Book and plan your visit to Featherstone

To visit someone in Featherstone you must:

• be on that person’s visitor list
• book your visit at least 2 days in advance
• have the required ID with you when you go

You can book up to 14 days in advance.

Prisoners can have up to 3 adult visitors at a time (18 or over) plus children.

A prisoner can have as many visits as they have visiting orders for. You can check this with the prisoner you are going to visit.

Contact Featherstone if you have any questions about visiting.

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:

• travel to Featherstone
• somewhere to stay overnight
• meals

How to book family and friends visits

You can book your visit online or by telephone.

Telephone booking line: 0300 060 6502
Find out about call charges

The booking line is open, Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm.

Telephone bookings can be made up to two days prior to a visit.

If you have any questions you can email visitsbooking.westmidlands@justice.gov.uk, however they are not able to book a visit.

For general visits queries, not booking requests, you can also contact PACT by phone on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from midday to 5pm on 01902 70 3254
Find out about call charges

Visiting times

• Tuesday, 2pm to 4pm
• Wednesday, 2pm to 4pm
• Thursday, 2pm to 4pm
• Saturday, 9:30am to 11:30am and 2pm to 4pm
• Sunday, 2pm to 4pm

The cut off time for visitors to enter in 30 minutes after the start of a session.

How to book legal and professional visits

You can book your legal visit by telephone using the booking line number, 0300 060 6502. Find out about call charges

Legal visits:

• Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30am to 11:30am

The latest arrival time is 10:30am.

HMP Featherstone operates paperless visits and legal visitors may bring in plug in fire sticks or similar devices to access paperwork which will be securely printed in the visits room. Legal visits staff will provide stationery for legal visitors to use.

Laptops may be brought in but only if the Wi-Fi and camera is disabled. Should a legal visitor have a question about bringing in any documents that are required to be brought in they may contact either 01902 703 264 or 01902 703 048 for approval. Please note this number is not manned all day.

Find out about call charges

Getting to Featherstone

Find Featherstone on a map

Car: From Wolverhampton take the A449 northbound – there is a visitor’s car parking facility at the prison.

Bus: Take number 70 from Stand AC to Cannock. Depart the bus at Honeysuckle Drive, Featherstone. Then walk along New Road towards the Prison (approx. 25 minutes). The Visitors’ Centre is well signposted.

Train: The Nearest Railway Station is 6 miles away in Wolverhampton and you can complete the rest of journey by bus or taxi.

To plan your journey by public transport:

• use National Rail Enquiries
• use Traveline for local bus times

There is a free visitors car park.

There are disabled visitors spaces in our visitors car park.

Entering Featherstone

All visitors,visitors aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. Read the list of acceptable forms of ID when visiting a prison.

• All visitors will need to be given a pat-down search, including children
• You may also be sniffed by security dogs

For security, health and safety reasons, some prisons have a specific dress code for visitors and others have a more relaxed policy, making assessments on a case-by-case basis. At the time we compiled this information, HMP Featherstone’s guidelines were as follows:

• modest dress
• no work clothes (including uniforms and trousers with  multiple pockets)
• no jumpers or shirts with hoods. Jumpers without hoods are allowed.
• no mobile phones
• no offensive logos
• no sunglasses
• no hats, headwear or headscarves unless worn for religious reasons
• no ripped jeans
• no vest tops
• no short skirts or dresses, they must be knee length. Shorts are allowed as long as they are knee length

Please see a link to the PACT website which has a copy of the dress code.

What can I bring in for my children?

Items for babies will need to be placed into a clear bag, which you can collect from the visits centre.

You may bring in:

• dummies
• baby wipes
• nappies
• milk powder
• prescribed medication
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You will be told the rules by an officer at the start of your visit. If you break the rules, your visit could be cancelled and you could be banned from visiting again.

• there are strict controls on what you can take into HMP Featherstone. You will have to leave most of the things you have with you in a locker in the visitors’ centre or in your car
• each Table is allowed a maximum of £50 to be brought in that can be coins or £5 or £10 notes. No notes above £10 are accepted.

