book a visit wandsworth prison

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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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Visits & Getting there, HMP Wandsworth

Visits are held Monday to Thursday at : 08:00 – 09:00, 09:30 – 10:30, 11:00 – 12:00, 13:45 – 14:45, 15:15 – 16:15, and on Saturday & Sunday: 08:30 – 09:30, 09:45 – 10:45, 11:15 – 12:15, 14:00 – 15:00, 15:30 – 16:30. There are no visits on a Friday.

All visits must be booked in advance, with the exception of the induction visit which can be taken during the week at 8:00-9:00. This visit need not be booked but is only available during the 1 st  week of a prisoner being sent to Wandsworth. Tuesday evening visits are quiet evenings, no children allowed. Wednesday evening is for prisoners located on the Onslow unit only.

You can book visits by calling 020 8588 4002. Booking line opening hours are Mon to Fri 08:00 – 16.30., or by email [email protected]   you will need the name, prison number of the who you want to visit and the names,dates of birth and addresses of any visitors.

There is a Visitor’s Centre run by Spurgeons, a national charity. click here , call 020 8874 4377 or email [email protected] .  for more details. As at all prison there are restrictions on what you can take into the prison ( no mobile phones, cigarettes, food & drink etc), and you can leave these items in a locker at the visitors centre (£1 deposit needed) In the visits hall you can buy light refreshments for you and the prisoner, these must be consumed in the visits hall. You are advised to be at the visits centre at least 30 mins before the visit starts for security/ID checks. You will need to bring the visiting order with you and photo ID and proof of address for all visitors. In all likelihood, you will be searched before being allowed into the prison

The nearest train stations are Clapham Junction, Earlsfield or Wandsworth Common. Take the #77 or #219 bus from Clapham and Earlefield stations.; the prison is a 15 mins walk from Wandsworth Common Station, click here for timetables

If driving use the postcode SW18 3HU. Parking is difficult at the prison.

Return to Wandsworth

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Wandsworth Prison Museum

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The Crime & Punishment Collections Network

Wandsworth Prison Museum

Opened in 2008 following the 150th Anniversary of the prison. Wandsworth Prison Museum is an Aladdin’s cave of documents, uniforms, displays, kit, memorabilia, stories of prisoners and staff, numerous artefacts, including an original lock and key of the jail. Wandsworth Prison is a radial design prison which originated from the USA.

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Wandsworth Prison Information

• Accommodation: The prison provides multiple residential units with individual cells for inmates. The cells are equipped with basic amenities, including beds, personal storage, and sanitation facilities.
• Education and Vocational Training: Wandsworth Prison places a strong emphasis on education and vocational training. Inmates have access to a range of educational programs, including basic education, literacy, numeracy, and accredited courses. Vocational training opportunities are also available to develop employable skills and enhance prospects for successful reintegration into society.
• Work Opportunities: Inmates at Wandsworth Prison have access to various work activities within the prison, such as maintenance, cleaning, kitchen, and other designated roles. These work activities aim to develop skills, instill discipline, and promote a sense of responsibility.
• Healthcare: Wandsworth Prison has an on-site healthcare unit staffed with medical professionals who provide primary healthcare services to prisoners. Mental health support, substance abuse programs, and specialized medical care are also available.
• Family Contact: The prison recognizes the importance of maintaining family relationships and facilitates visits and contact with family members, subject to specific guidelines and regulations.
• Resettlement Support: Wandsworth Prison offers pre-release planning and support to help inmates prepare for their eventual release. This may include assistance with accommodation, employment, and access to community-based support services.

Contact Information

Booking a visit to wandsworth prison.

• Monday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Tuesday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Wednesday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm (no visits on Wednesday PM until further notice)
• Thursday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Friday: no visits
• Saturday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Sunday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Unlimited Prison Phone Calls Package

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• Senior Citizens Bus Pass Travel Card (issued by Scottish Government)
• Utility bill
• Council tax bill
• Benefit book
• Bank statement
• other letter from official source

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If you have a loved one in prison, you can use these links for services available and for information about visiting prisons.

