B.11.01.R4 Nationally Prohibited Items (National Requirement)

National Requirement

Nationally Prohibited Items that prisoners must not have access to within prisons are in accordance with sections 3 (unauthorised items) and 43(2) of the Corrections Act. The Nationally Prohibited items are:

1. Items that may be used to injure the prisoner or any other person or to damage property, including:
   1. Aerosol cans and products;
   2. Firearms, knives and other weapons;
   3. Martial arts equipment and material;
   4. Boxing equipment and material.
2. Items that may be used to record security features or actions in the prison, including:
   1. Video cameras or electronic devices;
   2. Tape recorders, except those without microphones or which are otherwise incapable of recording (but may provide "dubbing" functions);
   3. Cameras and photographic equipment.
3. Items that may be used to circumvent practices or procedures in the prison, including:
   1. Any electronic device (other than a device used to assist with a disability) capable of transmitting sound, computing information, functioning as a telephone (including a cellular or mobile telephone or any other means of communication) or communicating in any other way using any technology (including telecommunications, radio-communication, internet, broadcasting technology) or
   2. Any part of an electronic device (e.g. SIM card) regardless of whether the part is capable of any of the actions specified in (a) above; and, is detachable and may be used in other electronic communication devices and includes any device that enables or facilitates the functioning of an electronic communication device (for example, a recharger or charging device) except telephones designated for prisoners' use or where use is authorised by the Prison Manager.
   3. Chewing gum and bubble gum;
   4. Stockpiling or trading of phone cards for purchase or supply to family and friends;
   5. Blue tack.
4. Items that are restricted by an Act of Parliament or Regulation, Department of Corrections Policy, or restricted by other government organisations such as the Office of Film and Literature Classification, including:
   1. Pornography;
   2. Drugs;
   3. Films, videos, publications, pictures, and posters that are considered by the Prison Manager to be objectionable.
5. Materials that could assist prisoners to learn new ways of committing offences or continue their offending, including:
   1. Pyrotechnics;
   2. Weapons manufacture;
   3. Drug manufacture;
   4. Martial arts equipment and material;
   5. Gambling equipment and material
6. Items that may interfere with the effective management of the prison, including:
   1. Electrical appliances such as electric heaters and microwaves;
   2. Tattooing materials;
   3. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TV sets with a sound system exceeding 6 Watts RMS (Root Mean Squared) or, if CRT TV sets are unavailable, an equivalent sized Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or Plasma TV sets, unless the Prison Manager agrees that a television set with a sound system exceeding 6 Watts RMS (Root Mean Squared) may be retained; and with a screen size not exceeding 43 cm viewable /17 inches. However the Prison Manager may permit a TV set with a large screen, with a sound system not exceeding 6 Watts RMS (Root Mean Squared) in a cell, if the Prison Manager is satisfied a prisoner's eyesight is so impaired they would benefit from a larger size screen.
   4. Money not held in the prisoner's trust account;
   5. Gang related paraphernalia, including gang colours;
   6. Intoxicating liquor unless section 79 applies;
   7. Video players, video cassettes, DVD players and DVD discs;
   8. Inflammable or dangerous substances;
   9. Enamel paints;
   10. Gambling tickets;
   11. Occult material (where access to material is deemed to be prejudicial to reducing re-offending).
7. Any article where the registration or identification number has been interfered with.
8. Items of personal toiletries not permitted are those containing aerosols or sprays of any description, any item in a glass container, any item containing alcohol, nail varnish or nail varnish remover and any item that may pose a threat to staff, prisoners or the security of the prison.
9. The Prison Manager may also declare that any particular item, or class of items, is a prohibited item within that prison.
10. Each prison has a documented local requirement that specifies any prohibited or restricted items applicable to that prison.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Unit PCO

• Monitor and ensure compliance of property issued.
• Monitor and ensure compliance of handling prohibited items.

Unit Staff

• Detect the presence of prohibited items in a unit or on a person and to follow the relevant procedures.
• Report the detection of any prohibited items found to the Unit PCO as soon as practicable.

Receiving Office Staff / Property Office

• Monitor and ensure compliance of property being issued.
• Identify and remove prohibited items during the initial receiving process, in the presence of the prisoner and another staff member as witness, if practicable.
• Advise the prisoner of the removal, destruction and/or disposal of any prohibited property.
• Destroy items of prisoner property in the prisoner's presence unless destruction in his/her presence is dangerous or impractical or the prisoner cannot be identified or located.
• Record the destruction of prisoner's property on the Integrated Offender Management System (IOMS).