You may have heard that the prison has advised contact visits will restart in Risdon Prison from 27th July. Below is an extract from a letter sent by Ian Thomas, the Director of Prisons, to inmates informing them of reintroduction of visits.
"I am pleased to inform as we move forward with the Recovery Plan, we will be reinstating personal and professional contact visits from 27 July 2020.
… Each prisoner will be eligible for one contact visit booking per week at this stage, with the option of also booking virtual visits, which will remain as an option, providing greater flexibility for families.
When contact visits commence, please keep up with the good hygiene routines and social distancing measures. You must not hug or kiss family and friends who attend contact visits, for the safety of yourself, family and friends. I also understand the sensitivity of this request, but must stress the urgency of this request and suggest you let family and friends know as soon as possible as to not jeopardise your contact visit.
There will also be new processes at the Visitor Reception Centre. This includes separate door entries, hygiene and social distancing measures in place to protect all visitors, staff and prisoners.
I understand this time has been particularly challenging for both you and your families. I wish to extend my gratitude to all, for your understanding and compliance with rules during this unprecedented time. I am pleased to report that there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the prison and no active community transmissions within Tasmania."
You can now ring and book a visit with the Visitor Reception Centre (03) 6165 7400. Zoom video visits are going to continue to be offered. Below are details of the new visit times for contact visits, non-contact visits and Zoom video visits. Please note that video visits will remain at 30 minutes duration.
To manage the flow of people through the Visitor Reception Centre and the prison during these COVID restrictions TPS has found it necessary to make some changes to the arrangement for contact and non-contact visits. These changes include:
Contact and non-contact visits will be limited to two people per visit. Please note that during this COVID period a child will be counted as an adult visitor.
Contact visits in some establishments have been reduced to 45 min
Click below to view the full Visit Schedule: