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Visit someone in prison

Use this service to request a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales. There’s a different way to book a prison visit in Northern Ireland or a prison visit in Scotland .

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The prisoner must add you to their visitor list before you can request a visit. This can take up to 2 weeks.

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Contact the prison directly if you need to arrange any of the following:

• legal visits, for example legal professionals discussing the prisoner’s case
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• double visits, for example visiting for 2 hours instead of 1
• family day visits - special family events that the prison organises

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• / HMP Belmarsh - a safer prison but more work to be ...

HMP Belmarsh - a safer prison but more work to be done on purposeful activity

Read the report: HMP Belmarsh independent review of progress

Inspectors returning to HMP Belmarsh, the only reception prison in the high security estate, were encouraged to find that progress had been made since their last full inspection in July and August 2021. At the 2021 inspection, inspectors had been concerned to find high levels of violence, inadequate governance of the use of force, poor use of data, and severely limited time out of cell for prisoners, despite the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

Inspectors returned to the London jail in April 2022 for an independent review of progress (IRP) and followed up 10 recommendations.

Commenting on the findings, Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, said:

“It was clear that leaders had taken the report of the inspection seriously and, in most areas, our findings were encouraging, with reasonable progress found against most recommendations.”

Levels of violence had reduced at the jail, which at the time of the IRP held approximately 660 prisoners. Inspectors were impressed with the innovative conflict resolution team, which identified potential sources of violence and effectively tracked incidents. Paperwork and footage were reviewed at weekly, well-attended use of force scrutiny team meetings. It was disappointing to see that despite this good work, body-worn cameras were still not being used routinely. Out of 132 use of force incidents, body-worn cameras had only recorded the event fully on 13 occasions.

Time out of cell was still inadequate at Belmarsh, but some progress had been made since last year. Most prisoners now received 45-60 minutes of outdoor exercise each day, as well as up to 1.5 hours of association time, although the latter was often cut to an hour due to staff shortages. It was frustrating that the prison could not provide full data on prisoners’ out-of-cell purposeful activity, making it hard for inspectors to properly assess the quality of provision. The gym and library had reopened, but the limited time out of cell meant that prisoners often had to choose whether to visit them or have association time.

Mr Taylor said:

“Overall, there had been encouraging progress towards meeting most of our recommendations, although there were a few exceptions, and in some areas the advances were recent and fragile.”

– End –

Notes to editors

• Read the HMP Belmarsh independent review of progress report , published on 27 May 2022.
• HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
• HMP Belmarsh is a high-security prison in south-east London that held approximately 660 prisoners at the time of our inspection, most of whom were unsentenced. It is one of 13 long term and high security prisons, but the only reception prison in the high security estate. It also operates a high secure unit (HSU) for prisoners presenting the very highest risk of escape.
• Independent Reviews of Progress (IRPs) began in April 2019. They were developed because Ministers wanted an independent assessment of how far prisons had implemented HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ recommendations following particularly concerning prison inspections. IRPs are not inspections and do not result in new judgements against our healthy prison tests. Rather they judge progress being made against the key recommendations made at the previous inspection. The visits are announced and happen eight to 12 months after the original inspection. They last two and a half days and involve a comparatively small team. Reports are published within 25 working days of the end of the visit. We conduct 15 to 20 IRPs each year. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons selects sites for IRPs based on previous healthy prison test assessments and a range of other factors.
• At this Belmarsh IRP we followed up 10 of the recommendations from our recent inspection and Ofsted followed up three themes. HM Inspectorate of Prisons judged that there was good progress in one recommendation, reasonable progress in seven, and no meaningful progress in two. Ofsted found reasonable progress in two themes and insufficient progress in one.
• A report on the most recent full inspection of HMP Belmarsh is available on our website, as is the accompanying media release.
• This IRP visit at HMP Belmarsh took place between 11 and 13 April 2022.
• Please contact Ed Owen at [email protected] if you would like more information.
• Accessibility statement
• Privacy notice
• Archived website

General Information, HMP Belmarsh

Belmarsh Prison opened almost 25 years ago and was the first adult prison to be built in London since Wormwood Scrubs in 1874. The bulk of the prison is on a large site surrounded by a perimeter wall about 1 mile long.

Accommodation  

The prison has 4 house blocks, each 3 storey and each with 3 spurs. Each spur contains 42 single and double cells.

• House block 1 – 174 older prisoners, life sentence and mixed population.
• House block 2 – 174 on short sentences, remands and mixed population.
• House block 3 – 174 on first night centre/induction and remand prisoners.
• House block 4 – 171 on vulnerable prisoners spur and mixed population.
• High secure unit (HSU) – a self-contained unit holding up to 47 prisoners who require a high level of security (including a small discrete segregation unit for HSU prisoners only).
• Segregation unit – holding up to 16 prisoners serving periods of punishment or needing to be separated from others. It also contains two designated prison rule 46 cells used for the temporary management of close supervision centre (CSC) system.
• Health care inpatients – a 33-bed inpatient facility
• Return to Belmarsh

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A tour of the jail within a jail that houses Britain's most dangerous convicts

Mark hughes is the first newspaper journalist to be allowed inside belmarsh's high security unit, article bookmarked.

