Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) has introduced a range of technological solutions to help overcome the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic — and has accepted that some may become permanent.
According to Deputy Commissioner, Organisational Capability, James Koulouris, the likely solutions to stay were the introduction of virtual personal visits, the prisoner email system and electronic transfers to prisoner accounts.
Deputy Commissioner Koulouris said that while the introduction of all the systems was fast-tracked by QCS’s response to the pandemic, there were many advantages to continuing them in a post-COVID-19 world.
“The way that we do business at QCS has had to change significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can see from the uptake of these technologies in the community and in prisons that there are many benefits in continuing them,” Deputy Commissioner Koulouris said.
“While allowing prisoners to stay in contact with family during the cancellation of visits to prisons was the catalyst for fast-tracking these channels, there are increased benefits for our officers’ safety and ease of operation, and accessibility for both visitors and prisoners.”
He said some of the technologies were identified in the Crime and Corruption Commission’s Taskforce Flaxton as ways of hardening Queensland’s prisons against corruption, and they were already being planned for rollout.
“The COVID-19 pandemic made it an imperative to fast-track these channels to give prisoners more ways to keep in touch with their families at this difficult time,” Deputy Commissioner Koulouris said.
Since April, more than 2,600 emails have been received by prisoners across the State, and more than 2,100 replies sent by prisoners.
In May, more than 800 virtual visits occurred, averaging 34 minutes each, and 55 visit kiosks were installed in prisons.
Since the introduction in April, more than 1,600 secure electronic funds transfers into prisoner’s trust accounts have been processed.
