INFORMATION PACK FOR VISITORS TO HMP WANDSWORTH

Spurgeons Visitors‟ Centre 17 Heathfield Road London SW18 3HS

Telephone: 020 8874 4377

Email: [email protected]

Please note that this email address is for enquiries only. You can not book a visit using the visitors’ centre email address.

Visitors‟ Centre Opening/Closing Times

MONDAY 07:00-17:00

TUESDAY 07:00-17:00

WEDNESDAY 07.00-17:00

THURSDAY 07:00-17:00

FRIDAY CLOSED

SATURDAY & 07:30-17:15 SUNDAY

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Letters

Letters to should be addressed to: (Prisoners name and number) HMP Wandsworth PO Box 757 Heathfield Road London SW18 3HS

If you do not know the ‟s prison number, please address the envelope as above with the prisoner‟s date of birth next to his name.

Visits

All visits to Wandsworth must be booked in advance. Only those visitors who are named in the booking will be allowed entry into the prison.

In order to get your full visit time, you must arrive at the Visitors‟ Centre 30 minutes before the starting time of your visit. Up to three adults are allowed on a visit; there is no official limit for the number of children. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Adults and children must all have Identification (please see below).

On arrival at Wandsworth, all prisoners have to fill in a form giving details of all their proposed visitors. This is then entered on to the Prison‟s booking system. Details required include the following: name, address, date of birth and relationship (to the prisoner) of each person (including children).

Children under the age of 16 are not allowed to be left unsupervised in the visitors’ centre while you are on your visit. This will result in your visit being terminated early and you will be asked to return to the visitors’ centre and collect the child.

Visits Entitlements

Induction Visit

The Induction Visit is for prisoners who have been in custody for 7 days or less. Prisoners who transfer to HMP Wandsworth from another establishment are not entitled to an Induction Visit. You do not need to book this visit in advance.

Remand Prisoners/Detainees/Deportees: Basic: 3 X half hour visits per week Sunday - Saturday. Standard: 3 X 1 hour visits per week Sunday – Saturday. Enhanced: 4 X 1 hour visits per week Sunday – Saturday.

Convicted Prisoners Basic: 2 visiting orders per month, generated at the rate of 1 every 14 days. Standard: 2 visiting orders per month, generated at the rate of 1 every 14 days. Enhanced: 2 visiting orders plus 2 X privilege visiting orders. Visiting orders are generated at the rate of 1 every 14 days and privilege visiting orders are generated at the rate of 2 every 28 days.

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Booking a Visit

Booking Line telephone number: 0208 588 4002 The booking line is open Monday to Friday from 08:00-16:30.

Booking Office email address: [email protected] When booking a visit by email, please include the name, address and date of birth of each person visiting; this includes children. Please also include a contact telephone number.

At Wandsworth visitors/prisoners are offered 3 options for booking their visits:

Option 1

By the visitor calling the booking line. The booking line is always extremely busy, and visitors should ensure that they have ample credit if using a mobile telephone. They should also ensure that they have all relevant information to hand, i.e. full name, full postal address, date of birth and contact telephone number, if they are calling to book a visit for the first time. At the point of booking, all visitors will be informed about what type of ID is required and what time they should report to the Visitors‟ Centre. This option is open to visitors for both convicted and remand prisoners, as well as detainees/deportees.

Option 2

By the visitor e-mailing the booking office. Visitors should allow at least 48 hours for a response, and again, this option is always extremely busy. Unfortunately, visitors who send numerous „chaser‟ e- mails do not help this situation as every e-mail has to be opened, read and responded to, and if there are numerous „chasers‟, this inevitably slows down the process. This option is open to visitors for both convicted and remand prisoners, as well as detainees/deportees.

Option 3

By the prisoner using the internal booking system. This is where the system gets a little more complicated, although it is by far the most popular method of booking visits, in that visitors do not have to spend time trying to get through on the booking line.

Under this option, all categories of prisoners complete the appropriate form, which is available on their landings. They complete the details of their visitors, up to three adults and, where possible, only three children. All information has to be accurate if adding new visitors, otherwise any information that is missing, such as dates of birth, etc, will result in the form being sent back to the prisoner, and this wastes valuable time and could result in the prisoner missing the visit date that he is requesting. This option is open to both convicted and remand prisoners, as well as detainees and deportees.

Under this option, convicted prisoners only can request that the visiting order be generated/activated and sent back to them on the landing, so that they can either send it to their visitor(s) or give them the VO number over the telephone so that they can telephone to book their own visit. Obviously, this part of Option 3 is not open to remand prisoners as they do not receive/require visiting orders.

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Visiting Times

In order to get your full visit time you must arrive at the Visitors‟ Centre 30 minutes before the start of you visit.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

08:00-09:00 Induction Visit 09:30-10:30

11:00-12:00 13:45-14:45 15:15-16:15

There are no afternoon visits on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.

SATURDAY &SUNDAY

08:30-09:30 09:45-10:45

11:15-12:15 14:00-15:00 15:30-16:30

THERE ARE NO VISITS ON FRIDAYS.

All visitors will be searched before entering the Prison.

Please remember that it is an offence to give anything to a prisoner during the visit. Anyone suspected of bringing in drugs or other illicit items, such as a mobile phone, will be referred to the police and not allowed into the Prison. Please note that passive and pro-active drugs dogs operate in HMP Wandsworth. Additionally, all visitors, including children, may be subject to a search at any time during a visit. The use of children to traffic articles into the Prison is viewed as child abuse and the police and social services will be informed.

