First 24 Hours in Custody: What to Expect

From the dock to the van

After a custodial sentence is passed, the individual is taken to the cells beneath or behind the court. Property is checked, a Person Escort Record (PER) is completed, and transfer to the receiving prison is arranged with the escort contractor. Departure is dictated by the court list, not by the individual case, so a wait of several hours is normal.

The PER travels with the person and carries any warning markers — including risk of self-harm. If risk information was given to the court, to the defence team, or to the escort staff, it should be recorded here. This is the single most important document in the first 24 hours.

Reception

1. 01Identity check against the warrant and PER, and allocation of a prison number.
2. 02A rub-down search, and in some cases a full search, conducted under the Prison Rules and by staff of the same sex.
3. 03Property is sorted into 'in-possession' and 'stored'. Volume limits apply and are strictly enforced; anything over the limit is stored or sent out.
4. 04Reception health screening by a nurse: physical health, mental health, prescribed medication, allergies, substance use and immediate risk.
5. 05A free reception telephone call is offered in most establishments so that family can be told where the person is.
6. 06Issue of prison-supplied clothing, bedding and a basic reception pack.

Medication: the point most people get wrong

Prison healthcare will not simply continue a prescription because the individual says they take it. Continuity depends on verification, usually with the community GP or pharmacy, and that verification takes time. A person arriving on a Friday evening may face a wait before a prescribed medicine is confirmed and dispensed.

• —Bring, or have the defence team hand over, a current repeat prescription list or a printed summary care record.
• —Name the prescribing GP practice and its telephone number.
• —Declare all medication at reception screening, including anything held on an in-possession basis.
• —Declare substance dependency honestly at screening — this is what triggers a clinically managed detoxification or substitution plan rather than an unmanaged withdrawal on the wing.

First night

Most local prisons operate a First Night Centre or a dedicated first-night landing. The regime there is deliberately narrower: fewer people, more staff contact, and an induction focus. A cell-share risk assessment (CSRA) determines whether the person is placed alone or in a shared cell.

The cell will have a call bell. It is for genuine need, and it is answered. A Listener — a prisoner trained by the Samaritans — can be requested at any hour, including overnight, and the conversation is confidential.

Induction, days one to five

1. 01Induction sessions covering the regime, the daily timetable, and how to make an application.
2. 02Setting up the PIN telephone account and submitting the approved contact numbers.
3. 03Registration for the canteen sheet — usually a weekly cycle, so the first order may be several days away.
4. 04First contact with the Offender Management Unit and allocation of a Prison Offender Manager.
5. 05Education and work assessment, and an initial IEP level, normally Entry.
6. 06A further healthcare appointment where the reception screening flagged anything for follow-up.

What the family should do in the same 24 hours

• —Wait for the reception call if you can; it confirms the establishment before you start telephoning.
• —Use gov.uk 'Find a prisoner' if no call comes within 24 hours, or call the Prisoners' Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
• —Do not travel to the prison. Visits must be booked through the Prison Visits Booking Service and are not possible on arrival.
• —Send money through the free gov.uk service rather than by post; it clears faster and is traceable.
• —Write. A letter arriving in the first week has a disproportionate effect, and post is normally the fastest form of contact to become available.
• —If you hold a genuine welfare concern, telephone Safer Custody rather than the wing.

What to say on the first call home

Useful official sources

• —gov.uk — Find a prisoner, Send money to someone in prison, Visit someone in prison, Prison finder.
• —Prisoners' Families Helpline — 0808 808 2003.
• —Samaritans — 116 123, free, 24 hours.
• —HMPPS Prison Service Instructions and Policy Frameworks, published on gov.uk.