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Cell 12 on wing three is about 6ft wide by 10ft long. A small window covered by wire mesh offers the dull view of a wall outside. There is a small television on a plastic desk in one corner and a metal toilet in the other.

Only the long, specially-adapted, lever tap handles give any indication as to the identity of the occupant. For the past six years this has been "home" to Abu Hamza, the notorious Muslim cleric. He is one of just nine prisoners held in Britain's most secure prison.

Holding the country's most dangerous criminals, HMP Belmarsh's High Security Unit (HSU) is a prison within-a-prison. And, until now, almost nothing has been known about it. Even within the main jail, most of the 843 prisoners have no idea what goes on inside.

But this week The Independent became the first newspaper to be granted full access to the HSU and allowed to speak to the men whose job it is to guard the country's most dangerous criminals. We saw the cramped living conditions and tedious regimes that men such as the 21/7 bombers and Bilal Abdullah, the man behind the Glasgow Airport attack, have experienced.

To get inside the main prison I had already negotiated 15 gated doors and had my fingerprints scanned. On arrival at the HSU – a windowless, grey concrete building opposite the prison's recently-built five-a-side football pitch – the security checks began again.

Surrounded by CCTV cameras in a small carpeted reception area – the only carpet in the block – I removed my shoes and belt and put all my belongings through an X-ray machine. I walked through a metal detector and a was given a body search – the lining of my jeans, the soles of my feet and inside my mouth were all checked.

This security is not just for visitors – the prison guards must go through the same search before they enter.

At the end of the reception area is a red iron gate. Passing through this door involves at least a four-minute wait, as it can only be unlocked by staff in the control room who check people's identity using remote cameras which zoom in to study their faces.

Once through you are faced with four more doors, each leading to a different part of the unit. No two doors in the unit can be opened at the same time.

The HSU is on two floors and is split into four "spurs". Each one has 12 single-occupancy cells. Built alongside the main prison in 1991, the HSU was originally used almost exclusively to house IRA prisoners. But since then it has held KGB agents, al-Qa'ida terrorists and even Charles Bronson – Britain's most violent prisoner – who had a whole spur to himself.

But while Bronson was deemed too dangerous to mix with others, the men currently held in the HSU are not there because of any physical risk they pose. For the most part it is their notoriety which earns them a place there.

"We get a lot of high-profile prisoners, and prisoners who have the means and capacity to escape," one of the the HSU managers explained. "The type of prisoner we have here is a lot different to the type of prisoner in the normal prison. The prisoners here have the means and ability to achieve the results prisoners somewhere else would not."

That applies to Curtis Warren, who is currently being held in the HSU. He is a gangster, a drug trafficker and was once Interpol's most wanted man.

The fear around Warren, a powerful and influential criminal on the outside, is that he would be both of these things inside the prison were he to mix with other prisoners. And, despite the fact that Belmarsh has never had a prisoner escape in its 19-year history, he would also be a possible escape risk.

A different fear exists around Abu Hamza: that he would use his preaching to radicalise other Muslim inmates. He cannot do that from the confines of the HSU. Indeed, he cannot do much.

The prisoners here have a similar regime to the inmates in the main prison except that they are not allowed to work – prison jobs include packing teabags and cleaning.

They are in their cell for 12 hours and out for 12. The day starts at 8.10am. They are given 20 minutes for breakfast, an hour of outdoor exercise, an hour to use the gym and have to clean the wing for half-an-hour a day. The rest of the time spent out of their cell – five hours – is "association" time.

During this period they can chat to one another, play pool or table football, watch television, or use the rowing machine or exercise bike which sit on the wing. There is also a laundry and a small shower cubicle.

While it may not sound a particularly taxing regime, it is far from stimulating. And it is certainly not the holiday camp which some commentators would have you believe. The area is desperately cramped and uncomfortably warm. During their five hours of association, the HSU prisoners cannot leave the confines of their spur.

The only outside areas are two surprisingly large exercise yards, surrounded by high fences topped with barbed wire and metal mesh for a roof.

Passing one yard I saw two men slowly pacing around the perimeter. They were being watched by four prison guards. At that moment an alarm went off. Unlike the perception most people have of a prison, it was not an audible siren but a coded message via the guard's radio. We were told we were not allowed to move. As we watched the two men exercise, one of them shared a joke with a guard.

It was at this point an officer warned me that those men, despite already being in the HSU, had been categorised as "exceptional risk" prisoners and were not allowed to mix with anyone except each other. He added: "Those two men are two of the most powerful people in prison in the whole of Europe."

If the HSU sounds like an additional punishment, it is not meant to be. In fact the prison has gone to surprising lengths to keep its most dangerous men happy. Abu Hamza's disability, the fact that he has no hands (he is not allowed his hook in prison), has been catered for. Two cells in the HSU have been kitted out with special taps, shelves and clothes pegs.

Staff are warned against becoming too friendly with the inmates. Officers on the HSU are only allowed to work there for three years before being moved back to the main prison. They are also warned against sharing any personal details with the prisoners.

It is for this reason that the HSU manager asks for his first name not be be published. Senior officer Murray explained: "Our staff here are trained to spot manipulation and conditioning. We don't like staff to become over-friendly because it can get to the point where a prisoner has a member of staff in his pocket and can manipulate him for favours or telephone calls."

