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Hmp birmingham.

• Inside Time Reports
• 13th December 2014
• Male Local , Male YOI , Prison Visit , West Midlands

Prison information

Address: HMP BIRMINGHAM Winson Green Road, Birmingham, B18 4AS Switchboard: 0121 598 8170 Managed by: HMPPS Region:  Central Category:  Male Link to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/birmingham-prison

Description

Birmingham Prison is a men’s prison in the Winson Green area of Birmingham.

Visit Booking: Online

Use this online service to book a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales you need the:

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• prisoner’s date of birth
• dates of birth for all visitors coming with you

The prisoner must add you to their visitor list before you can book a visit.

You’ll get an email confirming your visit. It takes 1 to 3 days.

ID: Every visit

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HMP HUMBER (WOLDS)

3 thoughts on “ hmp birmingham ”.

Inmates getting stabbed poor security David Cameron will take action soon

Dear Mohammed, violence is increasing in Her Majesty’s Hate Factories/Human Warehouses, not surprising when human beings are locked into concrete boxes for prolonged periods, allowed out of the toilet cubicle for a few hours each day to jump through a hoops, so they are not put on Basic Regimes. The screw loves nothing better than to lock scumbag prisoners up in barren cells, with nothing to occupy their time. This supposedly teaches them not to reoffend. In my humble opinion, it teaches ignorance and inconsideration, how to abuse and degrade others. The wall is the punishment, everything else is wicked abuse.

Not happy with service or staff in the prison we want it ivvestigated

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Birmingham Prison Information

Contact information, booking a visit to birmingham prison.

Unlimited Prison Phone Calls Package

• Mon: 09:15 – 11.45 & 14.00 – 16:00
• Tue: 09:00 – 10.00, 10.45 – 11.45 & 14.00 – 16.00 & 18:00 – 19:30
• Wed: 09:15 – 11:45, 14.00 – 16.00 & 18:00 – 19:30
• Thu: 09:00 – 10.00, 10.45 – 11.45, 14.00 – 16.00 & 18:00 – 19:30
• Fri: 09:00 – 11:45, 14.00 – 16.00
• Sat & Sun: 08:30 – 09:45, 10.15 – 11.45 & 14:00 – 16:00

HMP Birmingham, General Information

HMP Birmingham is a local prison with a total of 11 residential wings. The original Victorian wings were built in 1849 and these have been added to by more modern accommodation, most recently in 2004, which includes four new wings, a health centre, a gym, an education centre and workshops. There are specific wings for older prisoners, detoxification, sex offenders and vulnerable prisoners, and those new to the establishment.

Birmingham is the first-ever British public sector prison to be transferred into the private sector estate, with G4S managing the 15-year contract since October 2011. The prison was damaged in a serious disturbance in December 2016 and has undergone some refurbishment.

Shortly after an Urgent Notification was issued by HMI Prisons in 2018, HMPPS decided to take over the running of the prison temporarily. HMPPS replaced the G4S director with a public sector prison governor, reduced the prisoner population and provided additional public sector prison staff. In April 2019, the government announced its decision to place the prison under permanent public sector control and end the G4S contract from July 2019.

The prison is part of the West Midlands Group and has a capacity of 977 and the #1 governor since April 2019 is Paul Newton

  The accommodation comprises

• A, B and C wings: closed for refurbishment.
• D wing: drug recovery wing.
• G wing: enhanced level prisoners.
• J wing: older prisoners.
• K and L wings: main population.
• M wing: drug treatment unit.
• N wing: prisoners convicted of sexual offences.
• P wing: early days and induction wing.
• Health care: inpatient unit and clinics

Return to HMP Birmingham

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HMP Birmingham

Tel: 0121 598 8000  –  Winson Green Road Birmingham B18 4AS

HMP Birmingham dates back to the Victorian era, and was built in 1849. It’s situated in Winson Green, close to the centre of the city; and is a category B  prison for remand and sentenced adult males. The prison is privately run by GS4, and is also one of the largest in the UK, with the capacity to hold 1,450 inmates. It currently runs an education programme, which is offered by Derby College. If you need directions to HMP Birmingham, simply refer to the map on this page.

Tel: 0121 598 8000

Operational capacity: 1,450 (01/10/11)

Winson Green Road Birmingham B18 4AS

Prison Phone have been helping the inmates of HMP Birmingham save around 75% on their calls to friends and family members.

You can help any Birmingham prison inmate save BIG too, just sign up to one of our affordable price plans and you will be well on your way to receiving longer more frequent calls from your loved one!

