Ways to keep in touch with a prisoner.

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Letter:

If you know which prison someone is at, you can write to them by sending a letter addressed to them at the address of the prison. Put their name and either their date of birth or prisoner number on the letter and envelope. Letters and parcels are searched and will not be delivered if they contain inappropriate material. All letters and photos sent in will be photocopied and the copies passed to the prisoner. All of the originals are kept in his stored property until release or transfer to another prison.

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If you don't know which prison someone is at you can use the Find a Prisoner service: https://www.gov.uk/find-prisoner.

Jigsaw are not able to tell you whether an individual is at HMP Leeds or HMP Wealstun.

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There is no restriction on the number of letters a prisoner can receive. Prisoners are entitled to send a number of free letters per week (where they do not have to pay for postage).

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Email:

To send emails to a prisoner sign up at https://www.emailaprisoner.com/. You will need to know the prisoner number to send an email. There is a small charge for sending each message. Emails are printed and delivered to prisoners once per day.

Voicemail:

To send and receive voice notes from a prisoner sign up at https://prisonvoicemail.com/. There is a monthly charge for using this service, starting at £5 per month. You will need to know the prisoner number to use this service.

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Send photos:

You can use the freeprints app to send printed photos to a prisoner. Order your photos as usual within the app and in the delivery section put the prisoner's name and prisoner number as the recipient, and enter the address of the prison.

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Video calls:

Prisoners at HMP Leeds can request video visits with friends and family. The prisoner can make this request by filling in a Virtual Visit Request form at the Prisoner Information Desk on their wing. Dates and times of video calls are scheduled by prison staff. These visits are limited at the moment to one video call per prisoner per month. 

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You will need to install the Prison Video app from Google Play (android) or the App Store (iphone) to create an account. Follow the instructions within the app to upload your identification. The app will only work on smart phone or tablet, not on laptops or desktop computers. For more information go to https://prisonvideo.com/

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You must be registered on the app before the prison can book a video call for you. You will receive an email and a notification within the app letting you know the day and time of the visit when it has been booked. If you are unable to make the virtual visit, you can ask to reschedule. 

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Please be ready for your visit at the arranged time as any delays will impact on the call time available. 

 

During the visit, prisoners and their loved ones will be expected to adhere to prison rules around clothing and behaviour. All virtual visits are recorded, and prison staff may monitor virtual visits as they are happening. 

 

The app uses facial recognition technology. If the software sees someone unexpected, or identifies anything inappropriate, it will automatically pause the video. The call may be paused or ended if prison rules are not followed.

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Phone calls:

It is not possible for friends / family to phone the prisoner, they must be the one to phone you. On their first night prisoners (or a member of staff) will be able to contact a family member by phone. They are given £1 phone credit and then can buy further credit each week from the canteen (shop). 

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The prisoners are given a form to complete with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of contacts they want to phone. The contact list is checked by Security so it may be a few days after his arrival at prison before you receive a phone call from the prisoner.

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Sending books:

You can send books to a prisoner by using one of the approved retailers listed here. Order and pay for your books on the website as normal, and in the Delivery details enter the prisoners name and either prison number or date of birth, followed by the address of the prison. Parcels will be opened and any inappropriate material will not be given to him.