Useful Information

Children & Families Representative in prisons

Each prison in England and Wales has it's own system. There are prison service family officers in two prisons, Bristol and Portland.  Barnardos workers and PACT staff  provide support in some other prisons. In Channings Wood, Dartmoor and Exeter prisons, Choices staff offer a similar service.

Family Visits

Each prison in England and Wales has their own timetable for visits. These can be found by checking the prison details on www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk

Visiting Prisons

Anyone wishing to visit a prisoner has to receive a visiting order (VO) which must be sent to them by the prisoner. Once they have received the VO, the visitor must ring the prison to book their visit. These phone lines are often busy so allow plenty of time to make contact with the Visits Clerk. Numbers visiting are limited and some days there are no visits so ring to book your visit well in advance.

Accumulated Visits

When a prisoner is located a long distance from home they may be entitled to accumulated visits: being transferred temporarily to a prison nearer home where they can receive several visits on consecutive days from family and friends. It is also possible sometimes for a prisoner to save up their visit entitlement so their visitors can travel nearer to the prison and have more visits over a few days.

Family Days

Some prisons have Family Days where visits last up to 4 hours and lunch is provided for the visitors and prisoners together. Ring the prison (see Links for Prison Service website) to enquire when and if that prison holds Family Days.

Taking items into a prison

For security reasons there are strict rules about what can and can’t be taken into a prison on a visit. It’s wise to ring the prison www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk in advance to find out what visitors are allowed to take in.

Children visiting

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Social services will sometimes arrange for an appropriate adult to accompany a child into prison to visit a close family relative.

Locating a prisoner

If a family doesn’t know which prison their relative has been sent to, they should contact the prisoners’ probation office who should be able to tell them. Alternatively they can try to find out through a family support agency working in the prison. Ring the Prisoners’ Families Helpline 0808 808 2003 for other ways of locating a prisoner.

Permission to visit

No one can visit a friend or relative in prison without the prisoners’ agreement.

Visiting and Keeping in Touch

This useful booklet provides invaluable information for families and prisoners in a variety of languages. It also lists useful organisations and what support they offer. It is available through www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk

Financial help with cost of visit

Some visitors (e.g. close relatives and partners) on low incomes can claim financial help with the cost of visiting someone in prison. Information on this is available on the internet at www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/keepingintouch/assistscheme/

Or from:

Assisted Prison Visits Unit
PO Box 2152
Birmingham
B15 1SD

Phone: 0845 300 1423 (Mon to Fri 10:15-11:45 & 14:15-15:45)

Prison Reform Trust

This is a campaigning organisation that aims to create a just, humane and effective penal system. Their website includes a lot of useful information regarding the UK criminal justice system. www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk