Prison privileges

Every year the Secretary of the Department of Justice and Community Safety approves a list of privileges in prisons. Privileges are things that can be taken away from people in prison for punishment.

The current list of privileges that is valid up until 31 December 2024 is:

• Access to private money
• Access to special spends
• Access to full canteen spends and canteen spend items other than essential toiletries
• Access to telephone calls, not including:
  • Your lawyer
  • The Victoria Ombudsman
  • The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC)
  • The Victorian Inspectorate; the Commission for Children and Young Persons
  • The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
  • The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commissioner
  • The Health Complaints Commissioner
  • A person acting on behalf of one of the above organisations
  • Any other free call number on the ARUNTA system
• Access to all in-cell electrical appliances
  • Other than a jug/kettle, radio and fan – although these can be taken away in a disciplinary hearing if the prison offence is about misusing or deliberately damaging these items
• Access to television, including DVD/videotapes where available
• Access to shared unit computers and unit electronic games consoles
• Access to spor and recreational activities
• Access to hobby activities and items
• Access to extended out-of-cell hours or night activities, where offered
• Access to personal in-cell property that is more than 50 points
• Association with other prisoners at the same prison location who are subject to the same regime
• Access to full out-of-cell hours as approved for the prison

Important: these privileges may not apply to:

• People in management or high security units (these people must be given access to hot beverages);
• People on an intermediate regime.