Custody InsightsConsulting
Our services
Custody support services for families, built by ex-Prison Service advisers
Custody Insights Consulting is an independent advisory service for families navigating the UK custodial system. We cover the whole journey — the first prison visit, understanding a sentence, the months that follow, and the road home on release. Everything we do is practical, confidential and plain-English. We are not solicitors and do not provide legal advice or representation; where you need a lawyer, we help you work with the one you have.
Four services, one steady point of contact
Prison Visits Support
For families facing a first visit, or visits that keep going wrong. We explain booking lines, Visiting Orders, ID and dress rules, security checks and children's sessions, then troubleshoot PIN phones, credit and email so contact never quietly stops.
Read moreServiceUnderstanding Sentences & the System
For families who heard a number in court and don't know what it means. We translate the sentence into a plain-English timeline: release points, reception and the first night, categorisation, the incentives scheme, and who to call when you're worried.
Read moreServiceResettlement & Release Planning
For the final months of a sentence and the first 30 days outside. Licence conditions, ROTL, HDC, housing, money and work, built into a written family readiness plan so release day is calm rather than a scramble.
Read moreServiceEmotional Support for Families
For the people carrying the weight outside the walls. Scheduled, confidential check-ins with an adviser who knows the system, help keeping children connected, and immediate guidance on Safer Custody escalation if you fear for someone's safety.
Read moreEvery engagement starts with a free discovery call
Families rarely arrive knowing which service they need. They arrive because a phone call didn't come, a visit was refused, or a court date is close. That is why we never ask you to choose a package first. The starting point is always the same: a free, confidential conversation with a senior ex-Prison Service adviser.
- 01
Tell us where things stand
Pre-sentence, newly in custody, mid-sentence or approaching release. A few minutes is enough for us to understand the situation and the establishment involved.
- 02
Get a plain answer about what happens next
We explain the next stage of the system in your case, what usually goes wrong at that point, and what we would do first. You leave the call knowing more than when you started, whether or not you instruct us.
- 03
Agree a written scope, only if you want one
If our help makes sense, we confirm the work, time and cost in writing before anything begins. All work is charged at £250 per hour (ex VAT). There is no obligation, and if we are not the right help we will say so.
Are you a defence solicitor? Shadow Briefs and operational case reviews are covered on our page for solicitors. For urgent matters, call 020 8087 4832 now.
Not sure which one fits your situation? Read our frequently asked questions, or browse the free guides — then book a call and we will tell you honestly where we can help and where we can't.
How we work
Every engagement starts the same way: a free, confidential discovery call. You tell us where things stand; we tell you plainly what happens next and what we would do first. If you instruct us, fees are agreed in writing before any paid work begins, and every package is charged at £250 per hour (ex VAT). You always know who to call, because you keep one senior adviser from start to finish.
Who we help
Families and next of kin at any stage — pre-sentence, during custody, or approaching release — across the whole of the UK, by phone and video, with in-person support where it matters. We also work with defence solicitors and local councils who need operational insight into custody. Whatever the offence and whatever your role, you will never be judged here.
Not sure which service fits?
Talk to someone who worked in the system.
The first conversation is confidential, free of charge and carries no obligation.