Send me Birmingham prison details via FREE SMS

Mobile number:

Here’s some facts about Birmingham Prison

HMP Birmingham is located close to the city center of Birmingham. It is a category B prison which holds adult males. The prison is run by G4S , and is one of the largest in the UK, with the capacity to hold 1450 inmates. G4S assumed ownership in 2011.

A riot occured in December 2016 causing approximately £2 million of damage to four wings in the prison. It lasted 12 hours. Up to 240 prisoners were moved out of the jail on the 17th December.

Fred West spent his last 8 months in HMP Birmingham after being sent in on remand. He commuted suicide in his cell on 1st January 1995 before he could go on trial.

To view the latest inspection report, click here

Visits are every day. Monday-Friday visits are 09:00 to 11:45 (9:00 to 10:00 and 10:45 to 11:45 on Thu), 14:00 to 16:00, and 18:00 to 19:30 (Tue, Wed, Thu). On Saturday or Sunday visits are between 8:30 and 9:45, 10:15 and 11:45, and 15:00 to 16:00.

HMP Birmingham was the first privatised prison in the UK.

Charlie Wilson actually escaped from HMP Birmingham in 1964. He was recaptured in 1968.

Notable prior inmates include Fred West, Charlie Wilson, who was involved in the Great Train Robbery, and even Ozzy Osbourne!

Prison Phone offers phone tariffs that reduce the costs of calls from this prison by up to 75%! This enables prisoners to get the support and love that they are missing from home, while reducing costs for the inmate. Find out more below.

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Visiting the prison

Maintaining contact with family members or close friends is an important part of the rehabilitation process and helps to support our prisoners during their sentence.  Our large, open-plan visits halls provide a relaxed atmosphere for both prisoners and their visitors. With refreshments available to purchase (card payments ONLY) and play areas for younger children, we want to make your visiting experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

We understand that visiting a prison can be quite daunting, especially if it is your first visit, so we try to make your experience as positive as possible. We want you to enjoy your visit so we operate a zero tolerance for violence and aggressive behaviour to help us maintain a calm, friendly environment.

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Prohibited items There are certain items that are not allowed in a prison environment. Please take the time to read and familiarise yourself with the list. View the prohibited items list .

We provide lockers for you to store personal belongings such as wallets, mobile phones and tobacco.

Smoke-free site HMP & YOI Bronzefield is a smoke free site. We therefore do not allow any tobacco, lighters, vapes or other smoking paraphernalia in the visits hall.

Visiting times and frequency

Details about visiting times allowed at HMP & YOI Bronzefield.

Learn more Close

Visit Times

From 19th June 2023

Remand prisoners can have hourly visits on all the days that we are open.

Sentenced prisoners can have 5 visits per month.

What to expect

Guidelines of what to expect when visiting HMP & YOI Bronzefield prison.

When visiting, make sure you bring photo ID with you and proof of your address , such as a utility bill (gas, electricity, water, council tax etc.) or a bank or building society statement. These must be less than three months old.

Accepted forms of photo ID are:

• Driving licence (photo card)
• Valid passport
• Citizenship card
• Blue Badge with photo

If you do not have photo ID you should bring either your birth certificate plus two utility bills or bank/building society statements. Or you can bring three utility bills/bank or building society statements – each must be from a different organisation.

Car parking

Visitors' parking is provided free of charge. If the visitors' car park is full, please use the overflow car park at the top of the drive. Please do not park along the drive as this can be a safety risk for cars and pedestrians.

Check-in to our visitors centre

When you arrive you will need to check-in to our visitors centre which is the small building on the right before you reach the prison. You will be welcomed by a member of our team who will check your name against the list of visitors and check your ID. Here you can wait until your visit time.

The Centre opens 45 minutes prior to the start of visits – please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start of your visit.

There’s a soft play area for little ones and a small kiosk to get a drink (similar to inside the prison, this is card payments only) . It’s best to use the toilet facilities here before you go into the visits hall.

You will be directed to the main prison building where our visits hall is based. Here you can hand in any property that you have brought with you for the person you are visiting. 

Refreshments

We are pleased that visitors can now buy hot and cold snacks and drinks in the Vita Nova Visits Coffee Shop. Please remember card only payments .

You can use a locker to leave your personal belongings such as, such as keys, mobile phones, cigarettes, tobacco, lighters etc.

Within the Visits Hall there is a tea bar operated by the Vita Nova Visits Coffee Shop. Please remember card only payments . There are also toilet, baby changing and wash facilities available. 

