Book and plan your visit to Swaleside

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How to book legal and professional visits

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• Wednesday, 2pm or 3pm (General Population)
• Thursday, 2pm or 3pm (Alternate weekly between Hotel and Golf South, IPD and CSRU)

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Help with the cost of your visit

If you get certain benefits or have an NHS health certificate, you might be able to get help with the costs of your visit, including:

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• mealsMeals

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Keep in touch with someone at Swaleside

There are several ways you can keep in touch with a prisoner during their time at Swaleside.

Secure video calls

Secure video calling is available at this prison. Family and friends will need to download the Prison Video app, create an account, register all visitors and add the prisoner to their contact list.

Read more about how it works

Phone calls

Prisoners do not have phones in their roomscells sobut they will always have to call you. They havemust to buy phone credits to do this.

They can phone anyone named on their list of friends and family. This list is checked by security when they first arrive so it may take a few days before they are able to call. This can take longer depending on individual cases.

You can also exchange voicemails using the Prison Voicemail service.

Officers may listen to phone calls as a way of preventing crime and helping keep people safe.

Email

You can send emails to someone in Swaleside using the Email a Prisoner service.

You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies from the prisoner, depending on the rules at Swaleside.

Letters

You can write at any time.

Include the Prisoners name and prisoner number on the envelope. You must also write your own name and address on the back of the envelope.

If you do not know their prisoner number, contact Swaleside.

All post, apart from legal letters, will be opened and checked by officers.

National Prison Radio’s Family and Friends request show

National Prison Radio broadcasts into prison cells across England and Wales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Family and friends can stay connected with their loved ones in prison by sending song requests, written messages and voice recordings. They are then read and played out on weekly episodes. 

You can send in a message, and hear the show, at nationalprisonradio.com

Send money and gifts

You can use the free and fast online service to send money to someone in prison.prison.

You can no longer send money by bank transfer, cheque, postal order or send cash by post.

If you cannot use the online service, you may be able to 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

This will allow you to send money by post.

Gifts and parcels

Prisoners can apply for permission to receive an annual Birthday clothing parcel which can be posted in from friends and family. .

FamilyYou andcan friendsalso ofsend prisoners aremoney permittedas towell sendwhich booksthey directly to their loved ones, or can orderuse books from approved retailers, which can source and send the books on to prisoners.   Forbuy theitems fullthrough lista ofcatalogue approved retailers, you can read the HMPPS Incentives Policy, Annex F.system.

There are limits to the number of items a prisoner can receive. Please discuss these when you speak with him.

All parcels will be opened and checked by officers.

You can also send prisoners money as well which they can use to buy items through a catalogue system.

Life at Swaleside

Swaleside is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where menprisoners convicted of serious offences can make positive use of long sentences.

Security and safeguarding

Every prisoner at Swaleside has a right to feel safe. The staff are responsible for their safeguarding and welfare at all times.

For further information about what to do when you are worried or concerned about someone in prison visit the Prisoners’ Families helpline website.

All safeguarding processes are overseen by the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board.

Arrival and first night

When a prisoner first arrives at Swaleside, they will be able to contact a family member by phone. This could be quite late in the evening, depending on the time they arrive.

They will get to speak to someone who will check how they’re feeling and ask about any immediate health and wellbeing needs.

Induction

Each prisoner that arrives at Swaleside gets an induction that lasts about a week. They will meet professionals who will help them with:

• health and wellbeing, including mental and sexual health
• any substance misuse issues, including drugs and alcohol
• personal development in custody and on release, including skills, education and training
• other support (sometimes called ‘interventions’), such as managing difficult emotions

Everyone also finds out about the rules, fire safety, and how things like calls and visits work.

Accommodation

Around 11001,100 menprisoners live at Swaleside across 8 wings. All menprisoners get their own rooms.cells, access to in-cell phones and in-cell laptops.

Education and work

Prisoners have access to a broad programme of learning opportunities provided by Amersham and Wickham College. These range from basic skills, such as English and maths, to distance learning with the Open University. Swaleside is part of the Prisons ICT Academy (PICTA) which helps prepare prisoners for work in information and communications technology (ICT) roles.

Work is available throughout the prison in areas such as industrial cleaning and engineering. Prisoners are also employed by several industrial workshops through contracts with outside businesses.

Swaleside also runs a number of accredited accredited offending behaviour programmes and non-accredited courses for personal and social development.

Support for family and friends

Find out about advice and helplines for family and friends.

To contact our head of family provision at HMP Swaleside please email: Swaleside@prisonadvice.org.uk

Support at Swaleside

ThePACT Spurgeons family services team provides a range of information, guidance and support to families and friends of prisoners. Ask in the visitorsvisitor’s centre for more information.

ProblemsConcerns, problems and complaints

Contact category	Phone number	Additional information
Non-emergency	01795 804295	Call this number if you have concerns about a prisoner’s safety or wellbeing which are serious but not life-threatening or complete a safer custody contact form on the Prisoners’ Families Helpline website.
Staff Integrity Hotline	0800 917 6877 (24 hours answering machine)	This number can be called anonymously. If you are concerned about a prisoner being bullied by a member of staff, you can use this number. As this line is managed separately from the prison, you can call this number anonymously.
Prisoners’ Families Helpline	0808 808 2003	The Prisoners’ Families Helpline can provide confidential support, advice and guidance.
Unwanted Prisoner Contact	0300 060 6699	If a prisoner is contacting you and you want them to stop, you can use the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service. You can complete the Stop prisoner contact online form, email unwantedprisonercontact@justice.gov.uk or contact by phone.

Problems and complaints

If you have aany other problem contact Swaleside.

Inspection reports

HM Prison and Probation Service publishes action plans for Swaleside in response to independent inspections.

Contact Swaleside

Governor: MarkLee-Ann IckeWilliams

Email: Business Hub, Swaleside

Telephone: 01795 804 100
Fax: 01795 804 200
Find out about call charges

Follow Swaleside on TwitterTwitter/X

Address

See map

Safer custody hotline

If you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a man in Swaleside, call the safer custody hotline. If your call is sent to answerphone, leave as much information as possible and a contact number for someone to call you back. Messages are checked regularly.

Telephone: 01795 804 295
Find out about call charges

In an emergency, call the main telephone number and ask to speak to the orderly officer.