Call our visits centre if you have any questions about visiting 01902 70 3254 or email them on  Featherstone@prisonadvice.org.uk

Visiting facilities

There is a visitors centre run by PACT where there are baby changing facilities available.

Refreshments are available to purchase in our visits centre and in the visits room. Visitors can use either coin or notes in the visits centre but we ask all notes to be £5 or £10. Each table is allowed to bring up to £50 in either coins, £5 or £10 notes for purchasing refreshments.

The centre is open daily, except Monday and Friday, from midday to 4:30pm.

Family days

High Featherstone run 12 family visits a year. Details on how these visits run can be found by contacting the PACT team on 01902 70 3254.

Keep in touch with someone at Featherstone

There are several ways you can keep in touch with someone during their time at Featherstone.

Secure video calls

To have a secure video call with someone in this prison you need to:

• Download the Prison Video app
• Create an account
• Register all visitors
• Add the prisoner to your contact list.

How to book a secure video call

You can request a secure video call with someone in this prison via the Prison Video app.

You will receive a notification when your request has been accepted.

Read more about how it works ###Phone calls Prisoners have phones in their cells but these can only make outgoing calls so they will always have to call you. They have 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.

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 Featherstone using the Email a Prisoner service.

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

Letters

You can write at any time.

Include the person’s name and prisoner number on the envelope.

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

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

Send money and gifts

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

You can only send items to prisoners in Featherstone in exceptional circumstances. Prisoners can apply to the governor for permission.

All parcels will be opened and checked by officers.

Friends and families of prisoners are permitted to send books directly to their loved ones, or can order books from approved retailers, which can source and send the books on to prisoners.

For the full list of approved retailers, you can read the HMPPS Incentives Policy, Annex F.

Life at Featherstone

Featherstone is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where prisoners can learn new skills to help them on release.

Security and safeguarding

Every person at Featherstone 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.

Featherstone also trains prisoners to be ‘listeners’ for those who need support during difficult times.

Arrival and first night

When someone first arrives at Featherstone, 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. All cells in the first night centre have phones that can be used at any time.

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

They will be checked on regularly throughout their first 24 hours at Featherstone to make sure they are supported through their induction.

Induction

Each prisoner who arrives at Featherstone 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.

All new prisoners will be given a key worker who will come and get to know them.

Accommodation

Around 690 prisoners live at Featherstone across 7 house units. There is a mixture of single and shared cells.

Facilities include a gym and library.

Education and work

Education at Featherstone is provided by Novus. They run a number of academic courses including Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 Maths and English and ITQ.

They also run vocational courses including:

• hospitality
• painting and decorating
• brick laying
• cleaning

Prisoners can also complete higher level qualifications through the Open University.

There are a wide range of activities and interventions available for prisoners to develop their skills and progress through their sentence.

Featherstone also runs specialist qualifications in RMF rail track, motor vehicle and tyre fitting.

Prisoners can also work in a wide range of workshops, including industries, construction, textiles and a print shop.

Support for family and friends

At HMP Featherstone we understand how important it is that our prisoners receive support from their families and loved ones. PACT support our work with families, providing a Family Engagement Worker to our prisoners and visitors with contact and communication with their families.

To contact our head of family provision please email FamilyVisitsFeatherstone@justice.gov.uk

Our visits centre staff can also provide support to families and visitors. You can contact our visits centre on featherstone@prisonadvice.org.uk

Concerns, problems and complaints

Contact category	Phone number	Additional information
Non-emergency	01902 70 3081	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 a problem contact Featherstone.

Public correspondence

All Public Correspondence enquiries to be sent to PublicCorrespondenceHMPFeatherstone@justice.gov.uk

Inspection reports

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

Contact Featherstone

Governor: Neil O’Connor

Telephone (24 hours): 01902 703 000
Fax: 01902 703 001
Find out about call charges

Contact the Head of family provision by email to FamilyVisitsFeatherstone@justice.gov.uk

Address

See map