When it is time to go through for your visit, you will pass through an airport-style security.

Any bags will be passed through a scanner and you will walk through a metal detector.

You’ll also need to agree to a ‘level A’ rub down search. Official visitors are required to agree to a ‘level B’ rub down search.

If you refuse to be searched, you will not be allowed to enter the prison. Please be advised that we have a drug detecting machine which, if proven positive, will determine whether your visit continues and if it continues under closed conditions.

Once you’ve passed through security, you’ll then go through our airlock door system before entering the visits hall.

Types of visit

Details about the social (friends and family), Purple Visits and legal allowed at HMP & YOI Bronzefield.

Face to Face Legal Visits:

Monday to Friday – 09.00am to 11.00am in the Visits Hall

Booking email address –  [email protected]

Virtual Legal Visits (Video Link):

Monday to Thursday – 08.00am to 18.00pm 

Fridays – 08.00am to 17.00pm 

Booking email address – [email protected]

Social Visits:

Social visits are booked by the prisoners using our Internal Pods system. Prisoners are shown how to use this on their induction (normally within the first 3 days). They need to register all their visitors details and then request a visit. This can take a few days. Unfortunately due to data protection we are unable to book any social visits for anyone calling in.

We have a Tea Bar in the Visits Hall where you can purchase hot drinks and snacks. Please be advised we can only accept payment via a credit card (cannot accept cash).

Please note that social visits are booked by the prisoner

Purple Visits (Virtual Visits) are also available from 09.00am to 18.00pm Monday to Thursdays and 09.00am to 17.00pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

If you would like to book one please download the application to your mobile device/tablet via the apple app store or google play and follow the instructions. Or  visit https://www.purplevisits.com/

If you can only visit outside of these hours, please contact the Visits department and we will do our best to accommodate the visit.

Please download and complete a VideoLink Booking Form

please note: these departments will not be able to give out any prisoner information

How we collect and use your data

COLLECTION OF DATA

In order to facilitate your visit to one of our prisons and to ensure that we deliver appropriate levels of security and safety and prevent crime, for identification purposes we shall collect your name, date of birth, address, a biometric template of your fingerprint and a photograph. A series of reference points from a finger print are collected, allowing a unique identification pattern. We do not collect or hold actual fingerprints.

Our prisons operate CCTV and staff may wear Body Worn Video Recording Equipment. We do not collect biometric readings or photographs of children under 16, however with the use of CCTV, images may routinely be captured.

DATA SHARING

We will only share your information with a third party where there is a legal obligation to do so.

RIGHTS OF ACCESS, CORRECTION, ERASURE AND RESTRICTION

You have legal rights in connection with personal information. Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
• Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
• Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing.
• Object to processing of your personal information by us or on our behalf in certain situations.
• Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.

DATA RETENTION

We keep personal data in accordance with our clients’ and Sodexo’s retention procedures. These retention periods depend on the nature of the information (e.g. we apply different retention periods to different type of information such as CCTV and your visitor record), and may be subject to change.

If you have any questions or concerns about how long we retain your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer using the details below.

FURTHER ADVICE / GUIDANCE

To exercise your rights, you can contact us by writing to us at the following address: [email protected] or email the Global Data Protection Office at the following email address: [email protected] stating your surname, first name and the reason for your request. We will most likely ask you for additional information in order to identify you and to enable us to deal with your request

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office and file a complaint. ( https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ )

HMP & YOI Bronzefield Woodthorpe Road Ashford Middlesex TW15 3JZ

Tel : 01784 425690 Fax : 01784 425691

Get directions

See our Families and Significant Others Strategy

Ways to stay in touch... .

HMP Birmingham

New Leaf has been working in partnership with HMP Birmingham to deliver two services supporting prison leavers, their friends and family.

Peer Led Departure Lounge – to support returning citizens back into the community, across a range of needs, in an effort to ‘break the cycle’ of reoffending.

Departure Lounge Evaluation Report

Peer Led Visitor Centre (Funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust) – to support the friends and family of prisoners in HMP Birmingham with any issues they faced with prison visits.

Visitors Council Report

Funders, Partners and Accreditations

Out of hours and emergency contact

To contact us outside of normal office hours or in an emergency please click the button below which will take you through to WhatsApp Chat.

