Shortland (Cessnock) Correctional Centre

Shortland Correctional Centre is a maximum security facility for male offenders. It is located on the Cessnock Correctional Complex in the Hunter Valley, 151km north-west of Sydney.

Phone

(02) 4993 2333

Postal address

PO Box 466
Cessnock NSW 2325

Street address

Tuhega Drive off Lindsay St
Cessnock NSW 2325

How to get there

Public transport

Rover Coaches have a limited service from the Rover Depot in Cessnock to the complex. Please check the Rover Coaches website for a timetable.

From Cessnock CBD, it is a half hour walk or five minute taxi ride to the centre.

For further details and timetables, please visit the Transport Sydney Trains website.

Private transport

The entrance to Cessnock Correctional Complex is off Wine Country Drive, turn into Kerlew Street and left to Occident Street. The main entry gate is approximately 75 metres on the right.

You will need to enter this into any navigational device, as currently most devices such as Navman, Google maps, Garman and mobile phone apps appear to use an incorrect access road.

Visitor information

Bookings

Bookings are required for in-person and video visits.

To make a visit booking, please phone (02) 4050 6885 Wednesday to Friday between:

• 9:00am and 12:00pm
• 1:00pm and 3:00pm

Visits are usually limited to one per week, either in-person or via audio-visual link, as there are limited visiting spots at Shortland Correctional Centre.

If you would like to request a second visit in a week, contact the booking line or use the JUST Connect booking system after 9am on Friday to find out if spots are still available.

Visit times

Before travelling for a visit, please call the correctional centre to confirm your visit and visiting time.

New COVID-safety measures apply to in-person visits, ensure you know the rules to avoid missing out.

In-person visit times

Contact the visits booking line for specific times.

Video visit times

Contact the visits booking line for specific times.

Legal visits

Legal practitioners may visit 7 days between 9am-3pm.

Notification of intention to visit must be made by emailing a letter of appointment to shortlandccadmin@justice.nsw.gov.au, 24-hours before visiting.

It is recommended that for legal visits, the representative contact the complex on the morning of the proposed visit to ensure the centre is still able to facilitate the legal visit and ensure their client is still housed at the facility.

Conditions of entry

Appropriate dress standards

The visits area is a family environment. You must dress appropriately. This generally means clothes must be respectable and not too provocative.

You cannot wear anything that hides your face, except for religious reasons. In that case you will be asked to remove your face covering temporarily so staff can verify your identity.

Inappropriate dress (PDF, 419.1 KB) includes:

• Clothes that have possibly controversial logos, words or slogans such as:
  • Motorcycle gang 'colours' or gang insignias
  • Logos or symbols associated with drugs or drug paraphernalia o Swear words
• Tight or revealing clothing including:
  • Tops and dresses that expose the stomach or chest
  • Swimsuits o Skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh
  • Mesh or other "see-through" clothes
  • Clothes that are excessively dirty, ripped or frayed
• Heels higher than 5 centimetres
• Any jewellery other than a plain wedding band, sleepers and studs. This means no engagement ring or any other ring with stones, and no bracelets or necklaces
• Tops or jumpers with a hood
• Hats, scarves or head coverings (excluding religious wear)
• Hair scrunchies or clips. Only single elasticated hair ties are allowed
• Watches, smart watches or activity trackers
• Bare feet.

Concerns about inmate health

You can contact us if you are worried about the health of a family member or friend in custody.

General concerns

If you want to give us mental health information only, call Justice Health NSW Mental Health Helpline on 1800 222 472 – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you want to give information about mental or physical health, or have concerns about access to medication, you can:

• call Justice Health NSW on (02) 9700 3000 between 8:00am to 4:00pm
• email JHFMHN-clo@health.nsw.gov.au.

Find out more about the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (Justice Health NSW).

Urgent concerns

If you want to give us urgent or important information so that we can take immediate action for your family member or friend, call the correctional centre on (02) 4993 2333.  Choose option 3 for Shortland correctional centre, then press 9 to speak to a customer service representative.

Urgent information about your family member or friend might include:

• risks to self, e.g. thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of suicide
• risks to others, e.g. thoughts of harm to others
• acute medical concerns, e.g. heart attack.