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If you are unlucky enough to have a partner or friend wrongly convicted, you will probably be able to visit them in prison. Hopefully this sticky will give you a few guidelines about procedures and what you can do to make their stay as (relatively) comfortable as possible.
The most important thing to remember is that every prison has different rules and procedures about visiting and what you can or cannot bring to your loved one. It is essential that you phone the prison before you take anything in, or you may well end up not being able to deliver what you have brought.
When your loved one is first sent down there are a few things you can do immediately to make their lives a little less unpleasant.
First and foremost, if you can afford to, pay some money into their prison account. You can do this by posting a postal order to the Governor with your loved one's name and prisoner number on it. If you don't yet know their number, write their full name and date of birth instead.
Again, if you can afford to, ring your phone provider and arrange a "call divert" from your landline to your mobile. That way you can divert landline calls to your mobile so that if you go out, they can still reach you by ringing your landline. You will be billed for the cost of the call transfer to your mobile, but the inmate will only pay for the cost of the landline call.
All HMPs are serviced by a local newsagent. If you want to, (and again if you can afford it) you can arrange for a newspaper or magazines to be delivered to your loved one on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. You have to pay in advance for this, but it is invaluable. As LS has noted, the biggest killer is boredom.
All prisons allow a settlement visit. This does not usually require a Visiting Order (VO) but MUST be done within 14 days of the prisoner's arrival at Her Maj's Hotel. At the Settlement Visit you can take clean clothes, and some prisons will allow you to take in toiletries, as long as they are sealed and unopened. Clothes should not be black and definitely no logos/slogans etc. You may also be able to pay some cash into your loved one's account. Sometimes you have to hand over the stuff at the Visitors' Centre; sometimes once you have entered the prison itself. It will be thoroughly searched before it will be given to the inmate.
After the Settlement Visit you will only be able to visit if you have a VO. Only the person you are visiting can send you a VO. Depending on the prison, some might be blank, meaning you can take anyone else with you, and some might have to have names on them, which are chosen by the prisoner.
Procedures for visiting are different for each prison, but they all follow a basic theme. You must, repeat must take 2 forms of ID with you. One must be a photo-ID (eg passport, driving license) and one must have your name and address on it (Utility bill, bank statement, etc). If you do not provide these 2 forms of ID you will not be allowed in, regardless of your VO.
Usually you will have to register at the Visitors' Centre as soon as you arrive, and wait there to be called in to the prison. Some VCs have lockers where you can leave your possessions while you are inside the prison. You cannot take anything in apart from money, which must be in a prison-issue clear plastic bag, and should be coins rather than notes. If the VC does not have lockers then once you are inside the prison your posessions will be taken from you by a screw and put into a locker within the prison. They may be put through an x-ray machine before this happens.
You will definitely be searched. The type of search again varies, but you will almost certainly be patted down and asked to open your mouth, lift your tongue. Sometimes there will be sniffer dogs. At other prisons you might have to walk through an airport-style metal detector, take your shoes off to be x-rayed, etc. If you have a baby with you, you will probably be asked to remove the child's nappy for inspection and sometimes even his/her clothes.
Once inside the visiting hall you will be told to sit down and wait for your loved one. Some halls have a small canteen offering tea/coffee and snacks, others just have vending machines.
Some HMPs have separate visiting days for Vulnerable Prisoners (VPs) and some are mixed. However, if your loved one is in a mixed prison but is on the Rule, he/she will definitely be seated in a different area to The Main prisoners. There might be some heckling from The Main inmates but this is rare. No-one wants to lose their visiting privileges.
You will be allowed to embrace/kiss your loved one when they arrive/leave. You can usually hold hands during the visit. However, under no circumstances should you share food or drink from the same container, and do not put your hands inside his/her clothing. Even stroking the prisoner's wrist inside the cuff of the jumper is not allowed. Try not to go to the loo for the duration of the visit, because if you do, your partner/loved one will be searched as soon as the visit is over. Inmates receieving a visitor will usually be wearing a flourescent bib, or some other identifying item.
