How long does the PIN take at Dovegate?
Phone list, PIN wait, first call, signal, and what families are actually seeing.
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Official facts for this prison
IMB: 12 applications about letters, visits and phones (2024–25)
Source: IMB annual report, HMP Dovegate, 2024–25 · Last checked: February 2026
How prison phones work
- The person inside has to call you. Prison phones do not accept incoming calls.
- They can only call numbers that have been approved on their PIN / phone list.
- Calls are paid from their phone credit, not by the person receiving the call.
- Public-estate rates (from 1 April 2025): UK landline 2.48p/min weekday, 2.20p weekend; UK mobile 5.50p/min weekday, 3.60p weekend. Minimum charge 10p per connected call.
- Since 11 August 2026, 0800 numbers as social contacts — and numbers used for call diversion / re-routing — must be restricted.
- Samaritans calls are free. Staff may monitor calls.
What families reported
“Phone list took about 10 days.”
Phone list / PIN · 10 days · 2w ago
“First call after about 2 days.”
First call · 2 days · 3w ago
“First call came through the same day.”
First call · Same day · 3w ago
“First call came through the same day.”
First call · Same day · 3w ago
“Horrendous for healthcare. Neglect, don't care if on floor in agony, withhold medication that's prescribed. Absolutely horrendous. Staff speak to you like you're also a prisoner, don't make you feel comfortable at all speak to you like absolute crap. Shout at you for no apparent reason, try ring welfare team on phone for check on family and get put to a voicemail to leave a message- no one gets back to you until 6 days later. Very short staffed and poorly run.”
Communication issues · 1mo ago
“First call after about 1 day.”
First call · 1 day · 1mo ago
“PIN came through after about 3 days.”
Phone list / PIN · 3 days · 1mo ago
“PIN came through after about 2 days.”
Transferred inLandlinePhone list / PIN · 2 days · 1mo ago
What to do next
What this actually means
The first call is not the same thing as being on the phone list. Reception often lets someone make a short first-night call. That does not mean every number is approved.
PIN approval is a security check. Families wait days, sometimes weeks. The range on this page is what other families at this prison have reported — not a promise from the prison.
Landline-rate numbers are cheaper than mobiles — about half the weekday cost. HMPPS tells prisons to restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing. The number they submit has to be a real destination, not a hop.
Getting on the phone listQuestions families ask
- Families at HMP Dovegate report 3 days. 6 family reports. Last report 10 October 2026. Reports vary. PIN is the phone list. These are community reports, not an HMPPS service level. IMB: 12 applications about letters, visits and phones, 2024–25. What people inside asked the board.
They pay from PIN credit. Official weekday rates are national: 2.48p a minute to a landline, 5.50p to a mobile, 10p minimum. Open the cost page for HMP Dovegate.
- They submit the number. Security checks it. Until it clears, they cannot call that number from their PIN phone — even if they already called once from reception.
- Open the phones-down page for HMP Dovegate. We show the phones as working unless a family reports an outage. If they still cannot get through, the number may be forwarded.
The phone list can refuse a number. That is not phones down. Mobile, landline, and numbers that forward are treated differently. Since 11 August 2026, forwards can be refused.
If the prison landline is not working, it is often the number — not the phones. Since 11 August 2026, forwards and call diversions can be refused. A landline that just rings your phone is different.