Prisons Amendment Act 2003 (WA)

Western Australia

Prisons Amendment Act 2003

Western Australia

Prisons Amendment Act 2003

CONTENTS

1.	Short title	1
2.	Commencement	2
3.	The Act amended	2
4.	Section 31 amended	2
5.	Section 60 amended	2
6.	Section 60A inserted	2

60A.	Protection of proof of identity of a visitor to
a prison 2

7.	Section 66 amended	3
8.	Section 110 amended	4

Western Australia

Prisons Amendment Act 2003

No. 24 of 2003

An Act to amend the Prisons Act 1981.

[Assented to 24 April 2003]

The Parliament of Western Australia enacts as follows:

1.             Short title

This Act may be cited as the Prisons Amendment Act 2003.

Prisons Amendment Act 2003

s. 2

2.             Commencement

(1)

This Act comes into operation on a day fixed by proclamation.

(2)

Different days may be fixed under subsection (1) for different

provisions.

3.             The Act amended

The amendments in this Act are to the Prisons Act 1981*.

[* Reprinted as at 22 December 2000.]

4.             Section 31 amended

(1)

Section 31(1) is amended by deleting “10” and inserting

instead —

“ 30 ”.

(2)

Section 31(2) is amended by deleting “3” and inserting

instead —

“ 10 ”.

5.             Section 60 amended

Section 60(1) is amended by deleting “prescribed by regulations

for the purposes of this section”.

6.             Section 60A inserted

After section 60 the following section is inserted —

“

60A.

Protection of proof of identity of a visitor to a

prison

(1)	In this section —
“proof of identity” means a fingerprint, palm print,

eye print, voiceprint or other physical or personal

Prisons Amendment Act 2003

s. 7

characteristic provided or used to prove the

identity of a visitor to a prison.

(2)

A person must not give any proof of identity to any

other person unless —

(a)	the proof of identity is given to a prison officer for the purpose of checking the identity of a visitor to a prison; or
(b)	the person is required to do so by an order of a court.

Penalty: $2 000 or imprisonment for 12 months.

”.

7.             Section 66 amended

After section 66(2) the following subsections are inserted —

“

(3)

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the

chief executive officer may in prescribed

circumstances ban a person from visiting a specified

prison for a specified period.

(4)

The chief executive officer may revoke a ban.

(5)

The maximum period that a person may be banned is to

be prescribed and different maximum periods may be

prescribed in relation to different prescribed

circumstances.

(6)

If a person is banned, the chief executive officer must give the person written notice of that ban and, subject to subsection (7), the reasons for the ban.

(7)

The chief executive officer is not required under

subsection (6) to give a person a reason for a ban if —

(a) failure to give the reason is necessary to protect the good order and security of a prison; or

Prisons Amendment Act 2003

s. 8

(b) the reason is a prescribed reason.

(8)

A person banned from visiting a prison may make a

submission to the chief executive officer about —

(a)	the chief executive officer’s decision to ban the person from visiting a prison; and
(b)	any reason given by the chief executive officer for the ban.

(9)

The rules known as the rules of natural justice

(including any duty of procedural fairness) do not

apply to or in relation to a decision made under

subsection (3) or (4).

(10)

A notice under subsection (6) must contain or be

accompanied by a statement explaining the effect of

subsection (8).

”.

8.             Section 110 amended

After section 110(1)(ra) the following paragraph is inserted —

“

(rb)

requiring a visitor as a condition of entry to a

prison to prove his or her identity in a specified

manner, including by means of a fingerprint,

palm print, eye print, voiceprint or other

physical or personal characteristic;

”.