I hope this is useful and welcome any further additions from other members. As I said, each of Her Maj's Hotels has different rules so please do check in advance.
Good luck everyone.
The most important thing to remember is that every prison has different rules and procedures about visiting and what you can or cannot bring to your loved one. It is essential that you phone the prison before you take anything in, or you may well end up not being able to deliver what you have brought.
When your loved one is first sent down there are a few things you can do immediately to make their lives a little less unpleasant.
First and foremost, if you can afford to, pay some money into their prison account. You can do this by posting a postal order to the Governor with your loved one's name and prisoner number on it. If you don't yet know their number, write their full name and date of birth instead.
Again, if you can afford to, ring your phone provider and arrange a "call divert" from your landline to your mobile. That way you can divert landline calls to your mobile so that if you go out, they can still reach you by ringing your landline. You will be billed for the cost of the call transfer to your mobile, but the inmate will only pay for the cost of the landline call.
All HMPs are serviced by a local newsagent. If you want to, (and again if you can afford it) you can arrange for a newspaper or magazines to be delivered to your loved one on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. You have to pay in advance for this, but it is invaluable. As LS has noted, the biggest killer is boredom.
All prisons allow a settlement visit. This does not usually require a Visiting Order (VO) but MUST be done within 14 days of the prisoner's arrival at Her Maj's Hotel. At the Settlement Visit you can take clean clothes, and some prisons will allow you to take in toiletries, as long as they are sealed and unopened. Clothes should not be black and definitely no logos/slogans etc. You may also be able to pay some cash into your loved one's account. Sometimes you have to hand over the stuff at the Visitors' Centre; sometimes once you have entered the prison itself. It will be thoroughly searched before it will be given to the inmate.
After the Settlement Visit you will only be able to visit if you have a VO. Only the person you are visiting can send you a VO. Depending on the prison, some might be blank, meaning you can take anyone else with you, and some might have to have names on them, which are chosen by the prisoner.
Procedures for visiting are different for each prison, but they all follow a basic theme. You must, repeat must take 2 forms of ID with you. One must be a photo-ID (eg passport, driving license) and one must have your name and address on it (Utility bill, bank statement, etc). If you do not provide these 2 forms of ID you will not be allowed in, regardless of your VO.
Usually you will have to register at the Visitors' Centre as soon as you arrive, and wait there to be called in to the prison. Some VCs have lockers where you can leave your possessions while you are inside the prison. You cannot take anything in apart from money, which must be in a prison-issue clear plastic bag, and should be coins rather than notes. If the VC does not have lockers then once you are inside the prison your posessions will be taken from you by a screw and put into a locker within the prison. They may be put through an x-ray machine before this happens.
You will definitely be searched. The type of search again varies, but you will almost certainly be patted down and asked to open your mouth, lift your tongue. Sometimes there will be sniffer dogs. At other prisons you might have to walk through an airport-style metal detector, take your shoes off to be x-rayed, etc. If you have a baby with you, you will probably be asked to remove the child's nappy for inspection and sometimes even his/her clothes.
Once inside the visiting hall you will be told to sit down and wait for your loved one. Some halls have a small canteen offering tea/coffee and snacks, others just have vending machines.
Some HMPs have separate visiting days for Vulnerable Prisoners (VPs) and some are mixed. However, if your loved one is in a mixed prison but is on the Rule, he/she will definitely be seated in a different area to The Main prisoners. There might be some heckling from The Main inmates but this is rare. No-one wants to lose their visiting privileges.
You will be allowed to embrace/kiss your loved one when they arrive/leave. You can usually hold hands during the visit. However, under no circumstances should you share food or drink from the same container, and do not put your hands inside his/her clothing. Even stroking the prisoner's wrist inside the cuff of the jumper is not allowed. Try not to go to the loo for the duration of the visit, because if you do, your partner/loved one will be searched as soon as the visit is over. Inmates receieving a visitor will usually be wearing a flourescent bib, or some other identifying item.
I hope this is useful and welcome any further additions from other members. As I said, each of Her Maj's Hotels has different rules so please do check in advance.
Good luck everyone.
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