In addition to visiting a prisoner incarcerated in one of the Queensland correctional facilities, you’re also allowed to contact a prisoner. There are a number of methods you can take to contact a prisoner housed in Queensland correctional facilities.
Of course, there are some rules about what kind of contact that you can have with a prisoner. You can contact a prisoner by sending a letter, but you cannot make a phone call, unless a prisoner calls you. If you want to contact your loved one in prison, you may wonder what methods you can take. No worries! You can just dive into our post to find the guide.
How to Contact a Prisoner Housed in QLD Correctional Facilities?
There are two methods you can take to contact a prisoner that is incarcerated in Queensland correctional facilities. Keep in mind, you cannot make a phone call to contact a prisoner, but they may be able to phone you.
Instead, you can take the following methods to contact your loved one in prison:
Method 1: Sending Letters
You can really send a letter to a prisoner and can also receive a response, if a prisoner replies to your letter. It is known that there is no limit to the numbers of letters you can send to or receive from a prisoner.
Of course, all normal letters will be searched for contraband, but it’s not censored, unless authorised by the person in charge of the prison. The mail must only contain letters and approved family photographs.
If your mail is approved, you can then send religious reading materials, court clothing and even underwear through the mail. For more information, any mail considered a threat to security or safety will be seized and the sender may be charged for mailing illegal items.
Method 2: Phone Calls
Even though you cannot make a phone call, in emergency situations, QLD correctional facilities will pass a message onto them. The prisoner can then ask to have your phone number put on their approved call list. Then, a prisoner can phone you. Keep in mind, your calls will be recorded.
Okay, those are two methods to contact a prisoner incarcerated in one of the Queensland correctional facilities.
How to Find a Prisoner?
You can find the location where a prisoner is housed in one of the Queensland correctional facilities by making a phone call or sending an email to Queensland Corrective Service. Well, you can also visit the Prison Location Map to find the location of a prison here.
You definitely can zoom in and zoom out the map to find the exact location of a prison. Aside from that, you can also search for the location of a prison by entering the location or postcode in the available bar. Afterwards, you can click on the ‘Compass’ icon button to continue searching for the location of a prison.
1. After Arrest
If you want to contact the offenders after being arrested by police, you can make a phone call to Policelink at 131 444 to figure out whether they are being held in a watch house or not.
It is known that the offenders may be held in the local watch house before appearing in court, when the police arrest and charge someone with a criminal offence. People who are sentenced to a term of imprisonment by the court may also be held in a police watch house for several days before being transferred to a prison.
2. After being Moved to Prison
If you want to contact the people who are being moved to prison, you can find out where they are housed by:
- Using the search for prisoner form
- Sending an email to prisonerlocations@corrections.qld.gov.au.
- Other prisoner related queries: StatewideOperationsCommunications@corrections.qld.gov.au
How to Visit a Prison with a Biometric System?
If you make a phone call to a centre to book a visit, the staff will enter some details into the biometric system to make a visit booking. You will need to follow the usual visit application process if this is your first time visiting a centre. It actually includes filling in a Form 27 and having a criminal history check.
To use the biometric system, you need to register for biometric. If you report to visitor reception for your first visit, they will then enrol you on the biometric system. Of course, it involves doing a finger scan, checking your personal identification documents and taking a photo of your face.
After you have been enrolled in the biometric system, you can then come to the prison at your appointment time. If you put your finger on the scanning pad, it will bring up your photo and also details.
Afterwards, staff will then check your identity and confirm your visit booking. Then, they will give you a table and locked number. The staff will conduct a drug search before going through the secure entrance.
Here, you can put your finger on another scanning pad. After the system has verified your identity, the door will then open and you can enter the prison. Once you’ve completed your visit, your finger will be scanned when you leave the prison.
Need to know, your biometric information will be stored at the prison and in a central computer database. They will store the data locally at each prison, so that large groups of visitors can quickly enter.
If you have to visit a number of prisoners, your data is stored in the central database. Well, the central database will give us a backup for the data stored in prison databases. They actually hold biometric information and personal details for at least 2 years once your last visit to a prison.
Well, the personal information that is stored in the biometric system is private and protected by law. Only authorized corrective services staff can access the database. It is such an offence if they wrongly release any personal information.
For more information, the biometric system is not linked to any other database. For example, fingerprint templates cannot be matched against actual fingerprint records that are held by the police. Additionally, this system cannot also convert your template back into a fingerprint image either.
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