Before you leave for the visit

It's important to ensure first that the visit has not been cancelled or changed.

A visit may be cancelled for many reasons:

• the prisoner may have refused the visit
• the prisoner may have been moved to another prison
• prisoner behaviour
• a medical issue
• DCS has become aware that you are a known member or associate of a criminal organisation.

Visits may also be cancelled due to an operational incident.

It may be possible that the time of your visit has been changed.

You can contact the prison before leaving on your journey but this doesn’t mean an issue may not occur before you arrive.
There is no reimbursement of travel expenses.

Check and confirm the rules of the prison.

Remember your identification

Before leaving please ensure you have appropriate forms of approved identification (ID).

DCS currently cannot accept online or digital forms of ID. Visitors must supply original hard copy photographic ID.

Your first visit will require you to pass the 100 point ID check.

Dress code

You must ensure you are suitably dressed.

Visitors must wear suitable shoes which enclose your feet. Thongs and steel toe capped shoes are not permitted.

Clothing must be suitable for family environment and not be overly revealing or contain offensive or obscene language or diagrams.
Gang related symbols and colours are not permitted.

Visitor health – requesting approval to bypass scanning devices

Various devices are used to scan visitors wishing to enter our prisons.

These include:

• X-ray machines
• Electronic machines that scan for metal
• IonScan devices that detect microscopic particles of drugs and explosives.

Visitors with medical conditions – such as a pace maker or metal implant – that would prevent them passing through a scanning device will need to request approval to bypass prior to their prison visit.

This requires you to provide written evidence from the doctor treating them and should include a current medical certificate.

If you are approved bypass entry:

• you may be searched with a hand-held metal detector
• a limited contact (pat) search may be conducted – visitors will not be strip searched by DCS.

Jewellery

Please keep jewellery and watches to a minimum.

You will have to pass through security – and the more items you wearing the more time it will take to search you and allow you entry to the prison. You will be asked to remove items of high value.

Wedding and religious symbols are allowed.

Security will not allow suspicious items into the prison.

Visitor property

Please do not take your own property to the visit.
We do not allow the following items to be taken into our prisons:

• handbags
• wallets
• mobile telephones
• electronic devices – such as iPods or Gameboys
• drugs
• weapons
• explosives

Lockers available at all prisons to secure the belongs that you do not take into the prison.

If you have possession of a prohibited item in a prison or in a prison buffer zone, you may be charged. Prison buffer zones are all government-owned land surrounding a Correctional Institution, including the visitor car parks.

Medication

Prescription medication is not allowed into prison. We also do not allow prescription medication.

You should contact the prison for advise if you have concerns about your own medication.

Travel assistance

Directions and maps to all our prison locations can be found on each individual prison page.

DCS does not reimburse travel costs.

If you need assistance with your travel arrangements try contacting the volunteer support groups. OARS SA often organise family transport to Cadell.

Video Visits

DCS offers video visits via the application Zoom.

Prisoners have access to these visits via iPad.

An email / SMS notification is provided prior to the visit with the Zoom meeting dial in information.

Visitors must present Photo ID at the commencement of the video visit e.g. Licence, proof of age card.