Prisoners' families & children Prison visitors' guides HMP Ranby This guide includes information that you may find useful for the duration of the time your family or friend is a resident at HMP Ranby. 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 (Ranby Prison - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or you can ring the main switchboard on 01777 862 000. If you need support You can email the Pact team at HMP Ranby directly at ranby@prisonadvice.org.uk. 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 RanbyRetfordNottinghamDN22 8EU Governor: Angie Petit Pact Worker contact: Amelia Waterhouse Emergency contact: 01777 862342 Visitors’ Centre Telephone: Use the visits booking line number (below) and ask for Pact 01777 862107 you will then be transferred. Visitors’ Centre Email: ranby@prisonadvice.org.uk Visiting Times Monday 14.00 – 16.00 Tuesday Professional Visits Only Wednesday No Visits Thursday Professional Visits Only Friday 14.00 – 16.00 Saturday 09.00 – 11.00 14.00 – 16.00 Sunday 09.00 – 11.00 14.00 – 16.00 Pact also runs regular Family Days. Dates for Family Days in 2024 are: 20 March; 29 May; 31 July; 21 August; 16 October; 20 November; 18 December. Check with the Pact Worker for more information. Booking your visit: Booking Line Email: [email protected] Booking Line Contact Number: 01777 862107 Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday 09.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 16.00, Friday 0900 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00 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. 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. Who can visit? There will be a maximum of 3 adults per resident (up to 5 persons in total (including children). To visit someone in an adult prison, you must be: aged 18 or over, or under 18 accompanied by an eligible adult a partner, parent, sibling, child, foster-parent, grandparent, carer or significant other of the person you are visiting, or an individual on whom the person in prison relies for emotional support To visit someone in a YOI or STC, you must be: aged 18 or over, or under 18 accompanied by an eligible adult (see Visiting an adult prison, YOI or STC in a group) a partner, parent, sibling, child, foster-parent, grandparent, carer or significant other of the person you are visiting, an individual on whom the person in YOI or STC relies on for emotional support, or a social worker for looked after children (LAC) an adult, though not the parent, who is part of the same household as the parent of the dependent child. To note, siblings who are classed as LAC may need a social worker to attend with them. To visit an adult prison, YOI or STC in a group, the following rules apply: 1 adult can visit a prisoner with up to 1 other adult if you’re the only adult visiting, you can bring up to 2 children if you’re visiting with another adult, you can only bring 1 child At your visit Security checks You may be required to have your finger or thumbprints 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 For all visits you will need to take secure self- identification e.g. passport, citizen documentation, driving licence and a household bill as proof of address. In most cases, you will need two forms of documentation. 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]. Acceptable Forms of Identification - Social Visitors (Aged 16 and Over) Visitors may identify themselves using one of the following: List A: passports that meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) specifications for machine-readable travel documents identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country that follow the Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 standards UK photocard driving licences EU or EEA driving licences that follow the European Directive 2006/126/EC NI Electoral identity cards a US passport card a proof of age card recognised under PASS with a unique reference number (This includes the Citizen ID card) an armed forces identity card a UK biometric residence permit (BRP) If the visitor is unable to produce any of the above, staff may accept combinations of one identification document from List B, supported by one document from List C: List B: 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) Dress code The below list is an example and not exhaustive. Establishments may wish to add to this list or remove items, in accordance with local assessments and what is deemed necessary and proportionate in that establishment. Staff working in visits should recognise the diversity of cultures and religions of their social and legal visitors, therefore a sensitive approach should be adopted when this affects dress and appearance. Hats, scarves, or head coverings which are not worn on religious grounds. Jackets or coats, hoodies, or gloves Inappropriately damaged clothing Metal Hair accessories Steel toe-capped boots/shoes or cycle/motorcycle shoes Non-prescription glasses i.e., sunglasses See-through / revealing clothing. Ripped Jeans Items of clothing that displays offensive abusive or insulting words or gestures. Mini or very short skirts or dresses/unless worn with leggings. Shorts that are shorter than mid-thigh to knee length Visible or exposed underwear Smart Watches This is not exhaustive. Please contact the prison for more information. It is up to prison staff to make decisions and judgments as to when clothing is inappropriate. When making these decisions, staff will always consider decency and diversity. You may be asked to adjust clothing or wear alternative clothing if available. As a last resort, your visit may be cancelled if the dress code cannot be followed. What can I bring in for my children? You may bring in: dummies, Sealed pre-made formula. Sealed baby food and sealed juice cartons are also allowed. prescribed medication which should be handed to staff. 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 at the details at the top of the page. Money A maximum of £5.00 per person is the maximum amount allowed to purchase items from the tea bar. Cash is only accepted. 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, memory sticks and smart watches 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: www.gov.uk/staying-in-touch-with-someone-in-prison Keeping in touch Phone To speak to a prisoner on the phone, the prisoner must call you using a prison phone. Prison staff can listen to and record most types of calls. Some calls are not monitored, for example, when a prisoner calls a legal advisor. Letters Letters to prisoners should be addressed to: HMP RanbyRetfordNottinghamDN22 8EU (Prisoner’s 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 prisoner’s prison number, please address the envelope as above with the prisoner’s date of birth next to his name. Email This prison 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 prisoners are able to buy the items that they want or need through the approved suppliers, whose catalogues are available in the prison. The aim of the policy is to outline the criteria and process for our longer-term serving prisoners and other individuals who require clothing / footwear under exceptional circumstances. The Policy is designed to work alongside the incentives policy to provide a level of decency and support to the prisoners in our care. CRITERIA of PERMITTED PRISONERS and PROCESS Enhanced prisoners only will be permitted to apply for one parcel per year on the anniversary month of their arrival into HMP Ranby. Alongside this is the criteria: Only permitted if you are serving a sentence of 6 years (Parole) or more. Must have a minimum of 6 months left to serve This policy applies to clothing/footwear only. Items of clothing/footwear will only be permitted on either a one for one basis (New for Old: Items to be brought to reception to be destroyed) or to take the prisoner to their maximum permitted items. (See annex A). There will be a maximum amount of items permitted. This is attached at the end of this policy and in line with the incentives policy. Please avoid bringing in the following items: plain black or navy items, polo shirts, no army-style clothing or gang-related clothing, No football shirts no items with side pockets, 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 going to court. Lastly, jeans, t-shirts and trainers will not be accepted as court clothes. For more information on this policy please email [email protected] How do I send money to a prisoner? 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 (9 am – 8 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am – 3 pm Saturday and Sunday) 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 at 01777 862342 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 01777 862 000