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Gian M. Volpicelli

After Birmingham, here's how we can redesign our broken prisons

Cockroaches, rats, fleas. Puddles of blood and vomit. Clouds of drug fumes pervading the air. Scared guards barricading themselves in their offices. Some of the scenes described in the Chief Inspector of Prisons’ report on the HMP Birmingham prison read like the script of a dungeon-themed B-movie.

The penitentiary rose to infamy in December 2016, following 12 hours of rioting. This year’s surprise inspection revealed such a poor state of affairs that the government decided to forcibly take over the prison from G4S, the security company that had been managing it since 2011.

The HMP Birmingham debacle cannot be chalked up to a single factor: staff inexperience, widespread drug abuse, and mindless cost-cutting all played a role. But it is also a story of old, bad design festering into disaster.

Built in 1849, HMP Birmingham is a classic Victorian prison: huge (up to 1,450 prisoners), grim, and forbidding. As many as thirty penitentiaries across England and Wales, erected during or before the 19th century, do — despite recent expansions and renovations — still fit that architectural mould.

It is what we could call the Porridge mould: a high-ceilinged central corridor surrounded by rows of cells on both sides, sometimes stacked on multiple floors parted by sturdy netting. Inmates tend to stay in their cells, as communal areas are harder for officers to surveil — besides being stark, visually uninspiring, and austerely furnished. Windows are small, with bleak views, and they let through little light, which is instead provided by blunt halogen lamps.

“Victorian prisons’ functional requirements were heavily influenced by the Panopticon,” says Roland Karthaus, an architect at London-based practice Matter Architecture, who has extensively researched prison design. Proposed in the 18th century by philosopher Jeremy Bentham, the Panopticon was a project for an ideal, wheel-shaped prison that would allow a few guards to watch all the inmates from a central observation point — the wheel’s hub — without revealing their presence.

By Matt Burgess

By David Robson

By Joseph Cox

By Boone Ashworth

“It wasn't just about making observation easy, it was about making the prisoners believe that they were being constantly observed, so that they'd be self-policing. It was environmental psychology.”

If your objective is to punish inmates rather then re-educate them, Victorian prisons work: they are relatively cheap to run, and easy to monitor, provided that you have enough staff.

They work less well if you care about the wellbeing of people spending times within prison walls — be they inmates, guards or visitors. Scarce natural light plus constant artificial lighting mess with one’s mood and sleep pattern; poor ventilation and insufficient insulation from noise are a recipe for stress; constant dullness can break inmates’ spirit, and exacerbate pre-existing mental health problems. “The demand for drugs in prison is particularly high because prisoners are not able to get out of their cells and do meaningful activities,” Karthaus says.

The Porridge model remained Britain’s standard for decades. It was only in the post-War period that it had a lapse in popularity. In the 1960s, a new wave of civic architecture sparked a rethink of what a prison building should be about: the idea that it should promote rehabilitation over retribution led to the disappearance of the hub-spoke layout.

New prisons resembled small villages, comprising several buildings and communal areas, while the interiors featured shorter corridors, lower ceilings and softer floorings for noise insulations. The shift was not without complications : the more hospitable layouts produced halls with blind spots, and the lower ceilings tempted prisoners to yank security cameras off. But the death-knell for that phase was something else: the advent of Private Finance Initiative under New Labour.

“Prison design essentially became a financial exercise,” says Karthaus. “There's no architectural intent: it's become a mass warehouse exercise.” Private companies’ longing for maximum efficiency inevitably brought the Victorian model back. Even if — unlike older redbrick nicks — new prisons were built far from city centres and tended to have better security, the structure was unmistakable. “If you look at them from the air — the house blocks, the wings are organised as Victorian prisons were. They've gone back to that layout,” Karthaus says.

Last year, while working on a report on prison design, Karthaus visited the biggest prison in Britain —and in Europe— the brand-new HMP Berwyn in Wales, which opened in February 2017.

Many of the problems he and his coauthors pointed out in the report were bizarrely familiar: bad ventilation, tiny cells, windows with no external views, constant noise, and a quasi-impossibility for inmates to navigate the structure without a guard escorting them through multiple deadlocked gates. Given Berwyn’s ostensible security level — C, which indicates prisoners are unlikely to try to escape — such measures seem excessive, and according to the report, they exasperate both inmates and guards.

According to Yvonne Jewkes, a criminologist specialised in the architecture of prisons, this overly policed environment is a consequence of a precise policy choice, dubbed “future-proofing”. The idea is that, at some point in the future, Britain would go through a serious crime wave, and the consequent arrest of a multitude of extremely dangerous criminals.

