What is happening?

Short notes for the first weeks. Pick the situation. Not a forum.

Someone has just gone in

The first 48 hours. What they can do. What you can do.

Start here · 6 minSomeone has just gone in. What now?The first 72 hours are chaotic. This is the short version of what actually happens next.5 minWhat happens on the first night?What reception, first-night phone calls, and induction usually look like — without the folklore.

Open prisons

Time together outside. Sometimes a night at home.

5 minWhat is an open prison?You may get more than a visit. In open, they can be allowed out for work or family time — even a night at home. It is still a prison. They can be sent back.

The level they are on

Canteen, spends and visits.

2 minWhat are IEP levels?The level changes how much of your money they can use each week, and their visits. Basic, Standard and Enhanced. They start on Standard.

Phone

Getting on the list. What a week costs. Why a number can fail.

5 minHow do I get on the phone list?PIN, numbers, security checks, and why “they should have called by now” is often the wrong clock.2 minPrison landline not working?It may be the number, not the phones. If it forwards to your mobile, prisons are told to refuse it since 11 August. A landline on your phone is different.3 minWhy was my number rejected?The phone list can refuse a number. That is not the same as the phones being down. Mobile, landline, and numbers that forward are treated differently.2 minNumber removed from their PIN?Since 11 August, prisons can refuse numbers that divert or re-route calls. What to check, what to ask, and how to re-apply. Free, independent, not HMPPS.4 minHow much do prison calls cost?They pay from PIN credit. Official weekday rates: 2.48p a minute to a landline, 5.50p to a mobile. 10p minimum per connected call. Until 31 May 2027.3 minWhich virtual landlines still work?Since 11 August 2026, prison numbers that redirect or re-route can be refused. This is how each call service connects.

Visits

Booking, ID, and what the room is actually like.

6 minHow do visits actually work?Visitor lists, booking windows, ID, dress codes, video calls, and what to expect when you arrive.3 minWhat can children wear on a visit?Shorts, football shirts, and hoodies are the usual flashpoints. Official lists are local. Families say what actually got through.3 minWho books the video call?Some prisons make the person inside book. Some let the family book. Which app, and how long until it is accepted.

Money & parcels

Send money the official way. What you can post in.

4 minHow do I send money?The only official way to send money, what it pays for, and how long families say it takes to show.4 minWhat can I send in?Remand or sentenced, what clothes are banned, how a parcel gets in, and books.

Release

Dates, licence, and what “out” actually means.

2 minWhen do they get out?England and Wales. Ordinary SDS is still 40% until that sentence length moves. Then 33%, unless excluded. Open the calculator for both dates.4 minThey have been recalled. What now?Licence recall is not a new sentence. This is what families usually see first, and how long the wait for a call can be.3 minWhen will he get out from this prison?When will he get out from this prison? The calculator is national. The local wait is what families report after the van arrives.