Australian Capital Territory
Corrections Management (Contraband) Policy 2007*
Notifiable instrument NI2007-450
made under the  
Corrections Management Act 2007, section 14(1) (Corrections policies and operating procedures)

1	Name of instrument
This instrument is the Corrections Management (Contraband) Policy 2007.
2	Commencement 
This instrument commences on the day after it is notified.
3	Policies and operating procedures

Under section 14 of the Corrections Management Act 2007 (the Act), I make the
CONTRABAND POLICY

in Schedule 1 to this instrument, to facilitate the effective and efficient management of correctional services.

James Ryan
Executive Director 
ACT Corrective Services
17 December 2007

Belconnen Remand Centre (BRC)
Symonston Temporary Remand Centre (STRC)
Court Transport Unit (CTU)

Contraband Policy

Purpose
Authority
Policy
Principles
Prohibited items
Prisoners
Visitors
Corrections Officers and other employees/contractors
Seized articles
Forms/Templates
Related policies and procedures

Purpose
To identify items designated as contraband within the BRC/STRC.

Authority
Legislation
Corrections Management Act 2007, sections 14, 81 and 82

Policy
1	Principles

1.1	Items are prohibited if there are reasonable grounds for believing they are illegal, potentially dangerous, or prejudicial to the health of any person or to the security or good order of the BRC/STRC.

1.2	Possession of a prohibited article is an offence under section 82(1) of the Corrections Management Act 2007.

1.2.1	Any prisoner found to be in possession of a prohibited article will have that article confiscated and the possession investigated.

1.2.2	Any visitor found to be in possession of a prohibited article will be asked to store or dispose of the article.  Refusal to comply with this direction will result in further action, including the denial of the visit, banning of the visitor, or involvement of the Australian Federal Police.

1.2.2.1	The storage or disposal of the article is at the discretion of the Duty Chief following an assessment of the article and the circumstances.

2	Prohibited items

2.1	Prisoners

2.1.1	The following items may not be possessed by a prisoner at the BRC/STRC:
•	mobile phones and accessories, including but not limited to SIM cards, batteries, chargers and earpieces;
•	intoxicating liquor (commercial or homemade);
•	drugs and other illegal substances;
•	implements used for administering drugs and illegal substances  – including but not limited to hypodermic equipment, cones, bongs, etc;
•	prescription drugs other than those authorised by medical staff;
•	any implement designed as or able to be used as a weapon or to assist in aiding an escape;
•	scissors, firearms, knives, any cutting blade, and replicas of the aforementioned;
•	tattoo guns (commercial or homemade);
•	property belonging to another person; 
•	cigarette lighters;
•	aerosol spray canisters;
•	non-commercial compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs) other than those authorised for the storage of computer files;
•	recording devices of any format (including MP3 players);
•	currency;
•	explosives or explosive devices (commercial or homemade);
•	paint – other than when approved for hobbies or industries;
•	oil – other than when approved for industries;
•	acid;
•	glue – other than when approved for hobbies or industries;
•	herbicide/fungicide/insecticide – other than when approved for industries;
•	keys (commercial manufacture or homemade), except cell/room privacy key; and
•	R-rated magazines.

2.2	Visitors

2.2.1	Visitors to prisoners may not be in possession of the following things at any time:
•	intoxicating liquor (commercial or homemade);
•	drugs and other illegal substances;
•	implements used for administering drugs and illegal substances  – including but not limited to hypodermic equipment, cones, bongs, etc;
•	any implement designed as or able to be used as a weapon or to assist in aiding an escape;
•	scissors, firearms, knives, any cutting blade, and replicas of the aforementioned;
•	tattoo guns (commercial or homemade); and
•	explosives or explosive devices (commercial or homemade).

2.2.1.1	The following items may not be brought past the foyer by a visitor to a prisoner:
•	mobile phones and accessories, including but not limited to SIM cards, batteries, chargers and earpieces;
•	prescription drugs other than those authorised by a medical practitioner and used for emergency treatment of a medical condition (e.g. asthma inhalers, angina medication).  Only an amount that may be reasonable given the length of the visit will be permitted;
•	cigarette lighters;
•	aerosol spray canisters;
•	non-commercial compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs) other than those authorised for the storage of computer files;
•	recording devices of any format (including MP3 players);
•	currency;
•	paint;
•	oil;
•	acid;
•	glue;
•	herbicide/fungicide/insecticide;
•	keys (commercial manufacture or homemade), except for visitor’s locker; and
•	R-rated magazines.

2.3	Corrections Officers and other employees/contractors

2.3.1	Corrections Officers may not bring the following items past the ‘three door’ at BRC or the ‘bottom door’ at STRC:
•	mobile phones and accessories, including but not limited to SIM cards, batteries, chargers and earpieces;
•	prescription drugs other than those authorised by a medical practitioner;
•	non-commercial compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs) other than those authorised for the storage of computer files;
•	recording devices of any format (including MP3 players); and
•	R-rated magazines.

3	Seized articles

3.1	Under section 129 of the Corrections Management Act 2007 a written receipt must be issued for all items seized or otherwise confiscated.

3.2	The Seized Article Receipt must be issued to a prisoner or visitor from whom an article has been seized.

3.2.1	This includes any article that has been seized because it has been deemed to be contraband.

Forms/Templates 
Officer’s Report Form
Seized Article Receipt 

Related policies and procedures
Incident Reporting Policy
Incident Reporting Procedure
Prisoner Property Policy
Prisoner Property Procedure
Searching Policy
Searching Procedure