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HISTORY AT NORTHAMPTON

Inside Wandsworth Gaol: A historian’s perspective on prison visiting

As a academic historian who works on the history of crime (and most of that in London) when I was offered the chance to take a peek inside a working English prison I could hardly refuse. I run modules on crime and punishment at the University of Northampton and help students explore the changing nature of penal policy over 200 or more years from the late 1600s to the early 20th century.

Last Sunday I trekked across the capital to the imposing gates of Wandsworth Prison to meet up with the other lucky visitors and our guide, Stewart McLaughlin a serving Prison Officer and curator of the small prison museum.

We started in the museum which is about the size of a scout hut, and packed solid with neatly labelled exhibits. Stewart has gathered together an impressive collection of prison relics which he’s arranged chronologically so that it tells the story of Wandsworth from its early days (as the Surrey House of Correction) through the nationalisation of prisons (in 1878),to  its use as a military prison during the First World War, and on to the present day.

We ‘met’ famous inmates like Oscar Wilde and the man that killed Dr Martin Luther King (James Earl Ray), and some of those that ended their days inside on the end of a rope. Wandsworth was a hanging gaol and this is where George Chapman (aka Severin Klosowski – a ‘Ripper’ suspect), John Haigh and the wartime traitor William Joyce (‘Lord Haw-Haw’) were all executed. We saw Albert Pierrepoint’s execution rope and other memorabilia that reminded us that until 1961 murderers were still being ‘dropped’ at Wandsworth.

The exhibition is a fascinating glimpse into the prison’s long history and Stewart has pieced it together with considerable skill (and limited resources!) This is an example of one man’s efforts to preserve and display history and one wonders what will happen when he decides to hang up his keys for good.

It is one thing to be allowed to peer into the past via an exhibition of the artefacts of penal history, it is quite another to be invited to walk through the  gates of a working prison. This is exactly what we all did next though, carefully moving under Stewart’s guidance from the reception area to the large open star that links the five man wings (A to F) together. This central boss used to allow officers (then warders) to see right down each wing and control the prisoners. Not quite a panopticon as Jeremy Bentham envisaged his ‘inspection house’ but effective all the same. We stood while Stewart explained the prison’s history and working structure and patiently answered a stream of questions.

As he did so the prison carried on all around us, with the sounds of cell doors clanging, keys (and more keys!) and male voices. All of this was permeated by the smells of a closed institution: Sunday (‘school’) dinner, laundry, stale air, but (surprisingly given all the media coverage of prisons) not a trace of drugs. This was a calm space as far I could see. Outside in the exercise yard men were chatting in the sunshine, no one paid this small group of visitors any attention, they just seemed to be getting on with life.

As we wandered through Stewart took us to the staff room in one wing. Quite an ordinary space with kettle, cups and tupperware lunch boxes. Well ‘ordinary’ except that this was one one of two condemned cells in Wandsworth and so suddenly we were left to imagine how some people may have struggled to relax while they waited to see if an appeal was successful or the executioner would lead them off to the gallows.

Outside, as we stared up at the razor wire that is intended to prevent modern prisoners emulating the Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs and scaling the high walls, our attention was brought to the concrete paths that cover the ground between the walls and the prison itself. Under here, we were told, lie the remains of those who were executed within the confines of the gaol. Since the abolition of hanging families have been able to exhume their loved ones and rebury them, but many don’t. As our guide pointed out most murderers kill people close to them and so the hanged are often the second deaths in a tragic set of events. Let sleeping dogs lie is often the most obvious reaction.

One young man whose remains were taken away to be cremated outside was John Amery, the son of Leo Amery the Conservative politician and (like Churchill) a noted opponent of appeasement. Unlike his father John Amery was attracted to the Nazi cause and became a fascist and follower of Hitler. He was hanged at Wandsworth in December 1945 for his treasonable activities during the war.

