cancel prison visit leeds

HMP Leeds 2 Gloucester Terrace Leeds LS12 2TJ

All visits must be booked 48 hours in advance

The visits booking line is 0113 203 2995

or you can email a booking on [email protected]

VISITING TIMES

Monday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:15 – 11:30, 13:30 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:30

Tuesday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:130 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:15

Wednesday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:130 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:15 u0026amp; 17:45 – 18:45

Thursday 13:45 – 14:45, 15:15 – 16:15 u0026amp; 17:45 – 18:45

Friday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:30 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:15

Saturday 09:00 – 10:00, 10:30 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 -16:15

Sunday 09:00 – 10:00, 10:30 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 -16:15

The Visit’s centre is called ‘The Jigsaw Centre’ and it is an independent funded charity, their website is http://www.jigsawvisitorscentre.org.uk/pages/visitors.html

Jigsaw Visitors’ Centre is a open 7 days a week, 9 to 5 for support and advice for those visiting their loved ones in HMP Leeds. They understand that prisoners’ families are just as affected by imprisonment as prisoners are, and they hope to make that experience easier. They have a welcoming Centre with café, information, free fruit while you wait, a play room for the children, and free internet access. Their Family Support Workers are there to help you and also, where appropriate, put you in touch with other organisations in the community who can help you to deal with those issues which can arise with a loved one in custody.

They hope their website, mentioned above,   can answer some of your questions and concerns. If not, please contact them on: 0113 2032771 or email [email protected]

The staff at the centre are really helpful and always sit down with first time visitors to run the do’s and don’ts.

There is a tea bar to purchase snacks before the visit. On the visit, you can purchase bags of sweets, which when un-opened, the prisoner can take back to their cell.

You CANNOT book visits via the visits centre, although you can cancel them via the centre. Make sure though you keep a record of your reference number if you wish to cancel. This then makes sure the right visit is cancelled.

Visits can be booked via telephone and also via email:- [email protected]  which is really helpful and saves long waits trying to get through on the telephone. The email service is very fast and efficient.

The visits are short compared to some prisons i.e. one hour but everyone goes onto the visit together, there aren’t usually major delays and there is no need to get to the prison hours before the visits are due to commence.

Parking within the prison grounds is quite limited.

Property can be handed in by arrangement. The property centre is located just inside the visits centre.

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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Visits & Getting there, HMP Wealstun

Visits are held at the following times:

• Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,  09.30 – 11.30, 13.30 – 15.30
• Sat , Sun 09.30 – 11.30, 13.45 – 16.00

To book online, visit: www.gov.uk/prison-visits . All you will need is the name and date of birth of the person you are visiting and their prisoner number. You can choose up to 3 possible dates and times. Prison booking staff will check what’s available and confirm your visit by email. If you’ve made an online visit booking request and haven’t received a confirmation email within 1-3 working days, please email  [email protected]  or call 01937 444599, lines open 0830-1230 Monday to Friday.

There is a Visitors Centre for use on visiting days which opens from 08:30 Mon-Sun. The visiting room has play area facilities and a refreshment counter where food may be purchased (only open at selected times).

If you want to plan your journey on public transport visit the Yorkshire Travel  produced web site, (click here) . It is an excellent way to plan your visits. The basic details are shown below.

•   By Train . The nearest Railway Stations are Leeds (about 12 miles) and York (about 15 miles).
• By Bus . Service 770 Leeds-Harrogate via Wetherby runs half-hourly, 5 past and 35 past the hour from Leeds Bus Station (Monday to Saturday) and hourly (15 past the hour) on Sunday and takes you past the Prison gates. The journey time is about 45 minutes. Monday to Saturday the return from the Prison into Leeds is again half-hourly, at 25 and 55 past the hour, Sunday the service is hourly, passing the gates at 20 past. Busses from York (service 412, 413) are 12 minutes past the hour from the stop outside York Railway Station Monday-Saturday and take you into Wetherby Town Centre from where you would have to get a taxi/bus forward. There is NO Sunday service on this route.

Taxi’s from both Leeds and York are easily available the journey time will be about 30 minutes and will cost between £15 to £20 if pre-booked. From Wetherby a cab will be about £8 to £10, again if pre-booked. Remember that you may need to book the cab to take you back again!

 Arriving by car

By car the prison is 3 miles east of the A1, the nearest town being Wetherby.

From the south – Take exit 45 from the A1 directed to Wetherby / Otley. At the first roundabout take a left turn and shortly after, at the second roundabout turn right, onto the A168 signposted Wetherby. As you approach the town there are directions for Walton / Thorp Arch Trading Estate and these will take you to directions for the Prison.

