The ACT Ombudsman has found that prisoners in the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) were overcharged for phone calls for more than two years, with the government failing to apologize or adequately refund the fees. Between April 2022 and May 2024, 980 people were collectively overcharged $123,235, and more than 480 individuals are still owed over $46,000.
The Ombudsman made five recommendations, including that ACT Corrective Services apologize, reimburse affected prisoners, and review its 'prohibitively high' call charges. Corrections Minister Marisa Paterson apologized on behalf of the government, and Corrective Services agreed or agreed in principle to all recommendations. Paterson stated that work will continue to seek reimbursement for all impacted people, noting that call costs at the AMC are among the lowest nationally but acknowledging the need to remove barriers for detainees to maintain connections with support networks.
ACT Ombudsman Iain Anderson emphasized that access to phone calls is a vital lifeline for people in detention, and prohibitive charges affect rehabilitative outcomes. He said the findings present an opportunity for ACT Corrective Services to comply with the law and improve communication access. The report also found that ACT Corrective Services failed to meet a legal requirement to allow detainees to receive phone calls, adding to the burden of call charges.
A 10-minute call from Canberra's prison cost $1.87 from December 2024, less than under the old system that operated until May 2024, with calls free in the interim. However, the Ombudsman's report noted that call costs remain far higher than in the community, where free calls to mobile phones are possible from Telstra phone boxes and low-cost plans include unlimited calls and texts. The report stated that a 10-minute call costs 35% more than the daily cost of unlimited Telstra calls, and five calls in a day would cost $9.35 compared to $1.39 with Telstra or $1.25 with Optus.
ACT Corrective Services argued that the prison telephone system requires additional security, monitoring, and compliance features, which inherently increase costs. The Ombudsman considered the decision to charge a higher rate than the cost incurred from April 2022 as 'potentially unlawful and certainly unfair,' as the service provider stopped charging Corrective Services for calls to Australian landlines and mobiles, yet detainees continued to be charged the same amount.
