Visits

Visiting Facilities

Visiting a prison involves a lot of facilities and processes, here are some of them explained.

Entering the Prison

Outside the front of the prison next to the Gatehouse is the Visitors’ Centre. This is where all visitors to the prison must report, visitors are required to bring acceptable proof of identification. No identification will result in entry to the prison being refused.

Once the Visitors’ Centre clerk has checked the visitor has a booked visit at the appropriate time, he/she will:

• Enroll adult visitors on the Custodial Management System (CMS).
• Issue visitors with authorisation to enter the prison.
• Require visitors to deposit all belongings, including handbags, in the lockers available in the Visitors’ Centre; he/she will provide them with a key to the locker.
• Process any property.

Fifteen minutes before the start time of the visit, the clerk will advise visitors to proceed to the prison. Upon arrival at the prison, visitors will present themselves to the Visits Entry clerk. The clerk will:

• Check the authorisation slip to ensure the correct persons are present.
• Check the identity of visitors by using “CMS”.

After this visitors will be admitted to the search area. Adult male visitors (or under 18’s that look like adults), will be fitted with as wrist band and have a hand stamp. The number of the wrist band will be recorded next to the visitors name on the visits list. Adult female visitors will be hand stamped in this area using UV hand stamps. Children who can clearly be identified as children will not be subject to wrist bands or hand stamps.

In this area visitors will be asked to sit on our BOSS (Body Orifice Security Scanner) chair, which is a highly sensitive metal detector, they will then have to pass through the metal detecting portal. After this there is a full touch down search. Coats, cardigans and footwear will be passed through our X-ray machine. In this Drugs dogs are also be used.

Should there be any concern a visitor may be concealing contraband or if any is discovered, the visitor(s) can be held in the search area and the Security Manager or the Duty Manager is called. If there are no concerns, the visitors will be escorted to the Visits Hall lobby.

The visit authorization slip will be given to the Visits Hall podium officer by the escorting officer. Once at the Visits Hall lobby, visitors will be required to wait there until collected by a Visits officer. The Visitors Hall lobby is under constant CCTV surveillance.

In the Visitors Hall

Once you are in the Hall there are seating areas in groups of four, one yellow seat for the prisoner and three blue ones for his visitors. Whilst here there is a Tea Bar where you can buy Drinks, Snacks, Sandwiches, Cakes and Sweets. The Tea Bar is run by the Hayward House Cancer Care Trust, a registered charity, attached to the City Hospital, Nottingham.

We also have a creche for the children to play in which is open when supervision can be provided. There are toys, books and art materials supplied for the children to use.

There are a number of visit booths available for private consultations with layers and we also have closed visits rooms where prisoners and visitors are separated by a screen so that they can only talk.

Leaving the Prison

Once the visit is finished the Visits Supervisor will instruct an officer to inform the prisoner and his visitors accordingly. The visitors will be subject to a “CMSr”, wrist band and UV stamp check before exiting the Visits Hall. If there is any doubt about identity, the individual(s) will not be permitted to leave the Hall and the Security Manager or the Duty Manager will be obtained.

If everything is alright then the visitors will be escorted through the lobby and to the visitors’ exit in the gate building. A further “CMS” check will be made at the exit lock and the wrist band will be removed. The clerk will use the image and finger scan on our "CMS" to satisfy him/herself that the individual seeking to leave is the one who entered.

When the clerk is happy about the visitor's identity, he/she will be allowed to leave the prison. If a visitor leaving the prison has any property to collect, they can pick it up from the Visitors’ Centre.