Page 2496 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 August 2015

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Contraband seizures from visitor entry can, and often are, a result of intelligence work by the ACT Corrective Services Intelligence Unit. Where visitors are identified as concealing contraband on their person it is typically voluntarily surrendered to ACT Corrective Services.

(3) The types of contraband seized were:

• cash;

• makeshift weapons;

• electronics (mobile phones/chargers/USBs);

• illicit substances; and

• cigarette lighters

(4) In accordance with the Corrections Management (Possession of Prohibited Things) Policy 2012, any person attempting to introduce a non-authorised prohibited thing into the AMC or found in the possession of a non-authorised prohibited thing, may be subject to confiscation of the item, denial of visit, removal from the correctional centre, referral to the police; with the penalty proportionate to the circumstances and prohibited item.

Various courses of action occurred in relation to the contraband seizures from visitor entry referenced in table 1. In each instance where a visitor was found to have an illicit substance on their person the matter was referred to ACT Policing.

To identify the course of action for each other occasion, for example in the instances of seizing cigarette lighters and/or cash, would require ACT Corrective Services to interrogate manual records, placing an unreasonable time and resource impost on the organisation.

(5) The Member was provided with the data requested for the period 1 January to 31 March 2014 and 1 April to 30 June 2014 in response to the Member’s Question on Notice No. 321 of 2014. As such the data is provided for the remaining requested periods as outlined in table 3.

An additional quarter has also been provided to provide a complete financial year:

Table 2 – Contraband seizures in the AMC

(6) As noted in response to part 4 of the Member’s question, the items seized range from makeshift weapons, electronics, illicit substances, cigarette lighters but also includes items such as excess food, and unauthorised property (such as excess clothing or prescription medication).

(7) Detainees found to be in possession of contraband are subject to disciplinary action as set out in the Corrections Management Act 2007. Penalties applied can range from the withdrawal of privileges to separate confinement. More serious matters, such as instances where mobile phones or illicit substances are seized, may be referred to police. While ACT Corrective Services takes referral of these matters very seriously, it can be difficult to determine ownership of contraband to an individual detainee, for example where items are seized in a shared cell or in common areas of accommodation units, thus making it difficult for police to prosecute an offence.

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