What can I send to Swaleside?
Clothes, books, and what you can and cannot send in.
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Official facts for this prison
Gifts and parcels Prisoners can apply for permission to receive an annual Birthday clothing parcel which can be posted in from friends and family.
Source: GOV.UK · Last checked: 2025-11-14
IMB: 121 applications about property in the prison (2024–25)
Source: IMB annual report, HMP Swaleside, 2024–25 · Last checked: October 2025
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.
What to do next
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: Gifts and parcels Prisoners can apply for permission to receive an annual Birthday clothing parcel which can be posted in from friends and family.. IMB: 121 applications about property in the prison, 2024–25. What people inside asked the board.