HMP HOLLOWAY VISITORS' CENTRE
About the visitors' centre
Contact details
How to get there
Visitors' Centre opening hours
Facilities on offer at the Visitors' Centre
Disabled access?
Information for visitors to HMP Holloway
Prison visiting times
How to book a visit
Before you visit
What to bring as ID
Bringing the children?
Booking in for a visit
What can I take into the visits hall?
What happens on a visit?
Help with travel costs
Concerned about drugs or alcohol?
pact's one-to-one and group support sessions for families
Support from other organisations
Giving the prisoner property and money
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Contact details
Holloway Visitors' Centre
HMP Holloway
1 Parkhurst Road
London
N7 0NU
020 77001567
holloway@prisonadvice.org.uk
The Services Manager is Ellen Dacre.
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How to get there
HMP Holloway is situated in North London, and the nearest tube stations are Holloway Road and Caledonian Road. Any bus can be taken from the bus stop immediately outside Caledonian Road tube station and it will drop you directly outside the prison. For more advice about getting to HMP Holloway, visit the Prison Service website. The Visitors' Centre is a separate building situated to the right, just after you enter the prison gates.
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Visitors' Centre opening hours
Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 4.30pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9am - 4pm
Please note that the prison visiting times are slightly different to the Visitors' Centre opening hours. To find out the visiting times, see below.
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Facilities on offer at the Visitors' Centre
- information, advice and guidance about prison procedures, routines and help available for those whose lives have been affected by imprisonment
- a Family Support Worker to further assist those who have family members or close friends at Holloway (for details of one-to-one sessions, see below)
- a refreshment bar selling a variety of drinks and snacks as well as soup, sandwiches and light lunches
- a children's play area full of toys and books
- toilets and baby changing facilities
- information to take home
- family tours - tours of the prison for families of prisoners
- Adfam's Family Support Worker (Adfam is a national charity for families and friends of drug users)
- a Parcel Office to hand in or collect property
- a free link to the prison's booking line, so visitors can book a visit by calling from the Visitors' Centre
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Disabled access?
Yes. The Visitors' Centre is fully accessible to disabled visitors. There is a disabled toilet available.
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Prison visiting times
Monday: 2pm - 3.45pm
Tuesday: 2pm - 3.45pm, 6pm - 7pm
Wednesday: 9am - 11am, 2pm - 3.45pm
Thursday: 2pm - 3.45pm, 6pm - 7pm
Friday: 9am - 11am, 2pm - 3.45pm
Saturday: 9.45am - 11.15am, 1.15pm - 2.45pm
Sunday: convicted prisoners only 9.45am - 11.15am, 1.15pm - 2.45pm
There are no visits on the last Wednesday of every month, due to staff training.
Please note that all visits must be booked in advance.
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- every visit must be booked in advance
- three adults and up to three children under the age of 16 can attend a visit. An application can be made for any additional children
- to book a visit, call the prison's Booking Line:
0207 979 4751
Booking Line opening hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm - short staffing often results in a reduced service and a very busy line
- generally speaking, you should book your visit at least 24 hours in advance, although if there are places available it is possible for you took on the same day before 11.30am
- if you are visiting a convicted prisoner you will need to wait for them to send you a Visiting Order before ringing to book a visit
- to visit a prisoner with JR or section 10/3 status you will also need a Visiting Order
- you must bring the Visiting Order with you when you visit. The person with their name and address on the Visiting Order must be one of the people who visit
How many visits in the prisoner allowed?
It depends whether the prisoner is on remand or convicted - and on the privileges system.
All prisoners at HMP Holloway are part of a system for earning or losing privileges. Each prisoner is on a basic, standard or enhanced regime - depending on how many privileges they have earned.
Here is a breakdown of the number of visits prisoners are allowed:
- sentenced (and JR or Sec 10/3) prisoners are normally entitled to one visit per fortnight
- prisoners on enhanced regime may be entitled to additional Visiting Orders
- young offenders are entitled to an additional Visiting Order per month
- remand prisoners are entitled to one visit a day, except on Sundays
The first visit
If it is the first time a prisoner has come into prison, they are entitled to a 'reception visit' within the first 48 hours of entering the prison. Like all other visits, you must arrange this through the booking clerks by ringing the Booking Line on 0207 979 4751.
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Before you visit
Give yourself plenty of time to get to HMP Holloway; aim to be at the Visitors' Centre at least half an hour before your visit. If you are late you could miss your visit or have a very short time in the visits hall.
