If you, your family or a friend wants to know more about a prisoner, you can write to the Minister for Corrective Services or the Commissioner, Corrective Services. It is important to get prisoner consent before you proceed.
Certain prisoner information can be accessed as outlined below. Access to specific prisoner records is only available through the Freedom of Information process.
Location of a prisoner
If you do not know the current location of a prisoner in Western Australia, complete the online enquiry form.
Your request must include the following:
- The full name of the person you wish to know the location of, as well as any other details you have which will assist us in identifying the person (eg date of birth)
- Your full name including contact details
- Your relationship to the person you are requesting the location of or your reasons for requesting the information.
If you do not have access to email, please call the Department's Information Release area on Monday to Friday between 8.30 am to 4.30 pm on 61 8 9264 1711. An officer will ask you for the above details in order for your request to be processed. We will respond to your query as soon as possible.
Note: Incomplete details may cause delays in processing your request.
If you know the current location of a prisoner in Western Australia and are wanting to book a visit or have additional queries, please contact the relevant prison. Contact details for prisons and detention centres within Western Australia are available on the Visiting prisons or detention centre page.
Note: Staff may not be able to assist with all queries as some information may only be accessible directly from the prisoner.
Online Enquiry Form
Please complete this form to submit your enquiry to the Department of Justice.
Obtaining prisoner consent
Show moreTo make it lawful for the Department to pass on prisoner information, the prisoner must consent to the release of information. Consent may be provided by the prisoner concerned by completing the Prisoner Consent for Verbal Release of Information (PDF) form with the assistance of a prison officer.
The consent of the prisoner concerned is required so that the Department can comply with its Commissioner's Operating Policies and Procedures - 9.6 Access to Information (DOCX) and the national privacy principles of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Under both of these, the Department cannot release any information regarding the specific details or management of any prisoner to a third party, even family and friends, without that prisoner’s written consent.
Release of Prisoner information
Show moreThe Minister and/or the Commissioner will only release prisoner information after the prisoner concerned has consented to the release of information. On receipt of consent, they will be in a better position to provide you with an understanding of your loved one's condition and management.
If you wish to write to the Commissioner or the Minister, the correct address is:
Commissioner:
Commissioner for Corrective Services
Department of Justice
David Malcolm Justice Centre
GPO Box F317
PERTH WA 6841
Minister:
Honourable Paul Papalia CSC, MLA
Minister for Corrective Services
Dumas House
Level 10
2 Havelock Street
PERTH WA 6005
Telephone: 61 8 6552 5600
Access to health information on ex-prisoners for health providers
Show moreCommunity health care providers can access medical information about patients who are ex-prisoners through a dedicated telephone line provided by the Department.
The Department provides all prisoners with a written summary of their medical records when they are released from custody. To enable ongoing clinical care to be given by the relevant community health care provider, where patients have mislaid this information, a 1800 telephone number has been set up.
The 1800 077 735 number (the Department’s Central Medical Records) is available to all health care providers during normal business hours. Outside these hours details of the enquiry (including name of enquirer and telephone number) can be left on an answering machine and will be responded to as soon as possible.