Precautions are taken to ensure that prisoners cannot hide anything in their cell. Every few months men are moved to a different cell and the cells are searched. This is why Hamza has two.

The day I visit, everything is calm in the HSU. Inmates, in their prison-issue, maroon jogging-bottoms, use the gym under the watch of the guards.

But it is not always like this. The prison governor Phil Wragg recalls an incident where the HSU inmates refused to return to their cells and had to be forcibly restrained. But he dismisses a newspaper story which suggested that al-Qa'ida had taken over the HSU and that the prisoners have been radicalised.

Misbehaviour in the HSU is dealt with by punishment in the form of the segregation unit, where prisoners must spend 23 hours a day in their cell. And if an inmate is particularly troublesome, he will go in "the box": a room with nothing inside it except a perspex window.

Due to its added security and smaller prisoner numbers, the safety record of the HSU is better than the main prison. There has been one accidental death – where a bag of drugs burst inside a prisoner – and one incident where an IRA prisoner attempted to slit his throat.

But, unlike the main prison, where there have been three suicides in the past three months, no one has ever killed themselves in the HSU.

And, despite the differing crimes of the men in the HSU, Murray says that the atmosphere is generally good. "Prisoners over here have to get on because it is such a closed environment," he said. "You would be surprised at who gets on with who. There are no gang or religious affiliations. Muslim prisoners and non-Muslim prisoners get on very well.

"And from my experience prisoners going from here back into the main jail hate it. In the main jail, prisoners do not have the same amount of contact with the staff. Also for many of them it gives them kudos to be over here."

While the prison staff are careful not to discuss the identities of current inmates, they enjoy name-dropping previous prisoners: "I remember when I heard Charlie Bronson banging on his cell door..." and, "When I first met Ian Huntley..." are the beginnings of of two tales I heard.

And they are honest enough to admit that even they are intrigued by the men they look after. Senior officer Jason Hancock explained: "There are evenings when I will be watching the news and hear about a load of terrorist arrests and, because of the type of prisoner we look after, I think to myself: 'I'll be seeing them in the morning'.

"And I have been known to go home and tell my wife: 'Guess who I bumped into today...' But there are many shocking things that we see that we do not go home and tell our friends and families about.

"A lot of things stay within the prison and the officers have their own coping mechanisms. Some of us tell jokes about things because we don't like to admit that something has affected us more than we let on."

One of the most intriguing things about HMP Belmarsh is the unique "two-prison" set-up. Outside the HSU is a local prison with convicts on short-term sentences. Not only are the prisoners separated, but the guards' paths do not cross either. And in some ways the conditions in the main jail are worse than those in the HSU.

John Steadman, a 40-year-old convicted cocaine dealer, is 15 months into a five-year sentence. He is sitting in his cell watching television when I visit.

"Prison is boring and repetitive," he says. "This is my first sentence and definitely my last. Yes we get to watch television and play pool, but those things are just something to kill the time with. You could put a sauna and a sunbed in here and I'd still rather be outside."

It is not just the prisoners who have complaints; the guards often mention the low levels of staffing – there are just over 400 officers on rotating shifts and they are acutely aware that they are always vastly outnumbered by the prisoners. They also have to deal with drugs and mobile phones being smuggled into the prison. This is particularly annoying due to the fact that many are brought in by corrupt guards.

Despite this, Phil Wragg, the governor, is happy with his prison. "This is the best command in the prison service," he tells me. "We have the highest security and the most resources. It is also the most expensive prison to run.

"Yes, it has a bad name, but we do a good job. It has a bad name for all the wrong reasons. It has a bad name because people write things about it who, frankly, are not qualified to do so. And it is certainly not a holiday camp."

It doesn't look like one either. And obviously the prisoners inside agree. As I leave the prison I walk past guards with dogs and an exercise yard full of prisoners who press their faces against the wire fences. One shouts out to me. "Let me tell you lad," he says, nodding towards the gate and the outside world, "You are a very lucky man."

Belmarsh's most notorious prisoners

Extremist cleric who lost his hands in an explosion. On remand pending extradition request from the US.

Waheed Zaman

A relatively new arrival to Belmarsh, he was convicted of plotting to bomb a transatlantic flight.

Curtis Warren

One of Britain's most dangerous gangsters, Warren is currently serving 13 years for smuggling drugs.

Charles Bronson

Dubbed Britain's most violent prisoner, Bronson once had an entire wing of Belmarsh HSU to himself.

Ian Huntley

The Soham murderer was held in Belmarsh's high security unit before his trial and conviction in 2005.

Kenneth Noye

Road rage killer who fled to Spain after stabbing Stephen Cameron, 21, in Swanley, Kent, in 1996.

Ronnie Biggs

Spent 36 years on the run and then eight in Belmarsh. Released last summer on compassionate grounds.

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High Commissioner Stephen Smith visits Julian Assange in prison as NGO Reporters Without Borders turned away

Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Stephen Smith has visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in prison in London.

