BOOKING A VISIT | Jigsawcharity

You can book a prison visit online, by phone,

or in person at HMP Leeds

To book online visit prisonvisits.service.gov.uk and follow the instructions on screen. Please book your visit at least 48 hours in advance. You will receive a confirmation by email if your booking is successful.

To book a prison visit by phone:

HMP Leeds visit booking: 0113 203 2570. Mon to Fri: 8am-10am or 12noon-2pm.

HMP Wealstun visit booking: 01937 444599. Mon to Fri: 8.30am-12.30pm.

To book a visit in person at HMP Leeds.

Go to the main entrance of the prison. Booking staff are available on Mon, Tue, Wed or Fri from 8.00-11.30am and 1.30-3.30pm. Or on Saturday or Sunday between 9.00-11.30am and 1.30-3.30pm.

Visits can only be booked for the following fortnight.

A maximum of three visitors aged 10+ can attend each visit, plus up to three visitors aged under 10. At least one adult visitor (18+) must be present on every visit.

Help with the cost of visiting someone in prison

If you are on certain benefits or have a health certificate, you can apply for financial help with the cost of visiting someone in prison. Full details of how to apply are on gov.uk.

Visitor centre staff can give you a form which you will submit to prove the date and time of your visit

On the day of your prison visit

You will need to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start time of your visit to allow time to go through security checks. There is a visitor centre at Leeds and Wealstun prisons where staff will explain the checking in process, which items you need to leave in a locker in the visitor centre, and can answer any questions you may have.

Click here to read more about the day of your visit.

ID requirements

You must bring ID on every visit, for every visitor. Acceptable forms of ID can be found on gov.uk.

For visitors aged under 18 you must bring their full birth certificate on every visit (HMP Leeds). Red books are accepted for babies up to 6 weeks old.

Only original documents will be accepted, not photos or photocopies.

Prison visit entitlement

The number of visits a prisoner can have depends on whether he is on remand or convicted.

Prisons operate an Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme which has three levels: Basic, Standard and Enhanced. Prisoners start on the Standard regime when they arrive.

A Standard prisoner is entitled to 3 visits per week (remand) or 3 visits per month (convicted). If he progresses to Enhanced level he will be entitled to extra visits, and if he is moved to Basic he will get fewer visits.

A prisoner's IEP level depends on their behaviour in the prison.

Frequently asked questions about visit booking

How do I cancel a prison visit? You can only cancel a visit using the method you used to book it: online / phone / in person.

Why are my online visit bookings being rejected? Before you can visit a prisoner, he must add you to his Approved Visitor List. He can do this at the Prisoner Information Desk which is on the ground floor of his wing. Our Keep In Touch page provides lots of information about how to contact a prisoner if you think he might not be aware of this.

How long are prison visits? What are the times of visits? The days and times of visits are different for each prison. Take a look at the individual pages for HMP Leeds or HMP Wealstun to find details of the visit timetable.

Can I have a video call with a prisoner? Yes, video visits are available at each prison. Find out more about video calls on our Keep in Touch page.