Prisoners' families & children Prison visitors' guides HMP Dartmoor This guide includes information that you may find useful for the duration of the time your family or friend is a resident at HMP Dartmoor. If you notice anything that is incorrect on this page, please contact us at [email protected] Any further information can be found on the prison website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dartmoor-prison or you can ring the main switchboard on 01822 322 000. Visiting times How to book a visit Who can visit? What to expect at your visit Financial assistance for visits Keeping in touch Sending property to a prisoner Further support and advice If you need support You can email the Pact team at HMP Dartmoor directly at [email protected]. For more information, support and advice on all aspects of the justice system, you can contact the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003 (9am – 8pm Monday to Friday, and 10am – 3pm at the weekend). Address: HMP DartmoorPrincetownYelvertonDevonPL20 6RR Governor: Steve Mead Pact Worker contact: [email protected] Safer Custody line: 01822 322 111 Visitors’ Centre Email: [email protected] Visiting times: *There is no cut off time for late visitors. All will be allowed there visit no matter now late; however no refreshments will be available to any late comers as orders cannot be taken from the inside centre. Monday No visits Tuesday No visits Wednesday No visits Thursday No visits Friday 14.30 - 16.30 Saturday 9.30 - 11.30 14.30 - 16.30 Sunday 9.30 - 11.30 14.30 - 16.30 Booking your visit: Booking line telephone: 01822 322 022 Lines open: Monday: 12pm to 3pmTuesday to Thursday: 10am to 1pmFriday: 9am to 12pm You will need: the name and date of birth of the person you would like to visit, their prison number, dates of births for all the visitors coming with you, including children, the dates and times of the requested visits and the Visiting Order number if you have one. All visits must be booked in advance. Only those visitors whose details have been listed on the Prisoner’s Authorisation Contact List (as provided by the prisoner) and those who are named on the booking will be allowed entry into the prison. Prison staff cannot add visitor(s) to a Prisoner’s Authorisation Contact List without the consent and authorisation of a prisoner. Adults and children must all have identification; for more information regarding identification, please see Identification Policy below. a Home Office travel document (convention travel document, stateless person’s document, one-way document or certificate of travel) an older person’s bus pass a Freedom Pass a proof of age card recognised under the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) without a unique reference number (please refer to List A where a unique reference number is present) List C: a birth or adoption certificate an education certificate from a regulated and recognised educational institution (such as an NVQ, SQA, GCSE, A level or degree certificate) a rental or purchase agreement for a residential property (signed and dated) a marriage or civil partnership certificate a bank, building society or credit union current account card (on which the claimed identity is shown) Children’s Identification Policy (under 18): You will need to bring either the child's valid passport or 'Red book' till 3months old or the child's full birth certificate. If you do not have a passport or driving license you can order a citizen ID card that you can use. You can find out more here www.citizencard.com. You can also receive a 10% discount on your application by contacting [email protected]. If you do not have access to the above listed ID, you may still be able to attend a visit with advanced permission from the prison. Please contact the prison directly to arrange this. Dress code For security, health and safety reasons, some prisons have a specific dress code for visitors and others have a more relaxed policy, making assessments on a case by case basis. At the time we compiled this information, Dartmoor’s guidelines were as follows: modest dress, no work clothes (including uniforms), no sports shirts or football shirts, no hoods, no mobile phones, no offensive logos, no sunglasses or headscarves unless worn for religious reasons, no ripped jeans, no vest tops, no short skirts or dresses. What can I bring in for my children? Please note, some of these rules may have changed during the COVID pandemic. Please contact the prison to confirm. You may bring in: dummies, baby wipes, nappies, milk powder, prescribed medication. Please note that some of these items may be bagged and tagged in the Visitors’ Centre prior to entry into the prison. If you would like to know more specific information on what you can bring, please contact the prison directly on the details at the top of the page. Food and drink For 6 weeks from 04/03/23 there will be no food available during visits due to the HMP Dartmoor kitchen being replaced. A free hot or cold drink will be provided to all visitors but unfortunately, no food or snacks. From Monday 13th September 2022 there will be meal grab bags to purchase for prisoners and their families. Grab bags can be purchased from the visitors' centre before going into the visits' hall. Grab bags must be eaten in the visits hall. For visitors that decline to do a lateral flow test on arrival - catering services will not be available to the prisoner or their visitor/s. The tea bar does not accept paper money (treasury notes), so please remember to bring coins only with you. We are unable to exchange notes for coins in the visitors’ centre. Money You cannot give money to the prisoner during a visit. Please see the section on sending a prisoner money below. Banned items Do not attempt to bring any of the following into prison during your visit: illegal drugs, alcohol, weapons, a camera, a mobile phone, indecent or obscene material, material that threatens the security of the prison, material that is written in code, car or house keys, any electronic devices including – SIM cards and memory sticks. If you are unsure what you can bring, contact the prison directly. Financial Assistance for Visits If you are on a low income or receive benefits you may be entitled to financial assistance for the cost of visiting your relative in prison. Help is provided by the Assisted Prison Visits Unit (APVU). Click here for more information: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-prison-visits Keeping in Touch Phone To speak to a prisoner on the phone, the prisoner has to call you using a prison phone. Prison staff can listen to and record most