Key points:

• Mr Assange wanted to ask the High Commissioner what the Albanese government was doing to secure his release
• Mr Smith said he hoped visits with Mr Assange could become a regular occurrence
• Representatives from Reporters Without Borders were turned away from a scheduled visit earlier that morning

It's the first time Australia's top diplomat in the UK has visited Mr Assange since he was locked up in Belmarsh Prison nearly four years ago.

On his way into the high security prison Mr Smith told the ABC he was pleased that he was able to visit Mr Assange.

"No Australian official has seen him since November of 2019," he said. "That's a very long time."

"I'm very keen just to have a conversation with him, check on his health and wellbeing and hopefully see whether regular visits might be a feature of the relationship with Mr Assange going forward."

Mr Smith, who has been in the role since late January, said it was "very important that the Australian government is able to discharge its consular obligations".

But it's clear that Mr Assange saw this visit as something much more than a consular visit.

The ABC has been told Mr Assange planned to ask the High Commissioner what progress was being made by the Albanese government to secure his release.

An email obtained by the ABC, sent by Mr Assange's legal team to the Australian High Commission six weeks ago while the visit was still being negotiated, made it clear he was not seeking standard consular support.

"Mr Assange would welcome such a meeting for the same reason that underpinned his father's request; to inform and obtain diplomatic support to be advanced by the Australian government in his case (as opposed to obtaining consular support)," the email said.

After the visit concluded, Mr Smith would not comment on whether these issues were discussed during the meeting.

"In accordance with usual Consular practice, and as agreed with Mr. Assange, I do not propose to comment on any details of our meeting," he said in a statement.

"The Australian government is clear in its view that Mr Assange's case has dragged on for too long and should be brought to a conclusion."

Outside the prison, in the hours leading up to the visit, Mr Assange's wife Stella said she was pleased Mr Smith had agreed to meet with her husband.

"We welcome that the Australian High Commissioner has agreed to come to this visit and I hope that it will be a constructive and positive step.

Press freedom NGO turned away

In a dramatic day outside the prison, press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was denied access to Mr Assange.

It would have been the first time an NGO had been granted visitation rights to the WikiLeaks publisher inside Belmarsh Prison, but RSF's representatives were turned away at the last moment.

"Without even checking our documentation, we were told that we would not be allowed in. The first official that we spoke to said that they had received, quote unquote, 'intelligence' that we were journalists and therefore we would not be allowed to visit," RSF Director of Operations and Campaigns Rebecca Vincent told a media conference.

"We are legitimate as an NGO in visiting him and he has a right to visitors. As Reporters Without Borders, when we do this job, it is always as an NGO, not as journalists."

RSF's Secretary-General Christophe Deloire travelled from Paris to visit Mr Assange.

He said he did not buy the prison's explanation for refusing his visit and labelled it "absurd".

"Clearly the official explanation of this denial of access is not sincere. It was decided and communicated with bad faith," Mr Deloire said.

"But this is another evidence that in this case of Julian Assange, nothing is ever normal. That the judiciary, and the prison administration do not deal with him as a normal prisoner."

Appeals to stop Mr Assange from being extradited to the US for publishing top secret material are still before the UK courts.

RSF repeated its demands that the Biden administration drop the charges against the WikiLeaks founder.

Ms Vincent said she had been lobbying the Australian government to put pressure on the US government.

"We wrote to Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese ahead of his recent visit to the United States and urged him to raise this case with President Biden on the sidelines," she said.

"President Biden is scheduled to travel to Australia in May for the Quad Leaders summit and we are urging the leaders to discuss this case on the sidelines as well.

"We hope this (the High Commissioner's visit) is a shift towards more active engagement in the case and we call for Australia to do everything in its power to find a diplomatic solution and to allow for his release."

The ABC asked the US Department of Justice why it was pursuing the case against Mr Assange but it declined to comment.

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Inside Belmarsh prison with Julian Assange

The WikiLeaks founder fears his imprisonment, US government surveillance and restrictions on the group’s funding have scared off new whistleblowers.

H MP Belmarsh, London, 2.30pm on Wednesday 13 December 2023. Julian Assange strides into the visitors’ area. He stands out in the column of 23 prisoners for his height – 6′ 2″ – and flowing white locks with trimmed beard. He squints, looking for a familiar face among the wives, sisters, sons and fathers of the other inmates. I am waiting, as assigned, at D-3, one of about 40 sets of small coffee tables surrounded by three upholstered chairs – two blue, one red – screwed into the floor of what looks like a basketball court. We spot each other, walk forward and embrace. It is the first time I have seen him in six years. ‘You’re pale.’ With a mischievous smile, he jokes, ‘They call it prison pale.’

He has not been outdoors since he took refuge in London’s cramped Ecuadorian embassy in June 2012. The embassy’s French windows had afforded glimpses of sky; here at Belmarsh maximum security prison in southeast London, his abode since 11 April 2019, he has not seen the sun, confined to a cell for 23 hours a day. His single hour of recreation takes place within four walls, under supervision.

