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Corrections Act 2004

Corrections system - Establishment and operation of prisons - Visiting

73: Entitlement to private visitors

You could also call this:

"Prisoners have the right to a private visit each week for at least 30 minutes."

Illustration for Corrections Act 2004

If you are a prisoner, you are allowed to have at least one private visitor each week for at least 30 minutes. This rule can be affected by regulations made under the Corrections Act 2004 and by directions given under section 168A of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011. You can still have other visits, such as from your legal adviser, a statutory visitor, or someone allowed by the regulations.

You can have visits from people like your lawyer, or someone who is allowed to visit you because of a specific law. You can also have visits from people who are allowed to visit you more often, as decided by regulations made under the Corrections Act 2004. These visits are in addition to your weekly private visitor.

The rules about visiting prisoners can be found in the Corrections Act 2004 and other laws, such as the Criminal Procedure Act 2011. These laws help decide who can visit you and how often. They also help keep you and others safe.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM296001.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal lawCrime and justice > Victim support
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Part 2Corrections system
Establishment and operation of prisons: Visiting

73Entitlement to private visitors

  1. A prisoner is entitled to receive at least 1 private visitor each week for a minimum duration of 30 minutes.

  2. Subsection (1) is subject to any regulations made under this Act that regulate the visiting of prisoners, and to directions given under section 168A (no-contact conditions if family violence offence defendant remanded in custody) of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011.

  3. Subsection (1) does not limit visits to a prisoner—

  4. by his or her legal adviser under section 74; or
    1. by a statutory visitor who is authorised by any enactment to visit the prisoner or by a specified visitor; or
      1. by any person or class of person authorised by regulations made under this Act to visit the prisoner at more frequent intervals.

        Compare
        • SR 2000/81 r 82
        Notes
        • Section 73(2): amended, on , by section 49 of the Family Violence (Amendments) Act 2018 (2018 No 47).