From the North follow signs off the A1 for Wetherby/Racecourse and then pick up signposts for Thorp Arch Trading Estate/Walton and these take you onto directions to the Prison.

Return to Wealstun

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Online Prison Visits Booking System

This free online prison visits request system for England and Wales runs along side the prison's own systems and will provide a quicker and easier way of booking visits in the future.

It can be used for public sector male, female and young offender establishments at category B and below (not the private or high security estate). Friends, families and others wishing to make a booking will need to fill in a number of details about the prisoner including their prisoner number, which they can obtain from the prisoner and the dates of birth of each of the visitors.

Applicants will get an email within 3 days confirming their visit time and date.

See gov.uk's prison visits page below for more information.

Our Partner

Can Your Visitation Rights Be Revoked?

• by Ronnie K. Stephens

Yes. Prisoners don’t have a legal right to visitation, and the right can be revoked at any time.

What types of visitation do prisons have to offer?

Prisons do not have to offer any specific type of visitation. Most federal prisons offer in-person visits. Some also offer video conferencing. But not all prisons have contact visitation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Prisons stopped all in-person visits . Because you don’t have a legal right to these visits, the BOP did not violate any laws by doing so. The BOP restarted non-contact visits in late Nov. 2020.

Advocates and officials agree that in-person visits help incarcerated people cope with prison. Visitations help keep them healthier and prisons safer. Studies show that there are fewer problems between incarcerated people and staff when you can see loved ones. That’s why, at most facilities, you can have at least four hours of visitation each month.

Can your visitation rights be revoked?

Yes. Prisons can revoke your visitation rights. And they don’t have to give you a reason if they do so. This means that they can take your visitation away at any time and for any reason. They don’t have to tell you why, either.

But the Supreme Court has ruled that your right to due process applies if prison officials revoke your visitation privileges as a punishment. This means they must afford you some sort of hearing process. But the process is often brief, and it can be hard to appeal.

If prison staff cancels visitation for all people , you may not have a right to a hearing. This is because it is not considered punishment when the entire prison stops visitation. You also aren’t guaranteed a hearing if staff deny entry to someone who is trying to visit you.

Your due process rights only require a hearing when staff revoke your visitation as punishment.

What are some of the reasons that prison officials might revoke your visitation rights?

Many things can affect visitation rights. Prisons often close to all visitors following violence inside the prison . A fight in any part of the prison may cause a total lockdown. During a lockdown, outsiders cannot come in the prison. People in prison also can’t move to safe areas for visitation.

Prisons may also stop visitation for technical or mechanical problems. Flooding can interrupt visitation when incarcerated people have to move to temporary holding areas. Staff may deny visitation if incarcerated people flood an area on purpose.

You also need to know that visitors have strict rules they must follow to come and see you. Your visitation may be revoked if your loved ones are not careful. They should check the schedule and rules for your facility before coming.

For all federal prisons, visitors must be pre-approved and added to your visitor list. They must follow dress codes and contact rules as well. Juveniles may have more visitation privileges than adults in some prisons.

The Takeaway:

Prisons can revoke your visitation rights. They don’t have to give you a reason. But you do have the right to due process that requires a hearing when officials revoke your visitation rights as punishment. Prisons can also close to all visitors for lots of reasons. When this happens, you likely won’t have the right to a hearing.

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Booking visits at hmp armley a real time waster, inside time reports.

• 1st December 2012

We here at HMP Armley (Leeds) have been complaining about the visits booking system for months but to no avail. It is so frustrating for family and friends to arrange to book a visit through the 2 phone numbers provided. Years ago when this prison was single-celled and only 700 prisoners were housed in Armley it only took a couple of hours to book a visit, but now that it is 2 to a cell, with over 1400 prisoners, it can take days to get through on the phone numbers provided. It recently took my mother 4 days of calling the visits numbers to get through, only to be told that the days she had off from work were booked up. Armley does have an email address to book visits but they also take days to return your message and when they do reply it’s a random date and time that suit them, not a big help to working family members and friends. Not many people have internet access, so it’s just the visit numbers we and many others can use. Editorial note;  We tried phoning the booking numbers for HMP Armley on successive days and were informed by automated voice that the phone booking system was ‘unavailable’. We also tried to email but found there was no working email available.  

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8 thoughts on “ Booking visits at HMP Armley a real time waster ”

Need. Visit

Staff are rude mostly the female staff . Try intimidating you and try anything to make it difficult . Sniggering amounst one another and it is the female staff . Phone line I a night more and they do put ot down if you manage to get threw after trying both the line opening hours. And all the while throwing there arms around letting everyone know how much they are stressed and can’t wait to get home . I think we’ll find a different job and stop making it hard for family’s to stay connected .

