Prison Operations

Forensicare provides mental health and wellbeing services in prisons across Victoria. We strive to provide the same standard of services and care to people in prisons that anyone else experiencing mental illness can access at an area mental health service.

Our various prison settings include:

• Ravenhall Correctional Centre—four custodial mental health units providing services for up to 75 people and a large outpatients program.
• Melbourne Assessment Prison—a custodial mental health unit (capacity: 16), outpatient services and reception assessments.
• Dame Phyllis Frost Centre—a custodial mental health unt (capacity: 20), outpatient services, and reception assessments for women;
• Metropolitan Remand Centre—outpatient services and reception assessments.
• Port Phillip Prison—a psychosocial rehabilitation unit (capacity: 30) and  outpatient services.
• Lara Precinct- Outpatient services at Western Plains Correctional Centre, Barwon Prison, Marngoneet Correctional Centre, Kareenga.
• Consultant psychiatric services and nurse practitioner services at regional prisons.

We provide recovery-oriented mental health and wellbeing services, where the consumer is at the centre of the care they receive and works in partnership with their treating team. We acknowledge each individual as an expert on their own life. Consumers are empowered to make their own choices about their recovery, and build upon their strengths to take as much responsibility as possible for their care and treatment.

A recovery-oriented mental health service promotes hope and optimism in the individual’s future and ability to live a meaningful life. It works in positive and realistic ways with individuals, and their carers, to help them realise their own hopes, goals and aspirations.

Contacting and visiting prisoners

For more information about visiting and contacting family members and friends in prison, visit Corrections Victoria: Contacting and visiting prisoners webpage.