You will need to bring identification with you - please see the list of appropriate ID below. You will also need to bring a pound coin to use in the locker where your belongings will be kept while you are on the visit.
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What to bring as ID
All adults need to bring ID for every visit.
Bring one of the following forms of ID with you:
- a passport, including foreign passports
- an EC Identity Card
- a driving licence
- a Senior citizen's public transport pass issued by local authority
- employer's or student ID card, but only if this clearly shows the name of the visitor and the employer or educational establishment, and has a photograph or signature which can be compared with the visitor's appearance or signature, and if the employer or educational establishment named on the card is known to exist
If you don't have any of the forms of ID listed above, the prison might accept two of the following instead:
- a birth or marriage certificate
- a rail or bus pass with a photograph
- a cheque book or credit/debit card (counts as one)
- an employer's pass or students ID card without photo
- a trade union card
- an ID card from a recognised prison visitor
- a utility bill less than three months old
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Bringing the children?
Inside the visits hall is a children's play area, run by pact, which provides toys, games and playworkers for the children. Find out more about the HMP Holloway play service
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Booking in for a visit
Please check in at the visitors' centre. You will be asked to fill out a slip with the names and addresses of every adult visitor, and a separate slip for children attending the visit.
The centre staff will explain the visiting procedures and give you any other help you may need. Please ask them if you have any problems or concerns. Conversations with staff are confidential, unless prison or personal security is threatened.
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What can I take into the visits hall?
When you go into the prison for your visit, you must leave almost all your possessions in a locker in the visitors' centre. You will need a 20p coin for the locker, which is refundable.
The only items you can take into the prison are:
- your Visiting Order
- your name and address slip
- your ID
- your locker key
- a small amount of change to buy refreshments from the coffee bar inside the visits hall
- a bottle and one nappy for a baby
Everything else must be placed in the lockers; this includes money in notes, cigarettes, wallets, keys, hats, scarves and sunglasses. You must make sure you have no gum or sweets in your mouth. Items are left in the lockers at your own risk.
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- at about ten minutes before your visit time, you can leave the Visitors' Centre and go across to the prison
- before you are allowed into the visits hall, you will be searched to ensure that you are not in possession of prohibited articles
- the visits hall is a no-smoking area
- The tea bar sells drinks and light refreshments; you can buy them for you and the person you are visiting to enjoy during your visit
- Inside the visits hall is a children's play area, run by pact, which provides toys, games and playworkers for the children. Find out more about the HMP Holloway play service
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Help with travel costs
If you are on a low income or you receive benefits, you might be entitled to get help from the government with the cost of visiting your relative in prison. Help is provided by the Assisted Prison Visits Unit (APVU). You can claim for two visits a month.
For more information about the APVU:
- ask at the Visitors' Centre
- call the APVU on 0845 300 1423
- or visit the Prison Service website
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Concerned about drugs or alcohol?
If you have any concerns, you can contact Adfam, the national charity for families and friends of drug users.
Adfam workers are based in the Visitors' Centre on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and offer counselling services, confidential support, practical information and advice.
You can contact them directly on a drop-in or appointment basis or via Visitors' Centre staff. The Adfam number at the Visitors' Centre is 0207 6094131.
The Visitors' Centre is committed to helping anyone concerned about substance misuse or related issues but cannot allow the possession, supply or use of alcohol or illicit drugs on its premises. Reasonable measures will be used to prevent drug-related activity and to reduce the potential for harm to staff and visitors.
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pact's one-to-one and group support sessions for families
If you have a family member in HMP Holloway, pact can offer you free and confidential support, advice and information.
You can have individual, confidential one-to-one sessions with our family support worker - either drop in, or book a time in advance. You could also attend group sessions where you can meet other families who are in the same situation.
We identify your family's particular needs and can advise on
- the emotional and practical impact of having a loved one in prison
- the daily routine inside prison
- up-to-date information and support
- keeping in touch
- financial help that's available for your family
- links to other organisations that offer help to prisoners' families
If you'd like to know more, please enquire at the Visitors' Centre.
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Support from other organisations
There are a number of organisations that offer advice and support to prisoners and their families. To find out more, visit our links page or ask at the Visitors' Centre.
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Giving the prisoner property and money
There are many rules and regulations about how to do this. Please click here for detailed information about what is allowed.