Dear Jane, this time of the year most of the staff are on holiday in the sun somewhere, drinking and relaxing

been on this phone 2 hours trying to book a visit..ring ring then engaged..are they purposely ignoring the phone

Absolutely disgusting. Ringing constantly. Either is engaged or nobody answers. Can’t they organise some kind of queuing system at least? Bloody diabolical in this age of supposed technology!

On Tues 14 July.I arrived at armley.prison for visit with my son A 0972ck simpson.I was treated appallingly by 1 of the staff I had a asthma episode asked for a drink and was told no it’sn my fault she

I know several people who have been in HM Hate Factory Armley recently. It is the unwritten policy at Armley to destroy family ties since they have been forced to implement resettlement programmes. The POA knows, destroy the family and it does not matter what programmes are implemented, the offender is likely to become a recidivist and return to prison, which is all the POA cares about, full prisons, plenty of screws, plenty of prisons, more power. Armley, a cockroach infested cesspit, destroying family ties wholesale.

Your staff treat people like **** at armley prison . they don’t do there job write , then wen u try call to book visit they anser phone an put it down .that’s wrong !!!

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• Crime, justice and law

Justice Secretary and Prisons Minister meet staff on prison visits

Staff thanked for their ‘vital work’ in delivering major reforms to improve safety and turn prisoners’ lives around.

Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss and Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah today paid tribute to the vital work of governors and staff as they visited prisons to continue engagement with frontline staff.

Today’s visits, which come after previous visits to prisons in England and Wales, follow the Justice Secretary announcing a major package of reforms to improve safety – including an additional £100m to bolster frontline staff by 2,500.

During her visit to HMP Lincoln, the Justice Secretary met with the prison’s Governor and officers to hear first-hand the challenges they face and how the reforms she has announced will help.

Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said:

“Prison officers at HMP Lincoln do a challenging and often dangerous job day in and day out which too often goes unnoticed and is undervalued.

“I came to Lincoln to let them know that the work they do its vital and I’m committed to giving them the support they need to do their jobs in safely and securely.

“We will continue to listen to them and all prison staff as we deliver on our important reforms to make prisons safe and cut reoffending.”

HMP Lincoln is already making improvements to safety and security thanks to £160,000 of Government funding this year. This includes upgrading CCTV and the use of body worn cameras, rolled out nationally, to help prevent violence and provide robust evidence against perpetrators.

Last month, the Justice Secretary announced £14 million for extra resources at ten of the most challenging prisons in England and Wales. This will mean an extra 400 staff to help curbs rising levels of violence and self-harm fuelled by dangerous psychoactive substances. Job offers have already been made to fill almost 200 of those roles.

The major reforms announced this month will also give governors and staff more powers over education, work and health budgets so they can tailor support to the prisoners in their charge.

HMP Lincoln is already doing innovative work in this area, they are funding a specialist security analysts to evaluate the current regime. This will predict and prevent violence by directing resources to target suspected prisoners, ultimately stopping violence before it starts.

The prison is also working in partnership with the Lincolnshire Action Trust to create a “Departure Lounge”, which provides essential staff support, advice and assistance to help prisoners being released into the community.

To help them get work on release, offenders can also take part in vocational classes which give prisoners skills in painting and decorating and carpentry. Training schemes provide valuable vocational work for offenders and can help to break the cycle of re-offending which costs society £15bn a year.

Similarly, HMP Leeds opened of a new ‘Fusion Kitchen’ in the prison this December, which will see prisoners take part in valuable vocational work to gain the skills and qualifications needed to get work in the catering industry on release.

The prison has also made improvements to safety and security thanks to £240,000 of funding from the Government this year. This includes extra money to roll out CCTV across the wings, as well as new safety measures to stop illegal contraband being thrown over the prison walls.

The Prisons Minister sat down with the Governor and prison officers at HMP Leeds to hear first-hand the challenges they face and how the reforms and increased investment is helping.

Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah said:

“HMP Leeds is a fantastic example of the prison Governor and officers working together to achieve great things.

“The innovative work that the Governor and staff are already doing at Leeds to help prisoners turn their backs on crime is exactly what we want to see across the prison estate as we embark upon the biggest prisons overhaul in a generation.”

“I want to see all prisons becoming places of hard work and discipline where offenders are given the help they need to turn their lives around.”

In the coming months, the Justice Secretary and Prisons Minister will be visiting prisons nationwide to continue their discussions with prison officers and governors.

As well as listening to staff there will also be a new recruitment drive aimed at getting top graduates and former servicemen and women into frontline positions.

By having more staff on the ground, we will provide the support that they need to do their job and enable more time to be spent reforming offenders.

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