Prisoners' families & children Prison visitors' guides HMP Nottingham This guide includes information that you may find useful for the duration of the time your family or friend is a resident at HMP Nottingham. If you notice anything that is incorrect on this page, please contact us on [email protected] Any further information can be found on the prison website at www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder/nottingham or you can ring the main switchboard on 0115 872 4000. 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 Nottingham 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 Nottingham Perry Road Sherwood Nottingham NG5 3AG Governor: Paul Yates Visitors’ Centre Telephone: Please use the visitor booking line on 0115 962 8980 for Visitors’ Centre enquiries. Lines are open: Monday 13:00 – 16:00 Tuesday 09:00 – 12:00 Thursday 13:00 – 16:00 Saturday 09:00 – 12:00 Visitors Centre Email: [email protected] & [email protected] to book a visit Visiting Times Monday 09:00 - 10:30 14:00 - 15:30 Tuesday 09:00 - 10:30 14:00 - 15:30 Wednesday 09:00 - 10:30 14:00 - 15:30 Thursday 09:00 - 10:30 14:00 - 15:30 Friday Saturday 09:00 - 10:30 14:00 - 15:30 Sunday 09:00 - 10:30 14:00 - 15:30 Booking a visit Visitors’ Centre Telephone: 0115 962 8980 Lines are open: Monday 13:00 – 16:00 Tuesday 09:00 – 12:00 Thursday 13:00 – 16:00 Saturday 09:00 – 12:00 Visitors' Centre Email: [email protected] 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 whom 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. Who can visit? There will be a maximum of 3 visitors per resident (including children). Security checks You may be required to have your finger or thumb prints scanned as part of a security check. You may also have an iris scan. Sometimes you will be sniffed by security dogs. Make sure you wear clothes that are not contaminated by any form of drug as you will be returned to the Visitors’ Centre and will not be able to have your visit. You may also be searched by a prison officer (of the same gender). During your visit, officers will be with you throughout and will open and lock doors in front of and behind you at all stages. Identification Policy You will need to bring one or more forms of identification with you to all your prison visits. Group 1 Driving Licence (acceptable on its own) - This can be a full or provisional as long it is in date and has your correct address. OR Group 2 VALID Passport WITH 2 x Letters as proof of address (dated within the last 3 months) Letters are either: Bank statement Utility Bill Council Tax Benefit letter OR A concessionary bus pass AND 2 x Letters as proof of address (dated within the last 3 months) These WILL NOT be accepted without proof of address, and MUST say concessionary on the card OR A citizenship card* AND 2 x Letters as proof of address (dated within the last 3 months) These WILL NOT be accepted without proof of address, and MUST say concessionary on the card. Children’s Identification Policy (under 18): You will need to bring either the child's valid passport or 'Red book' until 3months old or the child's full birth certificate. * Prisoners' families discount available on request - email [email protected] 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, Nottingham’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. No watches No cargo troursers with pockets at the side What can I bring in for my children? 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 You can buy light refreshments, please bring in money for the visit and we can sort it all out in the visitor centre 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: HMP NottinghamPerry RoadSherwoodNottingham NG5 3AG (Prisoners name and prison number) 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 Nottingham 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. 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, visitors must send the property via post directly to the prison with the prisoners name on and a return address not Pact staff – so they may be checked and placed on the prisoner’s property card. Whilst the prison staff will try to ensure the prisoner receives these 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 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 0115 872 4176 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 you have any non-urgent questions or concerns about your loved one, please call the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003 (from 9am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm Saturday and Sunday). 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 Nottingham | Prisoners' Families Helpline (prisonersfamilies.org)