Prison Visits Support for Families

What to bring — and what gets people turned away

Most refused visits are refused at the gate, for simple reasons. Every adult visitor needs photo identification whose name matches the booking exactly: a passport or photo driving licence is accepted almost everywhere. Arrive well before the gate deadline — late arrivals are turned away without exception. Dress modestly and sensibly; some establishments refuse ripped jeans or revealing clothing, and you will not be told the dress code at the door.

• —ID for every adult, matching the name on the booking exactly.
• —Nothing in pockets or bags that is not allowed: phones, tablets, batteries, vapes and lighters are the most common confiscations.
• —Lockers are usually available for phones and coats — bring coins, and check the establishment's rules in advance.
• —A small amount of cash for refreshments in the visits hall, where the establishment allows it.
• —For children: baby changing items and a quiet snack are generally fine, but toys and electronic items usually are not.

Expect security checks, including a drug dog and, in many prisons, a rub-down search. A passive indication from a drug dog can lead to a refused visit or a closed visit as a precaution — knowing this in advance stops a frightening moment becoming a family crisis.

If a visit is cancelled or refused

Prisons cancel visits at short notice more often than families expect: staff shortages, incidents, searches or building work can all close a visits hall with a phone call or a text an hour before you were due to travel. A cancelled visit is not a punishment and not a judgment — it is logistics. Keep the VO reference, rebook at the earliest opportunity, and if cancellations become a pattern we will help you raise it through the right channel.

A refused visit is different: it means something went wrong on the day. The cause is almost always procedural — ID that did not match, late arrival, a prohibited item, or a drug dog indication. We explain exactly what happened in your case, what it means for future bookings, and who to contact if you believe the refusal was wrong.

Supporting children on visits

A prison visits hall is a short, noisy, watched conversation, and children feel it most. Many establishments offer children's visit sessions, extended family visits and family days — longer, calmer sessions where the family spends real time together, often with activities. Eligibility depends on the prisoner's privileges level and the establishment's rules, and places are limited, so they need planning rather than hope.

Between physical visits, video calls — often called Purple Visits — let families talk face to face from home. They are booked and paid for in advance, and time is limited, so we help you plan them properly. We also help with the harder question: what to tell the children about where their parent is, in words they can carry.

Troubleshooting PIN phones, credit and email

Contact problems are the most common reason families contact us. Prison telephones only call approved numbers: your loved one adds your number on the pin-phone system, it is checked against a database, and approval takes days. If your calls suddenly stop, the usual causes are a number that needs re-adding after a move, an unpaid phone credit balance, or a change of privileges level on the incentives scheme.

• —Phone credit can be topped up online by the family — we will walk you through the account setup.
• —Email a Prisoner delivers short messages, usually within a day or two; replies come by post unless the prison allows email replies.
• —Letters are checked before delivery, so expect a delay; anything that breaks the mail rules will be stopped, and we can explain the rules before you write.

How we support you

Support starts with a free, confidential discovery call. From there we give you a written, plain-English visit plan for your establishment: how to book, what to bring, what to expect at every stage of the day, and who to call when something goes wrong. If a visit is refused, cancelled or a family member is banned, we advise on the right escalation route — including the Safer Custody team and the Independent Monitoring Board. We are not solicitors and this is not legal advice; it is practical operational guidance from people who have worked inside the system.

Visits are one strand of what we do. If the weeks between visits are the hard part, see our Emotional Support for Families service, read our free guides, or call 020 8087 4832 and talk it through today.

Common questions

Other services