The final place we visited was the set of smaller wings that used to make up the women’s prison until the late 1800s. During the First World War this was utilised by the military as a detainment camp. Here the prison held squaddies that broke the rules or absconded as well as conscientious objectors and (following the Easter Rising in 1916) upwards of 200  Irish Republicans accused of ‘betraying’ their king and country.

And then – and I have to admit this was quite a relief – we were back to the reception house and, once we’d handed over our passes, the doors were opened and we exited into the afternoon sun. The walk across Wandsworth Common took me past couples of all ages, children playing, dogs running free, ice cream vendors and people sitting outside the nearby pub enjoying a pint with their friends. It was a sobering reminder of what everyone in that prison had given up – albeit not all voluntarily.

Wandsworth Prison museum is not open to the public but is open for academic visitors, researchers and local history groups. All you have to do is make an appointment and be curious (and brave) enough to cross the threshold.

Drew Gray (Subject lead, History, University of Northampton).

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The Good Book of Prisons

What's good in prisons across England & Wales

The prisoners called safety greatly improved lately, helped by ‘more staff’ and VR reps ‘on each wing’, said there were some ‘excellent’ staff, and thought in-cell phones & Kiosks were transformational. Family visits were ‘very good’ (‘really informal’, staff in ‘civvies’, access to games etc), as were education & training (especially CISCO’s IT Essentials course & Radio Wanno: also widely listened to, and ‘a great source’ of information for prisoners).

The Officers described a ‘big family’ of friendly, supportive staff ‘who you know have got your back’, ‘amazing’ POELT trainers and mentors, with 2 weeks of post-training shadowing ‘a great help’, and new Officers made very welcome. SOs on the landings and a full-time CM per wing made ‘a huge difference’. They rated twice-daily SO briefings, monthly training shutdowns and the ‘massive’ gain from in-cell phones, and Kiosks, which cut staff workload and give responsibility to prisoners.

Managers agreed it was ‘a family’ (‘more than many places’) with staff who were committed to ‘making a difference’. In-cell phones & Kiosks were very highly valued. Safety was ‘much improved’, with VR teams of staff & peer reps ‘crucial’, alongside Keywork (‘going really well’, and welcomed by all). They valued strong leadership and the No. 1’s ‘clear direction’. Library services, including an outreach trolley, help for new readers, adult literacy group, Toe-by-Toe, and events, including visits and readings from authors, were ‘fantastic’. They also highlighted regular job fairs with outside employers and pre-release support and training from the ‘Standout Programme’. They praised the 12-bed mental health unit (run on TC lines), ‘excellent’ local mental health service support, and full health screening (including for blood-borne viruses) on arrival – ‘recognised as good practice’. They also valued a video conferencing centre to allow remote court appearances, which would take pressure off reception and ‘save a fortune’ in escorts.

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A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins review – how to survive in prison

An acclaimed documentary film-maker was given a five-year sentence for tax fraud. He details his time behind bars in a shocking, scathing, entertaining account

I f you thought you knew how bad British prisons are, you haven’t read this book. Drugs, riots, suicides, squalor, overcrowding, understaffing, dangerous criminals let out early, minor offenders kept in too long or wrongly banged up in the first place; that’s only a fraction of the story. Chris Atkins’s journal of his time in HMP Wandsworth shows why conditions are so atrocious, with four Tory justice secretaries ( Michael Gove , Liz Truss , David Lidington , David Gauke ) coming and going during his stretch and none of them able to cope. It’s an inside story to make you weep at the incompetence, stupidity and viciousness of the current system.

