Prison can be a crushingly lonely experience. Isolation is a big part of incarceration.

But on Christmas Day, as friends, family and loved ones gather on the outside, the cold reality of a jail cell really sinks in.

At Canberra's Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC), no visitors are allowed on Christmas Day.

It is a decision made to create a sense of fairness — visitation is not possible for all prisoners, so no one gets to see their loved ones.

Prisoners share a special Christmas meal, and religious services are made available for those who want them.

But Anglican prison chaplain Peta Thorpe said it was the one time the prison experience was felt hardest.

"It's a time when it really hits that you're in jail," she said.

"Everyone's talking about getting together with family and what they'll have Christmas lunch and presents, and it hits hard that you're cut off from all of that.

"I think for many detainees, it's a sad time really and a time where they reflect on — how did I get here? And I wish I wasn't here."

Peta Thorpe tries to bring a small touch of Christmas cheer to those behind bars. ( ABC News: Tom Lowrey )

It is Ms Thorpe's job to try to lift the mood — she spends much of the Christmas period, including Christmas Day, with the prisoners.

She dons a Santa hat and hands out bags of lollies, a routine she said could have hardened prisoners giggling like school children.

But she said there was one void she could never fill.

"It's the kids more than anything, that I think hits at Christmas," she said.

"To know that you're not going to be with them, and you can't even see them on Christmas Day.

"You know you're in jail, and you don't want to be here."

'No one wants to be here'

Senior prison guards are acutely aware of what prisoners go through during the holiday period.

Jason Russell, deputy general manager of custodial operations at the AMC, said contrary to popular perceptions of prison guards, they maintain close relationships with prisoners.

"There's a very clear understanding among staff and detainees that we see each other here every day, but next week, we could be seeing each other at the local Woolworths," he said.

Jason Russell said prison guards tried to bring some joy to prisoners around Christmas. ( ABC News: Tom Lowrey )

Mr Russell said Christmas Day was, very deliberately, not treated like any other day within the jail.

"We have 200-odd staff that will be here over the Christmas period as well," he said.

"There's no one that wants to be here.

"So we try to make it a little different, in that we provide a Christmas lunch for staff and detainees, which is the standard turkey and ham and desserts."

He said it was an unfortunate reality that prisoners could not see friends and family on Christmas Day.

But they are allowed extra visitation on other days during the Christmas period.

Mr Russell pushed back on the perception that prisoners deserved misery not just at Christmas, but throughout their time in jail.

"Everyone needs to understand that a lot of the men and women in this prison will not always be here," he said.

"They'll come back out into society, and as a member of the community, our preference should be to see people in this facility return to our community in a better space."

Gifts sent from behind bars

Prisoners Aid ACT is a charity organisation that supports family members of those in jail at Christmas time. ( Supplied )

Prisoners cannot duck down to the shopping centre to get the Christmas shopping done, but that does not mean their children go without a gift from mum or dad under the tree.

Ms Thorpe and other prison chaplains work with Prison Fellowship Australia to find presents for the children of every prisoner in the AMC, along with a personalised card from Mum or Dad.

Prisoners Aid ACT also runs a food and gift drive to offer support to family members of prisoners each year.

"That means so much to the detainees in here," Ms Thorpe said.

Ms Thorpe said she and her whole team of chaplains saw a surge in demand for their services around Christmas, with most prisoners just looking for a chat and catch-up.

She said many prisoners had enormously difficult circumstances outside the jail, but they too felt isolation particularly hard around Christmas time.

"Even if you may not have a kind of family background, there's usually some community out there that you're part of," she said.

"And when you're in here, you're cut off from that community.

"So whatever shape that community might be, it kind of hits that you're not part of it that year."

And she agreed prisoners deserved the chance to feel some joy at Christmas, despite the crimes that landed them in jail.

"The punishment, if you are someone who wants punishment, that's being locked away," she said.

"You can't imagine what it's like to have that door shut on you."