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Identification Policy

At HMP Wandsworth, all adults and children must have Identification every time they visit the prison.

Please bring one of the following:

Passport: This includes foreign passports and time expired passports where the photograph is still recognisable. Photo Card Driving Licence EU identity card Home Office/UKBA ID document (with photo) Public Transport Season Ticket (with photo-card) Freedom Pass Employer ID (with photo) Student ID card (with photo)

If you do not have one of the above, then two following will be accepted:

Birth Certificate Marriage Certificate Cheque book or credit/ debit card Young Persons‟ Proof of Age card Trade Union membership card NUS card Library card Rent book /card Foreign Identity or Residence Card (non-EU) Entitlement to benefits letter NHS Medical Card

Children’s Identity Policy

Birth certificate: full or half certificate is acceptable Verification of entitlement to Child Benefit Child‟s Passport Red book: only for children up to the Age of six months

For newborn babies, hospital discharge papers will be accepted, but only for the first visit.

The identification policy is very strict. Without the correct Identification entry to the prison will be refused.

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Property

Sentenced/Convicted prisoners will be given prison to wear. Once they are on enhanced regime, then they are able to make an application for their own clothes to be brought in.

Remand prisoners will be allowed to wear their own clothes. All clothing (except and underwear) must be handed in within 28 days of their first arrival in the prison system. A / and tie for court appearances can be handed in outside the 28 day period.

All property must be handed in at the Property Office, which is located in the visitors‟ gate entrance. Property can only be handed in on the day of your visit.

The Property Office is open:

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY

09:00-11:30 12:45-16:30

SATURDAY &SUNDAY

08:30-11:15 13:30-16:00

Money

All money for prisoners must be posted in. Cheques or Postal Orders must be made payable to “The Governor”, and the prisoner‟s name and prison number must be written on the back, as well as the name and address of the sender. In order to be able to establish when the money arrived at the Prison, it is always safest to post the money via either Special or Recorded Delivery. This will also assist should the money go astray.

Please see the Property List below for details of what can be brought in.

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Property List

Photographs and postal orders must be posted in. The following items can be brought in for prisoners:

Max in ITEM possession NOTES Clothing (FOR ALL PRISONERS) Trainers 2 pair No raised eyelets, zips, metal hoods, buckles or steel toe Socks/underwear No limit No vests Clothing (FOR REMAND PRISONERS AND ENHANCED CONVICTED PRISONERS ONLY) / 4 No dark blue or black /T-shirts 7 No white or black shirts or T-shirts Jumpers/Sweatshirts 2 No dark blue or black, no hoods Jacket/ 1 No hoods, padding or quilting black. Must not resemble prison . 1 pair No large metal parts or steel toe caps Miscellaneous (FOR ALL PRISONERS) Board games 3 Sealed boxes only; max one per visit. Books VC Max 3 per visit CD‟s/ pre recorded tapes VC Clear plastic & shop-bought only. Max 10 per visit Guitar 1 Must have case. Other instruments at Governor‟s discretion. Hair brush/comb 1 No wire or metal parts Posters 1 Neck Chain 1 No Stones Wedding band or signet 1 Plain band only, no raised rings or stones ring Religious items (FOR ALL PRISONERS) Comb/bangle/ 1 (Sikhs) Skull (Jewish) 1 Prayer mat (Muslim) 1 Woolen (Rastafarian) 1 Rosary beads 1 Small religious artifact 1 As agreed by chaplaincy Prayer stool 1 Must not be padded Prayer mat 1 To be used for prisoners religion only Religious books 2

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Court Clothes

Suit Trousers Jacket Tie Shoes (No large buckles)

Court clothes can be handed in outside the 28 day period. The applies to Remand prisoners only. These are held in reception. Jeans, T-Shirts and trainers will not be accepted as court clothes.

The following items can be purchased by the prisoner through canteen only:

Radio, DVD player, CD player, Cassette player. Electronic games Cigarettes and tobacco Toiletries Stationary

Newspapers and Magazines

Can be purchased through canteen

OR

Can be ordered by family/friends from JYL

To place an order call 0207 536 8636 with the following information on who the order is for so your request can be processed and delivered correctly.

Name Prison Number Establishment

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Assisted Prison Visits Unit If you are aged 18 or over and on a „qualifying income‟, you may be able to get help with the cost of travel when visiting a close relative or partner through the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme.

A close relative means: a wife, husband, daughter, son, parent, grandparent, sister, brother, civil partner or a step or adoptive parent/child/brother/sister. A partner means someone who lived with the prisoner, as a couple, immediately before they were sent to prison. If you are the only person visiting a prisoner and on a qualifying income, you can also apply for assistance

Qualifying income means you must be in receipt of one of the following: Income Support Income-Based Job Seekers‟ Allowance Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit with a disability element. In all cases, annual income (as shown on the award notice) must not exceed £16,017 Pension Credit Help with healthcare costs because you have been awarded a HC2 or HC3 certificate.

For an application form, ask at the Visitor‟s Centre.

Alternatively, contact: Assisted Prison Visits Unit PO Box 2152 Birmingham B15 1SD

Phone: 0845 300 1423 (Mon to Fri 10:15-11:45 & 14:15-15:45) Text phone: 0845 304 0800 (times as above) Fax: 0121 626 3474 (24 hrs) Email: [email protected] (Please note that you must include your full postal address when requesting an information pack).

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