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What you need to know

There are rules about how many visits a prisoner is allowed and how the visits are conducted.

If your family member has been convicted of a crime they must send you a Visiting Order (VO) which you will need to take with you when you visit. The names and details of all visitors should be provided on the visiting order, including young persons under the age of 18 whose full name, date of birth, address and relationship to the prisoner should be included. All visits must be booked in advance on the prison telephone booking line.

Please make sure that you have the right form of identification with you when visiting your family member. A passport, driving licence or gas bill would normally be suitable, but you can check this when ringing to book your visit. The type of identification that the prison is willing to accept may differ from prison to prison.

No more than three people can come on a visit at the same time, so make sure that no-one else is visting your family member on the same day. Anyone over the age of ten counts as one person. Children under ten can go in addition to the limit. Anyone under 18 years must usually be accompanied by an adult.

If your family member is on remand or has been convicted of a civil offence you need to check the visiting arrangements with the prison

Convicted prisoners are entitled to at least two 60-minute visits every four weeks. If you live a long way from the prison, your family member in prison may ask to save up visits so you can make fewer, but longer, visits. Your family member in prison can apply to take the visits which have been saved up at a prison closer to home.

If you want to take things in for your family member, you must check what's allowed with the prison in advance. Anything you take in must be handed to the officer in charge of visits.

Please note that smuggling drugs into prison is a serious offence. It may result in a ban from the prison for several months, or in arrest.

More useful links

• Visiting prison - a guide from HM Prison Service Opens new window