I had arrived by train and bus an hour and a half earlier for registration and security inspection. The process began in the single-story Visitors Centre to the left of the prison, as bleak a 1950s-style lunchroom as any depicted by Edward Hopper: cheap tables, chipped chairs, dim lighting, and banks of glass-fronted storage lockers. A kindly woman no younger than my own 72 years told me I was early and suggested I have coffee. Twenty minutes later, at 1.15, the door to an adjoining office opened for visitors to queue for passes. I gave my name to a uniformed woman behind an elevated counter. She examined her computer and asked, ‘Are you here for Mr Assange?’ She was polite, almost friendly, as she recorded prints of my index fingers and told me to look at an overhead camera that took my photograph.

I presented three hardback books for Assange: my own Soldiers Don’t Go Mad ; Sebastian Faulks’s new novel Seventh Son; and Pegasus: The Story of the World’s Most Dangerous Spyware , by Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud. She instructed me to hand them to the stout woman seated to her right who examined my book, the history of a mental hospital for shell-shocked officers in the first world war. Looking at the title page, which I had signed for Assange, she forbade me to give it to him. I asked why. Nothing could be written in any book for inmates. I said it was my signature on a book I wrote, not a secret code. No matter. That was the rule. She ordered me to wait in the lunchroom while she checked on the possibility of admitting the other two books.

I drank a tepid Nescafé and read the newspapers. More people, mostly women, arrived and joined the queue. A few of the women had small children or babies. One was with her son, a smiling lad of about 12. Another woman reminded me of British movie star Diana Dors, whose voluptuous form and cherry red lipstick would make an inmate yearn for the pleasures of home. An older South Asian woman limped by on a walking stick. One young woman wore a hijab. There were a few old men, possibly visiting their sons. It seemed most of them had been here before.

‘Manuscripts don’t burn’

Back at the registration counter, the stout woman told me that Assange could not receive any books. Why not? He had to remove books from his cell before adding new ones. Why? Fire hazard. Recalling Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita , I think, but dare not say, ‘Manuscripts don’t burn.’

I deposited the books and everything else I had in a locker – telephone, pen, notebook, newspapers. I kept the permitted £25 in cash to buy snacks inside. The women gave me a paper pass and a tag to wear around my neck: ‘HM Prison Belmarsh – Social Visitor 2199.’ I walked with the group across the grounds to the visitors’ entrance into the prison itself. There followed a series of checks and searches that involved verification of fingerprints, X-rays and a handsome golden retriever sniffing for drugs. We entered the hall to await the prisoners.

Julian and I sit down, face to face, me on the red chair, he on one of the blues. Above us, glass globes hide cameras that record the interactions between inmates and their guests. Not sure how to begin the conversation, I ask whether he wants anything from the snack bar. He requests two hot chocolates, a cheese-and-pickle sandwich and a Snickers bar. I invite him to come with me and make his own choices. Not permitted, he says. I line up at the booth run by volunteers from the Bexley and Dartford Samaritans. When my turn comes, I place the order. Out of sandwiches. The rest of the food is junk: potato crisps, chocolate bars, colas, sweet muffins. I return to Julian, who has changed seats. The red chair is for prisoners, the blue for visitors, and a guard had ordered him to take the correct place. I put the tray with his hot chocolates, the Snickers, some muffins and my instant coffee on the table. I ask why only unhealthy food was available. He smiles and says I should see what they eat inside on a budget of £2 per inmate per day. Porridge for breakfast, thin soup for lunch and not much else for dinner.

Julian had thought prison meant communal meals at long tables, as in the movies. Belmarsh’s warders shove the food into the cells for prisoners to eat alone. It is hard to make friends that way. He has been there longer than any other prisoner apart from an old man who had served seven years. There are occasional suicides, he tells me, including one the night before.

Hizbullah hostages had radios

I apologise for not giving him any books, explaining that they told me he had exceeded his limit. He smiles again. In his first months, they allowed him to keep barely a dozen. Later, they expanded it to 15. He pushed for more. How many did he have now? ‘Two hundred and thirty-two.’ It is my turn to smile.

I ask whether he still has the radio he had struggled to obtain in his first year. He does, but it is not working due to a defective plug. Regulations permit each prisoner to have a radio purchased from prison stores. The authorities, however, said no radios were available for him. When I heard about it, I sent him a radio. It was returned. I then sent him a book on how to make a radio. That too was returned. Months passed, and I contacted one of Britain’s better-known former Hizbullah hostages to ask for his help. Listening to the BBC World Service on a radio his captors had given him preserved his sanity. At my urging, I tell Julian, he wrote to the prison governor. A media story that Belmarsh was denying Assange a privilege that Hizbullah granted hostages would be bad publicity. The prison gave Julian his radio. Does he want my help to persuade them to fix or replace the broken plug? No, it would just make unnecessary trouble for him.

How does he, a news addict, keep in touch? The prison allows him to read printouts of news stories, and friends write to him. With the invasions of Ukraine and Gaza, I say, now is an important time for whistleblowers to send documents to WikiLeaks. He says WikiLeaks is no longer able to expose war crimes and corruption as in the past. His imprisonment and US government surveillance and restrictions on WikiLeaks’ funding ward off potential whistleblowers. He fears other media outlets are not filling the vacuum.

Belmarsh does not offer him education programmes or communal activity, like orchestra practice, sports or publishing a prison journal, standard at many other prisons. The regime is punitive although Belmarsh’s 700-odd inhabitants are on remand, awaiting trial or appeal. They are Category A prisoners, those who ‘pose the most threat to the public, the police or national security’ and stand accused of terrorism, murder or sexual violence.