As an acclaimed documentary film-maker, Atkins was an unlikely candidate for a five-year prison sentence. He ended up there after being found guilty of tax fraud – a scam not to enrich himself but to fund his film projects. He was convicted in June 2016, the day after the EU referendum result (“I can’t help feeling that my incarceration and Brexit are somehow mystically interlinked”). Though his accountant was the chief culprit and they weren’t the only ones in the industry diddling HMRC, Atkins has no complaints: “If I’d been on the jury, I’d probably have come to the same decision.” The toughest part of it was being separated from his infant son Kit.

Relieved not to get a harsher sentence and sharply focused on everything around him, he’s on an adrenaline high when first admitted to Wandsworth . Even the filthy 6ft by 12ft prison cell, with its graffiti, peeling paint, concrete floor, plastic mattress and seatless toilet, doesn’t altogether dismay him; at least the man he’s sharing it with, Ted, isn’t a psychopath or off his head on spice . After the trauma of his court case, Atkins even gets a good night’s sleep. Soon enough, though, the reality of his situation dawns on him: the meagre food (“if I fed it to Kit I’d be prosecuted for parental neglect”), the lack of exercise (staff shortages mean an almost constant lockdown, with prisoners confined to their cells for 23 hours a day), the sense of menace and incessant noise, and the denial of a visit from Kit, whose criminal history needs to be checked before he’s approved despite being only three years old.

Within a fortnight, quickly grasping how the system works and embarking on a “brown-nosing crusade”, Atkins moves from E wing to the less chaotic A wing. And a week later, he’s in Trinity, allegedly the cushiest place in Wandsworth. But even Trinity has its hierarchy: to be given a decent cell, a prisoner’s IEP (incentives and earned privileges) level needs to be Enhanced, and Atkins, as a new arrival, is Standard. By signing up for a dry lining course, without knowing what dry lining is, he improves his prospects. Then a lucky break earns him a place on H wing, “the prison equivalent of Hampstead”, among white-collar professionals and ex-public schoolboys like himself.

Entering (or re-entering) this “bubble of white privilege” makes him feel guilty: “In a strange mirror of wider society, the more educated and affluent prisoners carved out the best jobs and places to live,” while “the most vulnerable people on the outside often got the worst deal behind bars too.” Still, you can’t blame Atkins for trying to avoid the worst of Wandsworth. Ingratiation is the route to integration, and as “the screws’ bitch” he’s able to move more freely about the prison, delivering food or handing out slips and in return sneaking in a quick phone call or shower. Each month he discovers more about the place and the petty madness of its rules. And each chapter of his book begins with a list of things he has learned, whether “how to build a drugs empire” or how “rehabilitation programmes can actually increase crime”.

As that suggests, Atkins’s liberalism has its limits. Prison reformers may be keen on cheerily titled rehab courses (“Getting it Right!”, “Be a Hero!”) but their effectiveness is doubtful. One prisoner confesses how by signing up for a victim awareness course, and using the right buzzwords, he’ll improve his chances of being released and resuming his life of crime. And while teetotal Muslims sign up for AA programmes as a break from being locked up, there’s precious little funding for mental health services.

Atkins is shocked by the amount of self-harm he sees and by the number of prisoners who are mentally disturbed rather than malevolent. He cites the example of an inmate called Dex, who is forever in trouble for cutting himself or trashing his cell: “He’s too disturbed to conform to the prison’s regime, but isn’t deemed mad enough to be committed to a psychiatric unit.” The longer he spends inside, the more catch-22s he encounters: the prisoner unable to present his report on the consequences of being locked in his cell all day because he’s locked in a cell all day; the men not given definite release dates whose behaviour deteriorates from the uncertainty and whose release dates are then further deferred; the fact that the prison wing where inmates are sent to get clean of drugs is also the easiest place to obtain drugs (heroin, coke, weed, speed, skunk and crack – everything but paracetamol).

