Communication between prisoners and their legal representatives can occur in a variety of ways:
You can visit the prisoner in custody;
you can send a letter to (or receive a letter from) the prisoner; or
you can ask the prisoner to telephone you.
It is not possible for the Prison Service to facilitate telephone calls from legal representatives to their clients, unless extenuating circumstances exist (e.g. you are based in Hobart and you are representing a client who is accommodated in Launceston).
In such circumstances, please telephone the Prisoner Support Unit on (03) 6216 8016 to request assistance.
If your client is in custody, it is recommended that you ask them to list your business telephone number on their phone list.
Upon arrival at a prison, many prisoners routinely request to add legal representatives to their phone lists, however this is not automatically the case, and to minimise delays in communication it is recommended that you advise your client accordingly.
Mail from prisoners' legal representatives is not opened unless staff are concerned about the legitimacy of either the contents or the sender (e.g. potentially fictional law firm identified on the envelope; contents other than documents obviously contained in envelope, etc).
In these very rare cases, the letter is opened by an officer in the presence of the relevant prisoner, and this action is documented. This procedure is outlined in Prison Service Director's Standing Order 4.2.
If you wish to visit your client in custody, please call the relevant prison to arrange an appropriate time. You must also produce appropriate identification when you visit the prison.
If it is not possible for you to establish contact with your client, you may wish to make contact via facsimile on (03) 6216 8040.
However, please note that Prison Service officers are not authorised to handle complex legal paperwork such as serving papers or collecting affidavits, and any faxed communication should be brief and kept to less than two pages.
