Stopping and censoring mail

The General Manager or a prison staff member they choose can stop or censor mail, so long as it is not exempt mail.

The laws about stopping and censoring non-exempt mail come from section 47D of the Corrections Act 1986 (Vic).

Stopping mail means stopping either a whole letter, or the whole or part of a parcel from being sent or received by a person in prison.

Censoring mail means blocking out parts of a letter that is sent or received by a person in prison.

Non-exempt mail can only be stopped or censored when the General Manager or staff member they choose believes the letter or parcel:

• Is a threat to prison security
• May be a threat to the good order, management or security of the prison
• May be threatening or harassing
• May be used for an unlawful activity or purpose
• Contains indecent, abusive, threatening or offensive material (using writing or pictures)
• May be distressing or traumatic to a victim (using writing or pictures)
• Contains an indecent or offensive item or substance
• Would breach the restriction on changes of name applications without approval

Important: the General Manager or prison staff member may notify the person in prison about the issues with a letter and give them the opportunity to re-write it.

Part 4.07 of the Deputy Commissioner’s Instructions gives examples of letter content that may be censored:

• Plans for sending contraband in or out of the prison
• Plans for criminal activity
• Instructions for the manufacture of weapons, drugs, or drug paraphernalia, or alcohol
• Threats like blackmail or extortion
• Plans for escape or unauthorised entry
• Coded content or language the prison officer cannot understood by the reader and suspected of containing any of the above
• Indecent, abusive, threatening or offensive written or pictorial matter, or an indecent, obscene or offensive article or substance
• An application to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to register a prisoner’s name change if that has not been approved by the Secretary

Other examples include:

• Mail sent to activate a social media account
• Contact with the media that has not been approved

Notification of stopped or censored mail

If your letter is censored, you must be notified and the details of the parts censored must be shown to you.

If mail sent to you is stopped or thrown out, you must be notified unless the General Manager or staff member they choose thinks it would be a breach of prison security.