Soon Atkins is having one-to-one sessions with his fellow cons, having been enlisted as a “Listener”, lending an ear to any prisoner going through a crisis. The experience confirms that half of them are illiterate; that prison healthcare is stuck in the Middle Ages (“it wouldn’t have been out of place if they’d started dispensing leeches”); that the authorities waste their energy on fiddle-faddles (decreeing that inmates be called “men” rather than “prisoners” for example) rather than real reform. His biggest complaint is that Wandsworth is stuck in a time-warp, with a decaying building and little or no use of IT.

Atkins admits that keeping his diary was personally helpful – a way of staying sane. It’s also, for all its knockabout humour, fantastically informative. Along with examples of prison slang – an electronic tag is a “chav nav” or “Peckham Rolex”; to “bank it” is to smuggle drugs into prison in your anus – there are boxes full of statistics he’s unearthed and insights he’s gleaned. It’s well known that the UK has the largest prison population in the EU, the highest reoffending rate, and that under Chris Grayling the number of prison officers was cut by a third. But I didn’t know how little confiscation there is of criminal proceeds (26p in every £100), or how many children in the UK have a parent behind bars (around 200,000), or that 58% of remand prisoners do not receive prison sentences, or that, though those remand prisoners make up only 13% of the prison population, they account for 46% of suicides.

Nine months after entering Wandsworth, Atkins moved on, to serve the rest of his sentence in a couple of open prisons; the journal stops at that point. He feels little nostalgia for his time in jail, but thinks it has made him less judgmental and that we might all benefit from a spell inside. His epilogue lists the changes he’d introduce were he ever appointed justice secretary. They are humane, straightforward and make good sense. What are the chances of them being adopted by the current incumbent, Robert Buckland ? As someone who once invested in a film partnership that HMRC investigated as a tax avoidance scheme , he and Atkins have some common ground. Let’s hope against hope they get together and that some of the reforms proposed here are implemented before conditions in our prisons get even worse.

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Catalogue description Wandsworth Prison, Surrey: register of prisoners

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Wandsworth Prison

Wandsworth is a men’s prison in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London.

Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minutes survey.

Book and plan your visit to Wandsworth

To visit someone in Wandsworth you must:

• be on that person’s visitor list
• book your visit in advance
• have the required ID with you when you go

At least one visitor must be 18 or older at every visit.

There may be a limit to the number of visits a person can have. You can check this with Wandsworth.

Contact Wandsworth if you have any questions about visiting.

Help with the cost of your visit

If you get certain benefits or have an NHS health certificate, you might be able to get help with the costs of your visit , including:

• travel to Wandsworth
• somewhere to stay overnight

How to book family and friends visits

You can book your visit online or by telephone.

Telephone booking line: 0300 060 6509

Find out about call charges

The booking lines are open:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: midday to 5pm

Tuesday and Thursday: 9am to 5pm

Visitors needing additional mobility support, please make us aware when booking your visit.

Visiting times

• Monday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Tuesday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Wednesday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm (no visits on Wednesday PM until further notice)
• Thursday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Friday: no visits
• Saturday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
• Sunday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Available to all prisoners, maximum 3 adults and 3 children per visit.

How to book legal and professional visits

HMP Wandsworth face to face legal visits

To book a legal visit face to face please email [email protected]

Any visit needs to be booked at least 3 days in advance.

We cannot book in advance by more than 2 weeks.

Legal visits are Monday to Thursday:

• 8:30am to 9:30am
• 10:30am to 11:30am
• 1:30pm to 2:30pm
• 3:30pm to 4:30pm

HMP Wandsworth Virtual Visits. (Via Video Link):

• Monday to Friday: 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm

All sessions are usually one hour in duration.

To book a video link legal visit please contact [email protected]

All requests are advised to give as much notice in advance as possible.

Getting to Wandsworth

Find Wandsworth on a map

The closest railways stations to Wandsworth are Wandsworth Town, Wandsworth Common and Earlsfield which are all about a mile away. Clapham Junction station is just over a mile away. Local bus routes 77 and 219 come to near the establishment from Clapham Junction Station. If travelling on 77, you need to get off at stop Heathfield Road and if travelling on 219, then you need to get off at stop County Arms.

