How long does the PIN take at Risley?
Phone list, PIN wait, first call, signal, and what families are actually seeing.
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Official facts for this prison
First-night call available
Source: GOV.UK · Last checked: 2026-08-26
Switchboard 01925 733 000
Source: GOV.UK · Last checked: 2026-10-15
IMB: 41 applications about letters, visits and phones (2024–25)
Source: IMB annual report, HMP Risley, 2024–25 · Last checked: April 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 · 1w ago
“First call came through the same day.”
First call · Same day · 2w ago
“Phone list took about 10 days.”
Phone list / PIN · 10 days · 2w ago
“One phone call allowed in reception on the day of arrival. Then the PIN is activated the next working day and they can contact whoever is on their phone list (generally gets transferred from previous prison and does not need to be added again).”
Transferred inFirst call · Same day · 1mo ago
“Phone list took about 7 days.”
Phone list / PIN · 1 week · 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
- One family has reported this at HMP Risley (10 days). Not enough reports yet for a typical wait. 3 family reports. Last report 18 October 2026. Reports agree. PIN is the phone list. These are community reports, not an HMPPS service level. IMB: 41 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 Risley.
- 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 Risley. 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.