Get help from prison

What if I am a prisoner on remand and I want legal advice about my charges?

If you are appearing in the Magistrates Court, speak to the duty lawyer.

• If you are appearing over the video link tell the senior officer in your unit you want to speak to the duty lawyer.
• If you are taken to court, let the custody officers know as soon as you arrive at court that you want to speak to the duty lawyer. 

What if I am a sentenced prisoner and I want to appeal?

If you were represented by a lawyer when you were sentenced, the best thing to do is to contact that lawyer and ask them about an appeal. You must do this straight away as there are very tight time limits for lodging appeals.

If you were not represented when you were sentenced, you should contact Legal Aid WA immediately.

If I am in prison where can I get information about parole?

Legal Aid WA produces a kit to help you apply for parole.

How can I get help with my legal problem?

There are a range of ways Legal Aid WA can help you with your legal problem.

Where can I find information about the law?

There is a lot of information about a range of legal topics in Find Legal Answers.

If I am a prisoner, how do I contact Legal Aid WA?

If you are in prison and you want to contact Legal Aid WA, ask the prison staff about the Legal Aid WA Infoline number specially for prisoners. 

Another way you can ask for help from Legal Aid WA is through our Prison Visiting Service. We visit a number of different prisons around the state on a regular basis, or by request. If you want to speak with someone from our Prison Visiting Service, you can:

• call the Infoline to request a visit,
• contact your nearest Legal Aid WA office, or
• ask the senior officer in your unit to put your name down for the next visit.

Resources

Legal Aid WA has these self-help guides specifically for prisoners:

• Prisoner Handbook
• Prison offences
• Parole
• Information for prisoners: Legal Aid WA services

More information

• Reset
  Provides community support for offenders, ex-offenders and their families.

• Outcare                                                                                                                                Provides specific programs to assist with re-integration, which may be available to certain offenders. Speak to the Transitional Officer to find out more. 

• Department of Justice (Corrective Services)

• Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services
  The Office is responsible for publishing reports of inspections and review of custodial services, and also organises the Independent Visitor Service.

Reviewed: 23 April 2018