To plan your journey by public transport:

• use Transport for London journey planner
• use National Rail Enquiries

If coming by car, use the postcode SW18 3HU for sat nav.

You will need to find parking outside of the prison. There is no visitor car park at the prison and most local roads are limited to permit holders.

Entering Wandsworth

On your first visit to Wandsworth, you will have your fingerprints taken for the security system. These will be used to confirm your identity on future visits.

You will also need to bring ID to every visit.

All visitors, aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. Read the list of acceptable forms of ID when visiting a prison .

All visitors will need to be given a pat-down search, including children. You may also be sniffed by security dogs.

Wandsworth has a family-friendly dress code which means visitors should dress appropriately. You may be turned away if you are wearing items like vests, low-cut tops, high-cut shorts or dresses or ripped jeans. Additionally, you cannot wear anything with offensive patterns or slogans. You will need to remove scarves, gloves, watches, sunglasses and hats (except religious head coverings) before you go in. Ask in the visitors centre if you have questions about the dress code.

There are strict controls on what you can take into Wandsworth. You will have to leave most of the things you have with you in a locker or with security. This includes pushchairs and car seats.

You will be told the rules by an officer at the start of your visit. If you break the rules, your visit could be cancelled and you could be banned from visiting again.

Visiting facilities

There is a visitors centre run by the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) charity. Family and friends can relax, buy refreshments and get advice and support from the staff.

Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 8874 4377 Find out about call charges

There are lockers in the visitors centre to store your belongings. You will need a £1 coin for this.

Family days

Wandsworth holds monthly family days giving prisoners more time to spend with their children in a more relaxed setting.

They also host a monthly Homework Club for prisoners to help their children with homework.

Prisoners can apply for these visits.

Keep in touch with someone at Wandsworth

There are several ways you can keep in touch with a prisoner during their time at Wandsworth.

Secure video calls

To have a secure video call with someone in this prison you need to:

• Download the Prison Video app
• Create an account
• Register all visitors
• Add the prisoner to your contact list.

How to book a secure video call

You can request a secure video call with someone in this prison via the Prison Video app.

You will receive a notification when your request has been accepted.

Read more about how it works

Phone calls

Prisoners have phones in their cells and are able to make outgoing calls. They have to buy phone credits to do this.

Phones do not accept incoming calls so they will always have to call you.

They can phone anyone named on their list of friends and family. This list is checked by security when they first arrive so it may take a few days before they are able to call.

You can also exchange voicemails using the Prison Voicemail service .

Officers may listen to phone calls as a way of preventing crime and helping keep people safe.

You can send emails to someone in Wandsworth using the Email a Prisoner service .

You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies from the prisoner, depending on the rules at Wandsworth.

You can write at any time.

Include the person’s name and prisoner number on the envelope.

If you do not know their prisoner number, contact Wandsworth .

All post, apart from legal letters, will be opened and checked by officers.

Send money and gifts

You can use the free and fast online service to send money to someone in prison .

You can no longer send money by bank transfer, cheque, postal order or send cash by post.

If you cannot use the online service, you may be able to apply for an exemption - for example if you:

• are unable to use a computer, a smart phone or the internet
• do not have a debit card

This will allow you to send money by post.

Gifts and parcels

Friends and family can drop off books, socks and underwear for prisoners at Wandsworth whenever the visitors centre is open. These should be left in the property drop box in the visitors centre.

Prisoners must apply for permission to receive any other items. They can do this using a kiosk.

They are given a list of approved items that can be handed in and can receive one parcel in the first 28 days of custody. After that, they will normally be allowed one parcel a year if they are under 50 or one parcel every six months if 50 or over.

Parcels should be handed in at the property garage next to the visitors centre. The property garage opening times are:

• Tuesday: 8:30am to 11:45am, 1:30pm to 3:45pm
• Thursday: 8:30am to 11:45am, 1:30pm to 3:45pm
• Saturday: 9am to 11:45am

Make sure to include the person’s name and prisoner number on the parcel.

