What can I send to Five Wells?
Clothes, books, and what you can and cannot send in.
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What families are reporting
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Official
Official facts for this prison
IMB: 56 applications about property in the prison (2025–26)
Source: IMB annual report, HMP Five Wells, 2025–26 · Last checked: September 2026
Official
Gifts, clothes and books
- Most everyday items have to be bought by the prisoner from approved catalogues — not posted in.
- Books can be posted, handed in on a visit, or ordered from approved retailers.
- On remand, they can wear their own clothes and have enough clean clothes sent in. Sentenced, one parcel of clothes after conviction, if the governor allows it.
- No black (leggings aside), no hoods, nothing padded or quilted. Everything they own must fit in two property boxes.
- Everything is opened and checked. Unapproved items are returned or stored.
Source: HMPPS Incentives Policy Framework · Last checked: September 2026
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What this actually means
A parcel is not a care package. Most prisons run on catalogues. Sending the wrong thing creates work for staff and a delay for them.
Books are the exception. Use an approved retailer or send a book directly, with their name and number on the parcel.
On remand, they can have clean clothes sent in. Sentenced, it is usually one parcel of clothes after conviction. How it gets there, post or a visit, is up to each prison. Ask before you post.
What you can send inQuestions families ask
- Default: do not post a parcel. They order from a catalogue with the money you send. Books are the usual exception. Official: IMB: 56 applications about property in the prison (2025–26). IMB: 56 applications about property in the prison, 2025–26. What people inside asked the board.