We talk about Christmas, which is just another day in Belmarsh. The prison is closed to visitors on Christmas Day and the day after, and his wife, Stella Moris, and their two young sons, Gabriel and Max, may not see him on Christmas Eve. He can attend Catholic Mass celebrated by the Polish chaplain, who has become a friend.

Visiting hour is ending. We stand and embrace. I look at him, unable to say good-bye. The visitors walk towards the exit, the prisoners remain seated. Apart from occasional visiting days, his days are all the same: the confined space, the loneliness, the books, the memories, the hope that his lawyers’ appeal against extradition and life imprisonment in the United States will succeed.

As I pass through the automatic doors to the outside world, the last words of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich come to me: ‘There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days in his sentence, from reveille to lights out. The three extra days were because of the leap years.’

Charles Glass

The longer view

Radical who refused to compromise, if only assange had been navalny, latin america rallies behind julian assange, translations.

• français —  Au parloir avec Julian Assange
• Español —  En el locutorio con Julian Assange
• Deutsch —  Wiedersehen mit Julian
• Esperanto —  En la vizitosalono kun Julian Assange
• Português —  Visita a Julian Assange na prisão

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Services, Groups, and Clubs

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Description, prison health care services.

These services offer a primary care type of service in a prison, usually in a health centre or similar setting. They may include a full range of medical service as well as some outpatient clinical sessions held in the prison.

The services in prison usually consist of teams of registered nurses (RN) who are on either the adult, mental health or learning disability parts of the register and, where children are concerned (that is, mother and baby units) health visitors and midwives.

Some prison health services have inpatient facilities, which are not considered "hospitals". These will care for people with physical ill health or mental health needs who are not ill enough to need specialist care, treatment and support in secondary care services. If the person"s condition worsens, they would be immediately sent out to external NHS hospitals and not returned to prison unless deemed clinically well enough to be discharged.

The services may also provide care, treatment and support for people with mental health needs through multi-disciplinary in-reach teams. These teams offer a similar range of specialist care, treatment and support as provided by community-based mental health services.

The services may also provide substance misuse treatment and rehabilitation services for people who misuse drugs and/or alcohol. They provide counselling, assessment, referral, advice and through-care, both pharmacological and psychosocial. They employ a broad range of health and social care professionals to meet the needs of people who use their services.

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Blog Government Digital Service

https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2014/09/15/you-can-now-book-a-prison-visit-online/

You can now book a prison visit online

Booking a prison visit should be simple and straightforward. Until now that was far from the case. Booking a visit required both prisoner and visitor to jump through hoops: paper forms and drawn-out phone calls. And if the visit date turned out to be impossible, they had to start all over again.

Now you can book a visit online . It takes about 5 minutes. Before, picking an available date was pot luck. Now there's a date-picker that lets you select 3 possible slots instead of 1. It’s a straight-forward service with user-needs at its heart but, if you get stuck, you can call the prison's visits booking line and someone will help you with the booking.

Here's a very short film we've made about it:

By making it easier to book visits, prisoners will see more of their friends and family. Evidence suggests this will help their rehabilitation. Transformation isn't just about websites.

The service was built by the Ministry of Justice, with a combined team from the National Offender Management Service, HM Prison Service and MoJ Digital Services.

For more of the story behind this service, read Mike Bracken's account of his trip to HMP Rochester or check out the service’s transformation page .

Join the conversation on Twitter , and don't forget to sign up for email alerts .

You may also be interested in:

• Prison visit booking: using digital analytics to inform alpha development
• Making prison visits easier to book
• Meet the Transformation team

Sharing and comments

Share this page, 20 comments.

Comment by Pauline posted on 23 August 2015

How do you find out the prisoners number??? so you can go ahead with online booking of a visit?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 24 August 2015

You can find a prisoner using this service: https://www.gov.uk/find-prisoner However it will be the prisoner's responsibility to get in touch with you to let you know their prison number etc.

Comment by linda posted on 15 August 2015

This service does not appear to work this is day 2 trying to use it

Comment by Olivia posted on 30 July 2015

Hi, If a visit is booked and someone cant make it, is it possible to change the name of one of the people to someone else?

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 30 July 2015

It's best to contact the prison directly if this happens. You can find contact details here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder

Thanks, Louise

Comment by Paige posted on 28 July 2015

Hi my partner was sent to nottingham today, I was on his previous list 4 months ago for a visit. Will that still be on the system all will it have to he put through again if so how long does it take to be approved for a visit? Thanks Paige.

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 29 July 2015

You might want to get in touch with the prison first before booking a visit. You can find the contact details of the prison here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder

Comment by Debs posted on 27 July 2015

Hello Is there a list of prisons where online booking can't be used?

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 28 July 2015

According to the information on this page: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits , you can arrange a visit to any prison in England and Wales through this service. If you're visiting someone in Northern Ireland or Scotland you'll need to contact the prison directly.

This link also lists the type of visits that are not covered by the online service: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits so you need to get in touch with the prison directly.

Hope that's helpful.