Friends and families of prisoners are permitted to send books directly to their loved ones, or can order books from approved retailers, which can source and send the books on to prisoners.   For the full list of approved retailers, you can read the HMPPS Incentives Policy, Annex F .

All parcels will be opened and checked by officers.

Contact Wandsworth or ask at the visitors centre for more information.

Life at Wandsworth

Wandsworth is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where prisoners can learn new skills to help them on release.

Security and safeguarding

Every person at Wandsworth has a right to feel safe. The staff are responsible for their safeguarding and welfare at all times.

For further information about what to do when you are worried or concerned about someone in prison visit the Prisoners’ Families helpline website .

The Samaritans also train prisoners to be ‘listeners’ to help support other prisoners going through difficult times.

Arrival and first night

When a prisoner first arrives at Wandsworth, they will be able to contact a family member by phone. This could be quite late in the evening, depending on the time they arrive.

They will get to speak to someone who will check how they’re feeling and ask about any immediate health and wellbeing needs.

Each person who arrives at Wandsworth gets an induction that lasts about a week. They will meet professionals who will help them with:

• health and wellbeing, including mental and sexual health
• any substance misuse issues, including drugs and alcohol
• personal development in custody and on release, including skills, education and training
• other support (sometimes called ‘interventions’), such as managing difficult emotions

Everyone also finds out about the rules, fire safety, and how things like calls and visits work.

Accommodation

Around 1600 prisoners are accommodated at Wandsworth across 5 wings. These are A, B, C, D and E. There is a mixture of single and shared cells. Each wing has its own showers and canteen.

Other buildings hold the visiting halls, gyms, sports hall, library, classrooms and workshops.

Wandsworth also has a diverse, multi-faith chaplaincy team providing support to prisoners.

Education and work

Prisoners can choose from a broad range of learning opportunities, including:

• information and communication technology (ICT)
• English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)
• bicycle repair
• gardening and horticulture
• construction skills
• radio production

Other opportunities include:

• a befriending and support service for foreign nationals
• embroidery lessons and workshop
• Liberty choir
• parenting skills
• employability skills
• musician in residence
• mindfulness

Work is also available throughout the prison.

Organisations Wandsworth works with

Shannon Trust helps prisoners with their reading skills and trains prisoners to be peer mentors.

St Giles Trust trains prisoners to advise fellow prisoners with prison life and preparing for release.

StandOut helps prisoners with their employability skills, CVs and disclosure letters and works to create employment opportunities for them as they approach release.

Strive Training runs workshops in employability skills and parenting skills.

Trailblazers Mentoring pairs young prisoners at the end of their sentence with volunteer mentors to help them through their release and back in the community.

Forward Trust supports prisoners with substance misuse and dependency issues.

Support for family and friends

Find out about advice and helplines for family and friends .

Support at Wandsworth

The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) team provides a range of information, guidance and support to families and friends of prisoners. You can call or ask in the visitors centre to speak to someone.

Concerns, problems and complaints

In an emergency.

Call 0208 588 4000 if you think a prisoner is at immediate risk of harm. Ask for the Orderly Officer and explain that your concern is an emergency.

If you have any other problem contact Wandsworth .

HM Prison and Probation Service publishes action plans for Wandsworth in response to independent inspections.

Contact Wandsworth

Governor: Katie Price

Telephone (24 hours): 020 8588 4000 Find out about call charges

Follow Wandsworth on Twitter/X

HMP Wandsworth PO Box 757 Heathfield Road Wandsworth London SW18 3HS

Opening hours updated for visits booking telephone line.

Updated safer custody contact numbers and information.

Wandsworth prison will are now offering additional visiting time slots on weekends.

Secure video calls update.

