Phone calls

Mobile phones are not allowed in prison.

Concerns about a prisoner

If you are anxious and worried about a prisoner for any reason please phone the prison.
Our staff take the health, safety and security of prisoners very seriously.

All prisons have a general phone number that can be used if you have concerns.

If you need to contact a prisoner you should write to them.

Emergencies

In emergencies you can phone the prison and ask for a message to be passed to the prisoner.

The message will be checked to ensure it does not come from somebody prevented from contacting the prisoner by an intervention order. The message will then be passed to the prisoner at an appropriate and convenient time.

Prisoner phone calls

Prisoners cannot receive phone calls.
Prisoners have access to telephones during set times when they are out of their cells.

Prisoners must have funds in their telephone account before making the call.

Prisoners can only call the approved numbers on their telephone access list. This list can only have 10 phone numbers.

Prisoner phone calls to family and friends are recorded.

The telephones are in open spaces and privacy can be an issue.

The phone cannot be booked by prisoners and the prisoner may have to wait in a queue with other prisoners. There is also a waiting period so that prisoners cannot make call after call and hog the phone.

To ensure fair use calls are normally limited to 10 minutes.

Advice

It is recommended that prisoners co-ordinate with family and friends and arrange a time that they will try and phone.
Please try to be ready and waiting for the call. If you are not available to answer the call the prisoner must wait until they are allowed to use the phone again, and then re-join the queue if there is one.

Christmas day can be particularly busy.

You can organise suitable times by letter or during visits.

Our prisons have different schedules and routines. The prisoner can keep you up to date about their own routine, such as when they are at a program or work, and any changes to their daily availability.

Prisoner emergency phone calls

If a prisoner requests to make an emergency call and it is approved, a Correctional Officer will dial the requested number and speak first to ensure that the call is going to the correct person.