Comment by c.steer posted on 26 July 2015

So how do I find the booking form to fill in I am new to computers

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 27 July 2015

Here's the link to the booking form: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits

You'll need this information to complete the form:

prisoner number prisoner’s date of birth dates of birth for all visitors coming with you make sure the person you’re visiting has added you to their visitor list

Hope that's useful.

Comment by Shawnaa posted on 09 May 2015

i have a visit booked which i did online but i do not have a visiting order woll the prison let me in?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 11 May 2015

Your identity will be checked on arrival to make sure you’re on the visitor list.

Comment by jessicca posted on 27 January 2015

What happens after you book the visit and its confirmed by email do you need the visiting order ?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 29 January 2015

The Visiting Order (VO) number is generated by the booking system, it is included in your confirmation email and you will need this to change or cancel a booking.

However, if you're visiting a prison the guidance is that you only need your ID, not the VO number. If when you visit the prison you are asked for the VO number you should report this via the Contact Us link on the Prison Visits Booking form.

I hope that helps.

Comment by Ilysa Mcnally posted on 18 November 2014

How late in advance can I book e.g. book a visit today (Tuesday) for the Sunday coming???

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 19 November 2014

Hi Ilysa. Thanks for your question. A visit needs to be booked 3 working days in advance. So in this case, the visit request would have to be no later than Tuesday to allow for a visit on Sunday.

Comment by carole posted on 23 October 2014

How far in advance can you book visits

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 23 October 2014

Hi Carole. You can book up to 28 days in advance. Thanks for your question.

Comment by kimberly posted on 16 August 2015

does anyone know how to cancel a visit online?

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Inside Look: Life and Facilities at Belmarsh Prison

Welcome to our insider’s guide to Belmarsh Prison . In this detailed exploration, we delve into the realities, facilities, and day-to-day experiences of life in one of the UK’s most maximum-security correctional facilities.

Belmarsh Prison , located in Thamesmead South London, is often referred to as the ‘UK’s version of Guantanamo Bay’. Known for housing high-profile and terrorist offenders, this high-security institution is not only a place of punishment but also of resilience and reform.

Join us as we take a closer look at life inside Belmarsh Prison .

Living Conditions

The living conditions within Belmarsh aim to maintain a fine balance between security and rehabilitative support. The standards of accommodation here are largely dependent on the category of prisoner.

• The prison holds around 900 inmates across four residential units.
• Cells are spatially limited, equipped with only a bed, toilet, sink, and minimal storage space.
• Prisoners are allowed out of their cells for approximately 7 hours a day.

Even in such a strict environment, Belmarsh offers a range of facilities dedicated to rehabilitation and personal development.

• The library facilitates the prisoners’ educational pursuits.
• The gym encourages physical fitness.
• There are also chapel services for spiritual support and counseling.

Educational & Work Opportunities

Belmarsh prison offers robust opportunities for learning and work, aiming to promote employability and personal growth among prisoners.

• Offenders can study a range of subjects, from basic literacy and numeracy to vocational qualifications.
• Work opportunities provided include positions in cleaning, laundry, kitchens, and grounds maintenance.

Healthcare at Belmarsh is comprehensive and covers both mental and physical health. The prison runs a 24-hour healthcare service.

• The healthcare team consists of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and a psychiatrist.
• There is also a drug recovery wing, aiming to treat and support those grappling with substance abuse.

Belmarsh operates a stringent regime; however, many aspects are designed to support inmates in leading a crime-free life after their imprisonment.

• There is a definite focus on encouraging positive attitude changes and providing tools for prisoners to reintegrate into society successfully.
• The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 provides many inmates with the chance to re-establish themselves in society, depersonalizing the stigma of their past and focusing on a more holistic view of their future.

Legal Visits & Social Ties

Despite its reputation, Belmarsh recognizes the importance of maintaining social ties and has structured provisions for this.

• Prisoners are entitled to at least two one-hour visits every four weeks.
• Legal visits can be more frequent, and additionally, special arrangements can be made in exceptional circumstances.

Like all prison establishments, smuggling of banned items, including drugs and phones, is a persistent concern and remains a challenging issue for Belmarsh.

Meals & Dietary Requirements

Belmarsh strives to cater to various dietary needs, cultural preferences, and religious beliefs.

• Prisoners can choose their weekly meals from a pre-set menu that rotates every 3 weeks.
• Kitchen works in consultation with the chaplaincy to prepare suitable food for different religious festivals.

The Challenge of Mental Health

Mental health is a pressing issue in prisons across the UK including Belmarsh. The prison management is committed to provide proper mental health treatment to inmates in need.

Life at Belmarsh, like any prison, is tough. Yet, it is more than a place of confinement – it is an institution attempting to navigate the tricky path of punishment and reform for the UK’s most serious offenders. As we continue to explore other UK prisons, we gain more invaluable insights into the complexities of the UK justice system.

What is the cheapest way to call from Prison?

Is it cheaper to call a landline from prison.

Belmarsh Legal Visits Booking: How to Schedule Your Visit

The ins and outs of belmarsh legal visits booking.

Legal visits are crucial for individuals held at Belmarsh Prison, as they provide an opportunity for consultation with legal representatives and access to justice. Booking a legal visit at Belmarsh can be a complex process, but with the right information and understanding, it can be made much simpler.