“By building and running medium security prisons as high-security prisons, they would hypothetically be able to put high-security prisoners there without the need for expensive retrofitting,” Jewkes says. “In practical terms, that means that you can't walk more than a few metres without another gate or internal fence that needs to be unlocked for you.”

The same kind of bracing-for-the-worse thinking is behind many modern prisons’ predilection for hyperfunctional, no-frills furniture and fittings. “Almost everything in a prison is designed to be indestructible,” Karthaus says. “And that psychologically just encourages you to destroy.” He recalls how, at Berwyn, all prisoners are given laptops upon arrival; when he visited last year, he was surprised to see that the laptops were just thin, fragile machines, rather than the bomb-proof contraptions he had expected. “One prisoner told me: ‘We look after our laptops, because if we break them we don't get another one’,” Karthaus says. Inmates are not into smashing for smashing's sake.

Kartahue says that, in a way, companies building the new prisons are playing by the rules: as of today, a prison’s main legal requirement is to keep prisoners secure. Rehabilitation is an ancillary objective, and one that has not been well-defined in law yet. In 2016, then Lord Chancellor Michael Gove had tried to put rehabilitation at the centre of his project for prison reform— but he ended up on the backbench following the EU referendum, although some of his talking points were included in a later white paper .

For now at least, we are stuck with this idea of prison — and with these prison designs. They don’t work: for evidence, look no further than Birmingham, or Berwyn itself—whose governor was sacked just a couple of days ago; or have a look at statistics showing that reoffending rates are at 44 per cent within a year of release.

There is no lack of alternatives. Prisons in Scandinavia and the Netherlands have been built on the idea that jails work best when they do not look as such. The Bastoy prison in Norway, a village-like structure where inmates can move freely, sunbathe, tend to cows and ride horses, is the poster boy for the category. But something similar is happening much closer to home.

Scotland’s Low Moss prison — which opened in the outskirts of Glasgow in the 1960s but was completely renovated in 2012 — is designed more like a sports facility, or a school, than as a total institution. It is sleek, bright, and tastefully furnished. Its visitor room features colourful play areas for children. More generally, the Scottish government seems to be doing away with massive penitentiaries, in favour of smaller structures: two 20-people mini-prisons for women are scheduled to open by 2020, while plans for a larger prison in Inverclyde were shelved in 2015.

“Low Moss is not comparable [to Berwyn],” Karthaus says. “I am not convinced that the operations were particularly good — but the design was much better, a really good demonstration of what could be achieved.”

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

Matt Burgess

Dhruv Mehrotra

Andy Greenberg

Matthew Gault

Samanth Subramanian

Andrew Couts

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• Crime, justice and law
• Prisons and probation

Drake Hall Prison and Young Offender Institution

Drake Hall is a prison and young offender institution (YOI) in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, for women aged 18 and over.

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

Book and plan your visit to Drake Hall

To visit someone in Drake Hall you must:

• be on that person’s visitor list
• book your visit at least 24 hours 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 prisoner can have. You can check this with Drake Hall.

Contact Drake Hall 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 Drake Hall
• somewhere to stay overnight

How to book family and friends visits

You can book your visit online , by email to [email protected] or by telephone.

Telephone booking line: 0300 060 6501

Find out about call charges

The booking lines are open:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 12pm to 5pm

Tuesday and Thursday: 9am to 5pm

Visiting Times:

• Tuesday: 1:30pm to 3:45pm
• Saturday: 9.30am to 11.30am and 1:30pm to 3.45pm
• Sunday: 1:30pm to 3.45pm

How to book legal and professional visits

Visits booking line: 0300 060 6501 The booking line is open Monday to Friday, 9.15am to 4pm

Drake Hall offers the option to book a Virtual Meeting Room or a face-to-face visit. Please confirm when booking.

Getting to Drake Hall

Find Drake Hall on a map

The closest railway station is Stafford. There is a taxi rank outside but there is no direct bus service from the station to the prison.

To plan your journey by public transport:

• use National Rail enquiries
• use Traveline for local bus times

Visitor parking is available opposite the prison, signposted from the main road. Blue Badge holders can park inside the prison. Use the intercom at the car park barrier to access the car park.

Entering Drake Hall

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.

There are strict controls on what you can take into Drake Hall. 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

The family-friendly visitors centre at Drake Hall is run by the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) , a national charity. Visitors are offered a warm welcome, hot and cold drinks, information and support especially if is your first-time visiting Drake Hall.

A visitor experience form can be collected from the visitor’s centre, this outlines what to expect whilst you have a visit at Drake Hall.

