Getting help from a lawyer
There are lawyers who can help with prison law issues.
Lawyers can help with:
- Negotiating with your prison or Corrections Victoria on your behalf
- Making a complaint to an external complaint body on your behalf
- Taking legal action against your prison or Corrections Victoria
Private law firms
You usually need to pay money for a private lawyer to represent you. Sometimes law firms will represent people pro bono (for free), or no win no fee, which means you only pay the lawyer if you win money from your court case.
Free legal services
There are free legal services that can help some people with prison law issues. Two of those legal services are:
- Victoria Legal Aid – Prisoner Legal Help
- Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Scroll down for more details on each legal service.
Victoria Legal Aid – Prisoner Legal Help
- Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC)
- Port Phillip Prison
- Loddon Prison (Middleton Annex)
- Ravenhall Correctional Centre
- Dame Phyllis Frost Centre
People at these prisons can call about any type of legal issue, including prison law issues.
You can call Prisoner Legal Help from 9am – 3pm, Monday – Friday by:
- Entering your prisoner ID
- Dialing *18
Calls to Prisoner Legal Help are free of charge and have a maximum time of 12 minutes.
Calls to Prisoner Legal Help should not be recorded or monitored. If you call Prisoner Legal Help and hear a message that the call is being recorded, you should hang up and tell prison staff.
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
People who identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin can access free legal services from the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS). Prison law issues are handled by VALS’ Wirraway team.
You can contact Wirraway by phone, mail or email.
Phone
- Call 03 9418 5999
Calls to VALS are not free of charge, and VALS will need to be added to your phone list.
Wirraway
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
273 High St
Preston VIC 3072
- wirraway@vals.org.au