Belmarsh Legal Visits Booking

Legal visits at Belmarsh Prison are scheduled and managed in accordance with regulations set forth by the Ministry of Justice. The process involves coordinating with prison staff, legal representatives, and the individual seeking the visit. It is important to adhere to the guidelines and procedures to ensure a smooth and successful booking.

Steps Booking Legal Visit

When booking a legal visit at Belmarsh, there are several key steps to keep in mind:

Statistics Legal Visits Belmarsh

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, there were a total of 1,234 legal visits booked at Belmarsh Prison in the last year. This highlights the significant demand for legal consultations and representation among the inmate population at the facility.

Case Study: Legal Visit Belmarsh

John Smith, a former inmate at Belmarsh, shared his experience with booking a legal visit during his time at the facility. He emphasized the importance of thorough communication with prison staff and legal representatives to ensure that all necessary arrangements were made in advance.

Final Thoughts

Booking a legal visit at Belmarsh Prison can be a challenging yet essential task for individuals seeking legal assistance while incarcerated. By understanding the process, communicating effectively, and following the necessary steps, it is possible to navigate the system and secure the vital legal support needed. With the right approach, legal visits can be a valuable resource in the pursuit of justice and fair treatment for all individuals at Belmarsh.

Belmarsh Legal Visits Booking Contract

This contract (“Contract”) is entered into by and between the Belmarsh Prison and the legal representative booking visits to the prison.

Top 10 Legal Questions About Belmarsh Legal Visits Booking

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Gang wars rage behind bars at ‘Britain’s toughest prison’

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A catalogue of almost 300 assaults at a prison dubbed ‘Britain’s toughest’ shows how gangs fought running battles.

The violence erupted at HMP Belmarsh between individuals and groups of inmates, including clashes involving improvised weapons.   

Sex offenders were also targeted as mob rule took hold, with the targets being identified from media coverage in at least one case.  

The violence has been revealed in a list of 282 assaults released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under the Freedom of Information Act.  

One of the logs obtained by Metro.co.uk documents an attack by seven prisoners on another inmate in a running conflict.  

The entry reads: ‘A fight between seven prisoners, six prisoners assaulted one. Allegedly this is gang-related conflict, and a follow on from the fight that occurred on Monday in reception.’ 

The outnumbered prisoner sustained facial injuries and was seen by a nurse who gave him painkillers following the assault on September 13.  

He refused to have his photograph taken. All the prisoners were discharged to court after being seen by nurses, according to the log.  

A general alarm was raised during another attack when three prisoners made their way to the showers and fought with another two inmates.  

One of the attackers was found with a weapon as he was caught by staff trying to dispose of it after running away from the scene. 

Three days later, another fight broke out during dinner service shortly after 5pm. Three prisoners attacked a rival with weapons on a top landing.

Another inmate is said to have then attempted to fight back on behalf of the person being assaulted.  

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The log says the incident was ‘due to rival gang conflict’ and states: ‘Staff separated the prisoners, and two weapons were recovered.’  

In total there are 14 incidents on the list that prison staff identified as being gang-related.  

The heavily redacted disclosure shows the level of violence at a Category A prison which has been dubbed ‘Britain’s toughest jail’ in media reports and TV documentaries. 

Current and past inmates include Soham killer Ian Huntley, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, great train robber Ronnie Biggs and Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, the three killers of PC Andrew Harper.      

Attacks have also taking place on prison officers and members of staff, including a ‘jugging’ of an orderly which was reported by Metro.co.uk earlier this week. The worker was burnt by a mix of boiling water, oil and Vaseline thrown by an inmate who claimed the worker had been ‘disrespectful’ when collecting and giving out food boxes.

Sex offenders were targeted on three separate occasions, including after the assailants had recognised them from media coverage of their cases.  

In one of the incidents, the victim told an officer that he had been assaulted by four other prisoners in his cell.

Two of them said they ‘recognised him’ as a sex offender, he said.  

A log for the attack on January 26 last year reads: ‘Mr [Redacted] claims that after the assault they made him clean up his cell and change his clothes.’  

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, which campaigns for less crime and safer communities, said: ‘The rising number of assaults and self-harm incidents in prison is a major concern, and the catalogue of reports from Belmarsh reveals how distressing this can be for people living and working behind bars.’ 

Releasing the data, the MoJ said the figures had ‘not yet undergone scrutiny’ or been published as part of official safety statistics. 

The Prison Service maintains that violent prisoners can face tough punishments, including a maximum of two years behind bars. 

Steps to reduce weapons, drugs and mobile phones include phone-blocking technology, additional X-ray body scanners and the provision of PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray.  

A spokesperson said: ‘We do not tolerate violence in our prisons and assaults have fallen by 20 per cent since 2019. 

‘We have also invested £100m into tough security measures to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars and have equipped officers with PAVA spray and body-worn cameras to boost protection.’ 

MORE : Worker’s forehead ‘peeled off’ after ‘jugging’ at top security jail

MORE : Workshop tools and cutthroat blades: The violence at one of UK’s top security jails

MORE : Officers slashed, bitten and strangled in attacks at maximum security jail

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