Going to Prison: How to Keep in Touch with Loved Ones
29 January 2025
If you’re due to go to prison soon, it’s important to know your rights and options when it comes to keeping in touch with the people you care about.
When attending prison, you’ll be informed with regard to what you can and can’t do in terms of communicating with people, and what happens to any phones or technology you might have.
Here’s a quick guide to break down what you need to know when arriving, and how you can keep in contact with friends and family during your sentence.
Making initial calls from prison
You’ll be able to make phone calls from UK prisons, but typically, you’ll have an allowance to do so. When you first arrive, your prison might permit a free call to a loved one to let them know you’ve arrived.
However, do be aware that some prisons have security measures that mean officers might need to make calls on your behalf. It’s important to comply with these measures if they’re in place.
Calling from prison during your sentence
During your prison sentence, you’ll usually be able to make phone calls with your own exclusive PIN, and you can top up your allowance with weekly credit given to you by the prison.
Prisons should provide you with reasonable access to phones during appropriate times, typically for up to two hours each day.
In most cases, calls will be recorded for security purposes. That means prison staff will have access to your conversations at all times. This is to prevent illegal activity from taking place over the telephone. However, calls to some organisations and to your legal advisor will not be recorded, as per your human rights.
Adding numbers to your PIN
When calling from prison, you’ll need to add individual numbers to your PIN so that you have full authority to do so. In most cases, you can add up to 20 different numbers that are for you alone, and not for other prisoners.
You’ll usually only be able to call private numbers, vetted organisations, or legal counsel. That means business calls are typically prohibited.
In most cases, prisons will also run quick checks on the numbers you add to make sure they are happy to receive calls from you.
You can also add numbers such as those for Crimestoppers, the Samaritans, and the Prison Ombudsman.
Calling 0800 numbers
One of the grey areas in calling from prison regards calling numbers beginning with 0800. Typically, these numbers belong to private businesses, and would therefore usually be restricted from getting added to your PIN.
However, there are specific circumstances where you are able to add 0800 numbers, and it will be down to the discretion of the prison and its estate.
If your prison allows certain 0800 calls, you and your loved ones can take advantage of freephone calls through Phonestar.
Your friend or family member simply sets up a number through our service, and you can call from inside prison at no cost to you. Instead, it’s your friend or family member that pays a low rate per minute for these conversations.
That’s extra peace of mind for them, and a little extra money for you to spend on what you need during your sentence.
Other ways to keep in touch
Of course, alongside calling loved ones, you can also send and receive letters through the prison service. However, the number of letters you can send each month will depend on the rules of the prison you are serving at.
What’s more, there may be restrictions with regard to what you send, and who you write to. When sending any letters outside of prison, you need to include details such as your name and prison address.
Prisons must always allow you a small amount of paper at least so that you can write to people if you need to.
Usually, you can send one free letter each week via your prison’s reception. On top of this, you can pay for ‘privilege’ letters that you can pay for. There’s not usually a limit to privilege letters, but there may still be some checks.
You can also send special or urgent letters if you need to – for example, you may need to contact the Prisons Ombudsman, or to advise loved ones that you are moving location.
You can normally receive as many letters as your contacts desire to send you – however, in some circumstances, there might be limits imposed if officers are monitoring you, concerned about security risks. Again, you must oblige with these rules.
Beyond calls and letters, prisons will always allow you at least one social visit from a contact every fortnight, provided they are at least an hour long. If you meet with people such as your local MP, Samaritans workers, or social workers, their time with you doesn’t count towards your visit quota.
You can also get access to social video calls, typically one of around 30 minutes per month. However, these, again, are subject to prison rules and provision. Some prisoners typically use these calls when face to face visits are not possible, though they’re not offered as replacements.
Cut the cost of calling your loved ones
When in prison, you’re going to want to reserve your allowance for the essentials – and, while it’s essential to keep contact with friends and family, with an 0800 number, you can call time and again without paying a penny.
Simply arrange for your loved ones to set up a cheap 0800 number through Phonestar, and check that your prison will allow the proxy to be added to your PIN. Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that all prisons will meet you halfway – but it’s a helpful avenue that’s worth exploring before you start your sentence.
Take a look across our site for more information, and be sure to get in touch if you’d like to learn more from our team.
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