grant of aid, you need to add their phone number to your phone card to be able to call them – Legal Aid will not transfer your call.

If you need help with a civil law or family law issue, you can book an appointment with a lawyer from Legal Aid NSW. To do this, dial #2 on the CADL.

If you need an interpreter, please tell us this when you speak with us.

If Legal Aid is representing you at court and you haven't spoken to your lawyer before court, your lawyer may call you by phone on the morning of court or come and see you in the cells before your matter is mentioned in court. It is very important that you attend all legal conferences with your lawyer before court to make sure you are ready for your matter. 

If you want information about when or where your matter is listed in court, please look at the kiosk function on your tablet or call the Corrective Services Support Line by dialling #1 on the CADL.

Criminal law

The Parole and Prevention Orders Legal Service (PPO) gives advice, minor assistance and representation for:

• hearings at the State Parole Authority
• life sentence redeterminations
• segregation appeals
• visiting magistrate hearings
• high risk offender applications.

The PPO can also give free advice and minor assistance with:

• parole
• classification
• other prison issues.

PPO lawyers can visit prisoners in all NSW gaols. This can be in person or by video or telephone conferences.

For more information, see Parole and Prevention Orders Legal Service .

Family law

Legal Aid NSW gives a free advice service, by appointment only, for help with family law matters, including:

• child protection (when children are, or will be, removed by DCJ, formerly known as DoCS)
• adoption
• parenting disputes
• mediations post-release
• child support
• divorce
• dividing the family home and property when a relationship ends.

If you need help with a family law issue, you can book an appointment with a lawyer from Legal Aid. To do this, dial #2 on the CADL and ask for a booking with a family lawyer.

For more information, see My family or relationship.

Civil law

Prisoners Civil Law Service at Legal Aid NSW (PCLS) gives legal advice and assistance to people in prison with civil law issues, including:

• Centrelink issues
• complaints about government departments
• consumer disputes and debts
• discrimination complaints
• fines and Work and Development Orders (WDOs)
• healthcare and medication complaints
• housing matters, including all social housing matters (e.g. rental disputes, permission for absence from dwelling and NCAT matters)
• victims compensation restitution debts
• victims support payments
• wrongdoing by prison guard or police (including assault, excessive force, false imprisonment).

For more information, see the Prisoners Civil Law Service.

Make a complaint or request a new lawyer

If you have a complaint about a Legal Aid NSW lawyer, or a private lawyer who is representing you on behalf of Legal Aid NSW, please call Legal Aid NSW (#2 on the CADL).

If you want to change your lawyer, you need to speak to the Legal Aid Grants Administration team. They will record the details of the request and help you to find a solution. A transfer is not always possible. You will need to have good reasons for why your matter should be re-assigned to a different lawyer. You should try to put these reasons in writing if you can.

If you have a complaint about how you are being treated by Corrections or Youth Justice, you can speak to a Legal Aid lawyer by dialling #2 on the CADL or call the NSW Ombudsman (#8 on the CADL).

If you have a complaint about an urgent medical issue, contact the Corrective Service Support Line (#1 of the CADL).

Your rights in gaol

You have rights when you are in gaol. This includes your right to:

• have visitors in line with the rules of your gaol
• send and receive letters in line with the rules of your gaol
• access legal information
• access confidential help from a lawyer
• ask to apply for bail once and ask again if your situation changes
• present your own evidence and cross-examine witnesses
• request a review of your security classification
• request a review of your gaol placement
• request a review of segregation orders
• access medical, dental and mental health care
• join educational classes or training programs if your segregation allows for it and this is available
• be free from discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, religion or disability
• make complaints if you are mistreated
• report a crime to police and access victims support, if you are the victim of a sexual or violent crime in gaol.

For more information, see Your rights in gaol.

Remand

Being on remand means a person has been charged with a crime and is kept in custody while they wait for their court appearance. 

In New South Wales, a person who has been charged and detained by NSW Police or Corrective Services NSW can apply for bail while waiting for their court case to be finalised. If you want to apply for bail, you should speak to your lawyer.

When the court decides whether to release you on bail, the court considers factors like:

• the seriousness of the offence
• the strength of the prosecution case
• the risk of you not returning to court
• your ties to the community
• the safety of the community if you were released. 

If the court grants you bail, the court may also impose a number of conditions such as living at a particular address, reporting to police or curfew conditions. You must comply with all the conditions that are imposed on you.

If you do not have a residential address or if your address is outside New South Wales, it may be hard to get bail. However, you may be able to overcome these challenges if you prepare. For example, you may be able to find temporary accommodation that you can live in during the period that you are on bail.

For more information, see I am in prison on remand.

Fines

If you are in gaol, you may be able to ask for your overdue fine(s) to be put on hold until you are out of custody.

You will need to fill out an Inmate Request for Information form.

You can get a copy of this from the Forms page on the Revenue NSW website.

Sample: Inmate Request for Information [PDF, 180KB]

You can also use this form to ask for copies of your overdue fine(s).

If you would prefer for a relative or friend to act on your behalf when dealing with Revenue NSW, you can complete the 'Authority to Act' section of the form.

If Revenue NSW is told by Corrective Services NSW that you are in custody, they will generally suspend any debt recovery action against you, unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

If your application is accepted, this won't affect other penalties that came with the fine, like a licence suspension.

For more information, see What if I do nothing?

Parole

Parole allows you to be released from gaol after your non-parole period has been served. You would serve the remainder of your sentence in the community. Whether you are entitled to parole depends on a number of factors, including the sentence you are serving. If you have questions about parole, you can speak to a lawyer from Legal Aid NSW. To do this, dial #2 on the CADL and ask to speak to a criminal lawyer. 

If you are released on parole, you are not completely free. You must follow all parole conditions that you are given.  

If you are serving less than three years in prison, you will be automatically released on statutory parole by the court when your non-parole period expires. The only situation where this might not occur is when the State Parole Authority (SPA) revokes your parole prior to your release. This is rare. It can only happen if :

1. there has been a substantial change in circumstances, or
2. the SPA believes you are a serious risk to the community or yourself that cannot be addressed by the directions of NSW Community Corrections, where there has been a substantial change in circumstances, or
3. you request it.

If you are serving more than three years and one day in prison, SPA will decide whether to grant you parole.

For more information, see Parole.

The Child Protection Register

The Child Protection Register (CPR) is a confidential database maintained by NSW Police. It records the names of people who have been found guilty of certain sexual offences against a child, or for the kidnapping, manslaughter or murder of a child. These offences are called Registable Offences. The CPR helps police monitor these individuals to protect children and prevent further harm.

If you are sentenced for a Registerable Offence, the court that sentences you must make orders under the relevant CPR laws when sentencing you. The court must specify what the conditions of the order are, as well as the length of time that you are subject to the orders. The court must also give you a copy of the order.

People on the CPR must follow strict rules, like reporting to police and giving the police personal details like where you live and work. You must ensure this information is up to date at all times.

It is important that you read the orders that you are given and understand what you must do to avoid breaching the orders. Breaching your CPR orders is a criminal offence that can be punished by a fine, up to 5 years' prison or both. If you are unsure about what your orders mean, you can speak to a lawyer from Legal Aid NSW. To do this, dial #2 on the CADL and ask to speak to a criminal lawyer.

For more information, see The Child Protection Register.

Last updated: February 2026