Community Corrections and Legal Matters: Help and Support

Information about Community Corrections and Legal Matters.
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Community Corrections

After you are released you need to report within 3 working days of your release. If you are unsure about the date or time or address of your first appointment call or go into your nearest Adult Community Corrections Centre.

Make sure you go to all your supervision appointments and be there on time. If you miss an appointment, without a good reason, this could be a breach unless you have a Doctors certificate or other document to back up your reasons, and the Prisoners Review Board may need to be notified. If you can’t get to an appointment or you are running late then ring your Community Corrections Officer (CCO) as soon as possible.

To find the nearest Adult Community Corrections centre refer to Our locations on the Department of Justice website.

More information

At your first appointment the CCO will explain the Order in detail. If you don’t understand anything ask the CCO to explain. The CCO’s job is to help you meet your parole conditions, talk to you about your offending and your life and refer you to any other services that can help you.

Try to stay on good terms with your CCO and be respectful. They are not there to be your friend or to make life hard for you. If you find it hard to speak to your CCO then ask to speak to a Team Leader or the Manager.

Balancing appointments with work and other commitments can be a bit tricky. Some ACC centres are open a little later one day each week. Talk to you CCO about the best way to manage your appointment times before you make other commitments, including starting a new job.

Your CCO will work with you to develop a plan to help you avoid re-offending. To develop this plan you and your CCO will talk about your past offences and current situation.

It is important to understand the rules and stick to them if you are to successfully stay in the community.

If you have legal questions regarding custody of children, outstanding warrants or fines etc, the following agencies may assist.

Legal

Legal Aid WA aims to promote access to legal services and information for all West Australians. Learn about some of the services they provide.
Opening hours: 9.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays)
Find the nearest Legal Aid office to you.

Fines Enforcement Registry

View details of your fines and infringements that are with the Fines Enforcement Registry
Opening hours: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays)
Telephone: 1300 650 235
Telephone (International calls): 61 8 9235 0235 (international callers)
Email: fines@justice.wa.gov.au.

Aboriginal Mediation Services

Aboriginal Mediation Services helps with disputes with Neighbours, Family, Communities, Funeral Disputes.
Address: Level 23 David Malcolm Justice Centre, 28 Barrack Street Perth.
Telephone: 61 8 9264 6150
Telephone (Freecall): 1800 045 577.

The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) provides legal advice and representation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families. The website also
Address: 7 Aberdeen Street, Perth WA 6000 (near McIver Station)
Telephone: 61 8 9265 6666
Telephone (After hours): 61 8 9265 6644.
Telephone (Freecall): 1800 019 900
Details of ALSWA offices can be found on the Contact Us page.

Some are generalist centres meaning they provide a range of services across various legal fields, while some are specialist centres providing services within one area of expertise, for example, mental health, employment law, consumer credit.
Go to Community Legal Centres Association (WA) Inc for the full list of Community Legal Centres across the state.

Fines

A court fine is a fine handed down by a judge, magistrate or justice of the peace in a Western Australian court. You may receive a court fine for an offence such as drink driving, disorderly behaviour, theft or a drug-related crime. When you receive a fine by a court in Western Australia, you must deal with the matter immediately. Unpaid fines may be referred to the Fines Enforcement Registry within 28 days.

If you are suffering from financial hardship, you may apply to the Fines Enforcement Registrar to have your court fines changed into a work and development order. This means your fines are converted into community work. If the work and development order is not approved, or you do not complete the community work, a warrant of commitment for your imprisonment may be issued.

For more information refer to the Department of Justice's Pay your fines web page.

Parole

Parole information is available on the Department of Justice and the Prisoners Review Board of Western Australia web sites.

Community Orders - Probation

Many people who appear in Court and who are found guilty of a crime are given a community order or community-based sentence rather than being sent to prison.

A community order gives a person the chance work with a Community Corrections Officer (CCO) to stop their criminal behaviour and get access to programs that address the factors which contributed to their criminal behaviour.

The benefits of people serving their sentences in the community include:

  • staying in the same job, which decreases the chance of re-offending
  • staying in the same house
  • reducing disruption to family life, including the lives of children
  • reducing the negative influence of other offenders, which can happen in prison
  • decreasing the cost to taxpayers

There are a range of community-based sentences available to the Court. These include:

  • Community-based Order
  • Intensive Supervision Order
  • Pre-sentence Order
  • Conditional Suspended Imprisonment Order
  • Bail and Court Diversion Programs

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