types of call. Some calls are not monitored, for example, when a prisoner calls a legal advisor. Letters Letters to prisoners should be addressed to: Prisoner's name and prison numberHMP/YOI Dartmoor1 Fort RoadDartmoorKentME1 3QS You must write your own name and address on the back of the envelope or it will not be delivered to the prisoner. If you do not know the prisoners’ prison number, please address the envelope as above with the prisoner’s date of birth next to his name. Email Dartmoor uses EmailaPrisoner.com. Through this service, family and friends can send a message which is printed out and delivered by prison staff by hand. Once you have signed up, you will receive an activation link via email which you must click on in order to activate your account and send a message. You must buy a minimum of £5 credit in order to use the service, which runs at a cost of 40p per email and at no charge to the recipient. Voicemail Family members and friends can sign up to PrisonVoicemail.com, a service which allows social contacts to exchange voicemails with prisoners. On signing up, you will be given a unique local landline number you can call at any time to leave a message; this message will be instantly available for your loved one to listen to. Prisoners can check their messages by dialling the same unique number from any phone in the prison and may leave a reply. When the message has been heard, the family member receives an instant text notification, signalling they may leave another message. In order to access messages, the prisoner pays the cost of a landline call, but the cost of the service itself is paid by the family or friend. Plans start from £5 per month. Secure Video Calls This prison offers a secure video call service called Prison Video. You will need to use the Prison Video app on your phone or tablet device to have a video call with someone in prison. The Prison Video app is available to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store (or equivalent app stores outside the UK). HMPPS has produced a user guide and a list of frequently asked questions that will give you all the information you need to start using Prison Video. You can find this at https://www.prisonersfamilies.org/change-of-video-call-service Only people aged 18 or over can register for an account with Prison Video. You will need to provide your name, address, and date of birth, and upload photos of your ID and face. You will also need to add details of any other people who wish to take part in the video calls with you, such as children, and upload a clear photo of each participant’s face. You will need to upload ID for people over the age of 18 only, unless the prison specifically asks for anything else. Sending Property to a Prisoner All enhanced prisoners are able to buy the items that they want or need through the approved suppliers, whose catalogues are available in the prison. Any prisoner wishing to have clothes brought into the prison must first submit an application. Once the application has been approved by the prison, the item should be sent in the post directly to the prison with the prisoner’s name and a return address so that they can be checked and placed on the prisoner’s property card. Whilst prison staff will try to ensure the prisoner receives the items, this may not always be possible. In the case that the items are rejected, they will be returned to the visitor. Please avoiding bringing in the following items: plain black or navy items, polo shirts, no army style clothing or gang related clothing, no items with side pockets, no three quarter length trousers. The above process also applies to court clothes. Appropriate court clothes are defined as the following: suit trousers or skirt, shirt or blouse, jacket, tie, shoes, belt (no large buckles). Should there be any additional items within the package, they will be returned, and nothing will be passed on to the prisoner. Please note that court clothes are held in reception until the prisoner is actually going to court. Lastly, jeans, t-shirts and trainers will not be accepted as court clothes. How do I send money to a prisoner? From 2nd November 2020 the way prisoners can send and receive money has changed. You can no longer send money by bank transfer, cheque, postal order or send cash by post to any prison. You’ll need to send money through the Money to Prisoners Portal using a debit card instead. The Money to Prisoners Portal service is free, secure and available in all prisons in England and Wales. To get started on the Portal you will need the prisoner's date of birth and prisoner number. If you cannot use the online service, you may be able to apply for an exemption - for example if you: are unable to use a computer, a smart phone or the internet do not have a debit card You cannot give money to the prisoner during a visit. Further Support and Advice Pact family support will be available by email and you can access this by contacting [email protected]. If your issue is complex and you need to talk to us in person, please include your number in the email and tell us that you would like a call back - it would also be helpful if you could let us know whether we are able to leave a message if there is no answer - and we will aim to get back to you as soon as we possibly can. If you have urgent concerns about the welfare of your loved one in prison, please call the prison Safer Custody line directly. Prisoners' Families Helpline You can also contact the Prisoners’ Families Helpline for advice and support on all aspects of the criminal justice system: Call 0808 808 2003 (9am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm at the weekend) Email the team on [email protected] Fill in a contact form and request a call back at prisonersfamilies.org If you are worried about your loved one while they are a resident at this prison, you can contact the Safer Custody team. Safer Custody Team If you are worried about your loved one while they are a resident at this prison, you can contact the Safer Custody team on 01822 322 111. You may be asked to leave a voicemail. Please make sure you include: Your name. The reason that you are calling. The name of your family member/friend (and their prison number if you know it). Please wait at least 24 hours for a call back before contacting the prison again. If your concerns are immediate or life-threatening please call the prison switchboard on 01822 322 000. For more information about what to do if you are worried about your loved one in prison, or to share non-urgent concerns with the prison via an online form, visit HMP Dartmoor | Prisoners' Families Helpline.