Updated visiting information

Updated visiting guidance based on 1 April COVID rule changes

Added link to new safer custody information under Security and safeguarding.

Updated visiting information: Reduced visit schedule and testing for visitors aged 12 and over.

Updated visiting information: Testing for visitors aged 12 and over.

Updated visits booking line number

Added link to information about testing for physical contact at visits.

Updated visiting and booking information added.

Prison moved into National Stage 3 framework and is now preparing to open visits for family, friends and significant others. We will update this page with specific visiting information as soon as possible.

Visits update

Updated visiting information in line with new local restriction tiers.

Updated visiting information in line with new national restrictions in England.

Updated video call info

Updated: HMP Wandsworth visiting times and visiting procedure changes during coronavirus.

First published.

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2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention

Suicide is an urgent and growing public health crisis. More than 49,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2022. That’s one death every 11 minutes.

National Strategy for Suicide Prevention

The 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention is a bold new 10-year, comprehensive, whole-of-society approach to suicide prevention that provides concrete recommendations for addressing gaps in the suicide prevention field. This coordinated and comprehensive approach to suicide prevention at the national, state, tribal, local, and territorial levels relies upon critical partnerships across the public and private sectors. People with lived experience are critical to the success of this work. 

 The National Strategy seeks to prevent suicide risk in the first place; identify and support people with increased risk through treatment and crisis intervention; prevent reattempts; promote long-term recovery; and support survivors of suicide loss. 

Four strategic directions guide the National Strategy:

Strategic Direction 1: Community-Based Suicide Prevention

Goal 1: Establish effective, broad-based, collaborative, and sustainable suicide prevention partnerships.

Goal 2: Support upstream comprehensive community-based suicide prevention.

Goal 3: Reduce access to lethal means among people at risk of suicide.

Goal 4: Conduct postvention and support people with suicide-centered lived experience.

Goal 5: Integrate suicide prevention into the culture of the workplace and into other community settings.

Goal 6: Build and sustain suicide prevention infrastructure at the state, tribal, local, and territorial levels.

Goal 7: Implement research-informed suicide prevention communication activities in diverse populations using best practices from communication science.

Strategic Direction 2: Treatment and Crisis Services

Goal 8: Implement effective suicide prevention services as a core component of health care.

Goal 9: Improve the quality and accessibility of crisis care services across all communities.

Strategic Direction 3: Surveillance, Quality Improvement, and Research

Goal 10: Improve the quality, timeliness, scope, usefulness, and accessibility of data needed for suicide-related surveillance, research, evaluation, and quality improvement.

Goal 11: Promote and support research on suicide prevention.

Strategic Direction 4: Health Equity in Suicide Prevention

Goal 12: Embed health equity into all comprehensive suicide prevention activities.

Goal 13: Implement comprehensive suicide prevention strategies for populations disproportionately affected by suicide, with a focus on historically marginalized communities, persons with suicide-centered lived experience, and youth.

Goal 14: Create an equitable and diverse suicide prevention workforce that is equipped and supported to address the needs of the communities they serve.

Goal 15: Improve and expand effective suicide prevention programs for populations disproportionately impacted by suicide across the life span through improved data, research, and evaluation.

Federal Action Plan

The Federal Action Plan identifies more than 200 actions across the federal government to be taken over the next three years in support of those goals. These actions include:

• Evaluating promising community-based suicide prevention strategies
• Identifying ways to address substance use/overdose and suicide risk together in the clinical setting
• Funding a mobile crisis locator for use by 988 crisis centers
• Increasing support for survivors of suicide loss and others whose lives have been impacted by suicide

These actions will be monitored and evaluated regularly to determine progress and success, and to further identify barriers to suicide prevention.

Get Involved

Join the conversation. Everyone has a role to play in preventing the tragedy of suicide. Find social media material, templates, and other resources to support and participate in the shared effort.

Read the press release

* This content is undergoing Section 508 remediation. For immediate assistance, contact [email protected] .