HMP BRONZEFIELD VISITORS' CENTRE

About the visitors' centre

Contact details
How to get there
Visitors' centre opening hours
Facilities on offer at the visitors' centre

Information for visitors to HMP Bronzefield

Prison visiting times
How to book a visit
How many visits is the prisoner allowed?
Arriving for your visit
What to bring as ID
If you are running late
Refusing to let you visit
What can I take into the visits hall?
Visitors' clothing
Help with travel costs
Support from other organisations
Giving the prisoner property and money

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Contact details
HMP Bronzefield Visitors' Centre
Woodthorpe Road
Ashford
Middlesex
TW15 3JZ
Shabnam Khan
01784 425690 ext 3579
bronzefield@prisonadvice.org.uk

The Services Manager is Shabnam Khan.

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How to get there
HMP Bronzefield is in the town of Ashford in Middlesex, and is easily accessible both by car and by public transport. Click here for detailed information about how to get there.

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Visitors' centre opening hours

Opening times as of 6th December:
Monday - Thursday: 1pm - 6.15pm
Friday: 1pm - 5.15pm
Saturday: 9am - 11.45am, 1pm - 5.15pm
Sunday: 1pm - 5.15pm

There are no visits on Christmas Day.

If the visitors' centre is not open, visitors are asked to proceed to the main building, where your ID will be checked.

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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
• Shabnam, our Services Manager, is on hand to offer support and help with any concerns. She works closely with both families and prisoners
  
• a refreshment bar, selling a variety of drinks and snacks, is run by the Friends of Bronzefield and is open some days. There is also a vending machine
• a children's play area full of toys and books
• toilets and baby changing facilities
• information to take home
• Nessa Killeen-McGuirk, Adfam's Family Support Worker (Adfam is a national charity for families and friends of drug users)

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Prison visiting times

Visiting times as of 6th December 2009:
Monday - Thursday: 2pm - 6pm (last visit 5 - 6pm)
Friday: 2pm - 5pm (last visit 4 - 5pm)
Saturday: 9.30am - 11.30am, 2 - 5pm
Sunday: 2pm - 5pm (last visit 4pm - 5pm)

Most visits last one hour. There are no visits on Christmas Day.

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How to book a visit

• to book a visit, please phone the booking line on 01784 425749
• the booking line is open Monday - Friday, 8.30am - 1pm, 2pm - 4.30pm. The booking line receives a very high volume of calls, so please be patient. There is an answerphone facility where you can leave your name and number, and a booking clerk will call you back
• alternatively, you can book a visit by e-mailing bfvisits.booking@kalyxservices.com
• if you are visiting a prisoner on remand, you can book your next visit at the main building while you are at the prison paying your visit. You will need to fill in a form, which prison staff can give you
• if you are booking a visit to a convicted prisoner, you will be asked for your Visiting Order (VO) number when you book. The VO will have already been sent to you in the post by the prisoner

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How many visits is the prisoner allowed?
It depends whether the prisoner is on remand or convicted - and on the privileges system.

All prisoners at HMP Bronzefield are part of a system for earning or losing privileges. Each prisoner is on a basic or enhanced regime - depending on how many privileges they have earned.

Here is a breakdown of how many visits prisoners are allowed:

• remand prisoners are entitled to one visit a day, a maximum of 60 minutes long
• convicted basic prisoners are entitled to one visit a week, a maximum of 60 minutes long
• convicted enhanced prisoners are allowed one weekly visit of up to three hours, Monday - Friday, plus one application per week for an extra visit

Please note that all three-hour enhanced visits must be completed by 6.30pm.

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Arriving for your visit
Please arrive at least 30 minutes before your visit is due to start. When you arrive at the prison, make your way to the visitors' centre to book in. You will need to bring ID with you (see below).

If you are visiting a convicted prisoner, remember to bring your Visiting Order (VO) with you; without a valid VO, your visit may be cancelled.

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What to bring as ID
You need to bring one piece of photo ID and one proof of address. The ID you bring must be from the following lists.

Photo ID:

• passport
• driving licence
• student card
• EC identity card
• CIS card
• new issue bus or rail card
• employer or student ID card

Proof of address:

• utility bill
• bank statement
• wage slip
• employer letter
• rent book
• professional letter e.g. from a doctor or solicitor
• benefit book or letter

If you have no photo ID, you will need to produce two of the following plus proof of address:

• birth or marriage certificate
• cheque book or credit/debit card (counts as one item only; not acceptable as two)
• trade union or NUS membership card
• rent book
• foreign identity or resident's card

If you have none of the above, please bring four letters as proof of address. Check the list above for acceptable letters. Letters must not be more than three months old.

All proofs of address need to be no older than three months. Anything older will not be accepted.

Please note that a driving licence will only be accepted as photo ID and NOT as proof of address.

For newborn babies and small children, you are asked to bring their birth certificate, red book or medical card.

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If you are running late
If you are delayed or will be late for your visit, please ring 01784 425690 ext 3320. This will give the prison a chance to hold your visit open or see if it could be facilitated at a later time, subject to availability. If you fail to call, your visit might be cancelled.

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Refusing to let you visit
The prison staff reserve the right to refuse entry to a visitor or cancel their visit if the person:

• does not have the appropriate ID
• does not have a VO to visit a convicted prisoner (not remand)
• is not named on the original visiting order
• is late for a visit
• is intoxicated with alcohol or an illicit substance
• is rude or abusive to staff
• is believed to be attempting to traffic an unauthorised article into the prison

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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 main building. Staff will provide you with a key for the locker.

You cannot take any food or drinks into the visits hall with you. Drinks and snacks can be purchased from the tea bar inside the visits hall (you are allowed to take up to £10 in coins with you).

The only items you can take into the visits hall are:

• your locker key
• a small amount of change to buy refreshments from the coffee bar inside the visits hall - coins only, up to the value of £10
• a bottle of milk for a baby (nappies are available inside the visits hall)

Everything else must be placed in the lockers; this includes money in notes, cigarettes, wallets, keys, hats, scarves, sunglasses and mobile phones. 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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Visitors' clothing
HMP Bronzefield respectfully requests that visitors wear appropriate dress at all times:

• motorbike leathers are not to be worn in the main visits hall
• shirts must be worn at all times in the main visits hall
• hooded tops are not allowed
• hats are not allowed
• sunglasses are not allowed

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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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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 what is allowed. Click here for a detailed guide.

You can send an email to a prisoner at HMP Bronzefield using the Email a Prisoner service - it saves the cost and hassle of writing and posting a letter, is cheaper than the cost of a first class stamp, and gets delivered by prison staff to the prisoner as soon as possible. Click here to find out more.