A dedicated phone line is now in place in every prison for anyone to raise concerns about someone in custody. The line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information and contact numbers for each prison click here.
Letters
You can write to an individual in custody as often as you like and there is not usually any restriction on the number of letters they can receive. When you write, remember to put the person’s prison number and name on the letter. Your family member/friend can write back to you and will be allowed to send one free letter each week. If they want to write more often they can, but will have to pay for the postage themselves.
As of December 2021, legislation provided prison officers/employees with the power to photocopy correspondence.
The person in custody can be provided with the photocopy and the original correspondence which is kept and either returned to them on release or destroyed with their consent.
Governors in charge of the prison have the discretion to decide how cards and photographs are managed.
Virtual Visits
You can book a Virtual Visit with your family member in prison. Unilink (the provider of virtual visits to Scottish Prisons) provide a Step by Step guidance sheet which can be accessed here.
This SPS YouTube tutorial provides further information on Virtual Visits, including how to book.
Virtual Visit Q&A is available here, as well as a Virtual Visit Myth Busting Sheet here.
Please contact the Families Outside Helpline with any questions or for further information.
Prison Voicemail
Prison Voicemail is now available in all establishments. Further information on how to use this facility can be found here.
In cell telephony
Each establishment has in cell telephony which enables those in custody to call family, friends, and agencies.
Free calls can also be made to: the Samaritans, Independent Prison Monitors, Childline, Women’s Aid and Breathing Space.
Upon arriving in custody your loved one will provide a list of phone numbers (family, friends, or legal support) to be added to their approved call list. They will only be allowed to call those on the list and will be provided with a PIN number to call outside the prison.
In cell telephones do not receive incoming calls.
Everyone in custody is allocated 200 free minutes each month. Additional minutes can be purchased through the “Prisoner Personal Cash” account (PPC) collected through wages or savings.
Email a Prisoner (EMAP)
You can send messages via the Email a Prisoner website, the message gets delivered to the prison, printed within the establishment where your family member resides and delivered to them.
Unilink provide a Step by Step guidance sheet on EMAP which can be accessed here.
Sending in money
Money can be sent in via Royal Mail or through the SPS Secure Payment Service.
Further details on this can be found here on the SPS website.
International money cannot be transferred using this service and can only be sent in the mail.
New PPC deposit machine at HMP Barlinnie
PPC payments can now be made via a cash machine in the Atrium at HMP Barlinnie to all prisons across Scotland excluding HMP Kilmarnock and HMP Addiewell. If this pilot is a success, SPS hopes to place the machines in other prisons. It is hoped this will help families who don’t have a bank account and therefore can’t use the online banking facility. Please note this machine is for PPC payments only and cannot be used to withdraw cash.
The machine takes cash maximum of £50 in the following denominations: –
£20, £10, £5 only (£50 notes are not accepted).
Machine instructions –
You need to provide the following information: –
Date of Birth for Prisoner
Prison number
The machine has a touch screen and will ask you for the above information. Once you input the details into the machine a blue light will flash for you to insert money. The cash machine will show you on screen how much money has been inserted. The cash machine again prompts you by asking if you wish to continue. Once you have placed the amount you want to go to PPC payment you should press continue. The Cash Machine will then produce a receipt for your retention.
For information on visiting someone in prison please see our visiting prison page.