Exclusive: Heartbroken families say they are being shut off from their incarcerated loved ones at NSW jails, claiming they are facing months of repeatedly cancelled visits and video calls.

NSW woman Samantha has to drive 3.5 hours to Long Bay Correctional Complex in Sydney’s east if she wants to visit her family member.

The 51-year-old is undergoing treatment for stage four breast cancer and cannot make the long and tiring drive.

But Samantha said every scheduled audio visual link (AVL) call with her family member since January has been cancelled “without explanation”.

“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat… the stress levels are through the roof,” Samantha told Nine.com.au.

“I’m not asking for any special treatment. I just want a fair go like everybody else.”

Samantha’s loved one was taken into custody in January and over the past four months, she has visited him twice in-person.

“I can’t drive that far, I’m going through chemo,” she said. “I’ve had 36 rounds.”

Her only contact options are irregular phone calls, which cost money, or the scheduled AVL calls, which are booked through system known as JUST Connect.

During the long stretches of no contact, Samantha is terrified something will happen to her loved one.

“It’s not a nice environment. Bad things happen in there,” Samantha said.

“The first six weeks… I didn’t hear from him. I had to get a welfare check.

“I don’t have any support at home, so that makes things very difficult.

“If I don’t hear from him, it stresses me out. I think, ‘Oh my God, something’s happened at the jail.”

McNab said some family members have taken leave from work and brought their children on an hours-long drive to Silverwater© AAP

Prisoner advocate and former inmate Renee McNab told Nine.com.au this is an issue impacting jails across NSW.

She said there has been a high rate of cancelled visits and video calls at Silverwater Correctional Complex in western Sydney, particularly impacting inmates in remand awaiting sentencing.

“AVLs are constantly being cancelled,” McNab said.

“There’s people who are making visits pretty much every week, and they’re constantly being cancelled to no fault of their own.”

Kerrie’s* partner is in Silverwater jail and told Nine.com.au her past three AVL calls have been cancelled.

She lives several hours’ away from the prison and relies on the calls to keep in touch.

“Every time I’ve booked a visit, it ends up getting cancelled on the day… 10 minutes prior to it commencing,” she said.

“Those calls are really, really, really crucial, especially because we have such limited contact.”

Kerrie said correctional officers blamed two of the cancellations on staff shortages and another on inmates being in lockdown.

McNab said some family members have taken leave from work and brought their children on hours-long drives to Silverwater, only to be turned away at the gate and their “hopes to be dashed”.

“Children are left devastated after being promised they will finally get to see their parent, partners are left emotionally exhausted, and families are constantly living in uncertainty wondering whether the next visit will actually go ahead,” McNab said.

“For many people, these video visits are the only meaningful connection they have with their loved one, and right now it feels as though that connection can be taken away at any moment.”

The psychological impact on inmates is also severe.

Mental health for those living behind prison walls is already at a crisis point.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 43 per cent of prison entrants reported high or very high levels of psychological distress.

“There’s not a lot to look forward to on the inside,” McNab added.

“It is the highlight of the week, getting to see kids and catch up with your family.

“It takes you out of that jail mind space, just even just for an hour.”

McNab is demanding answers from Corrective Services NSW.

When she contacted the department in January, she was told that staff availability and shortages, critical incidents, court appearances and other “unforeseen events” can result in cancelled visits.

Corrective Services NSW said that AVL visits would be increased to run from Wednesday through Sunday.

It also noted that cancelletions are sometimes advised “later than desirable”.

A spokesperson for Corrective Services NSW said “community safety is the top priority for Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW)”.

“CSNSW works hard to ensure inmates can maintain support networks on the outside during their custodial sentences, while also maintaining the safety and security of the prison system,” the spoksperson said.

“There are a number of ways in which people in prison can keep in touch with people on the outside, including in person and free audio-visual link (AVL) visits, as well as phone calls via inmate tablets or the Offender Telephone System (OTS).”

Cancelled visits are a systemic issue across prisons in Australia.

In 2025, The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services conducted a review into Hakea Prison in Canning Vale, Western Australia, which found only 42 per cent of booked social visits were going ahead.

Staff shortages were cited as a key reason for cancelled sessions, which the Inspector said was a breach of “fundamental rights to family and community connection”.

“It’s vital that you have contact to the outside world, not just for family purposes, but also for legal proceedings, sometimes the best information that you’re getting is from your loved ones,” McNab added.

“And it’s stressful enough to have a loved one inside.

“You’re constantly worrying about their welfare.”

*Not her real name.