Family and Significant Other Strategy

At Drake Hall we recognise that long term separation is an issue that will affect our women, their families and significant others most.

We seek to structure our services in a manner which supports those family units and enable them to maintain strong family ties and bonds.

A family and significant others strategy has been put into place, which outlines our objectives as an establishment, this can be viewed on the www.nicco.org.uk .

The functional lead for the new Family and Significant other strategy is the Head of Reducing Re-Offending.

Family days

Family days are facilitated by Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) with a total of 12 family and significant other days being held per year.

They are designed to help prisoners and their families and significant others cope with the pressures that long term separation may have on the relationships between family units.

Women are given the guidance and eligibility for applying for these days, which embed the importance of family and significant others involvement within their journey whilst at Drake Hall and maintain key family ties.

Family Day/Significant other visits run from 10am to 3pm.

PACT provide a range of themed fun family-based activities throughout the day allowing the women and their loved ones to create memories and pieces of art/crafts that can be kept as a memento.

Keep in touch with someone at Drake Hall

There are several ways you can keep in touch with someone during their time at Drake Hall.

Prisoners have phones in their cells so they have the ability to contact you on a 24 hour basis.

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 do not have phones in their cells so they will generally have to call you. They have to buy phone credits to do this. Once purchased, phone credit is added weekly.

They can phone anyone named on their list of friends and family. This list is checked by security on arrival so you will be able to speak to them during their first few days, once this list has been processed.

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 Drake Hall using the Email a Prisoner service .

You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies, depending on the rules at Drake Hall.

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

If you do not know their prison number, contact Drake Hall .

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

Gifts are not permitted under any circumstances at Drake Hall. You can send prisoners money instead which they can use to buy items through a catalogue system.

Life at Drake Hall

Drake Hall is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where women can learn new skills to help them on release.

Arrival and first night

When a prisoner first arrives at Drake Hall, they will get to speak to someone who will check how they’re feeling and ask about any immediate health and wellbeing needs. They will be taken to a single cell in the unit and given bedding, towels and toiletries.

They will be able to contact a family member or significant other by phone. This could be quite late in the evening, depending on the time they arrive.

Each prisoner who arrives at Drake Hall 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 340 prisoners live at Drake Hall in a mixture of single and double cells.

There is also an open unit outside the perimeter fence that gives up to 25 prisoners the opportunity to work in the local community and prepare for release.

They have access to farms and gardens, indoor and outdoor gyms and other facilities in their free time.

Education and work

Each prisoner in Drake Hall creates their own learning plan with a member if the IAG team as part of their induction. There are opportunities for classroom learning as well as vocational training and paid work placements once ROTL is achieved.

Prisoners work in a range of areas including Halfords Academy, DHL Workshop, Gardens, Waste Management Unit and many more and within these areas they can gain qualifications to enhance their employability on release.

Drake Hall has its own branch of the Women’s Institute.

Prisoners at Drake Hall have access to agencies such as Women’s Aid and ANAWIM.

Temporary release

Prisoners have the opportunity to leave the prison for short periods of time. This is known as release on temporary licence. It can be used to gain work experience in the local community, maintain family ties, ensure contact with their children and prepare for release.

Support for family and friends

Find out about advice and helplines for family and friends .

Concerns, problems and complaints

In an emergency.

Call 01785 774217 if you think a prisoner is at immediate risk of harm. Ask for the Orderly Officer and explain that your concern is an emergency.

Problems and complaints

If you have any other problem contact Drake Hall .

Contact Drake Hall

Governor: Carl Hardwick

Telephone (24 hours): 01785 774 100 Fax: 01785 774 010 Find out about call charges

Follow Drake Hall on Twitter/X

HMP/YOI Drake Hall Eccleshall Staffordshire ST21 6LQ

Opening hours updated for visits booking telephone line.

Secure video calls update.

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.

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

Legal Visits update.

New visiting times 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.

Updated visit info

Updated visiting information in line with new local restriction tiers.

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

Updated: HMP Drake Hall visiting times and visiting procedure changes during coronavirus

Updated information to include confirmation of secure video calls being available at this prison.

Updated body text

updated survey link

Prison visits update.

First published.

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Man shot to death outside Birmingham convenience store ID’d as 55-year-old

Authorities have released the name of a man shot to death Friday outside a west Birmingham convenience store.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday identified the victim as Willie Lee Dorsey Jr. He was 55 and lived in Birmingham.

West Precinct officers responded to the 5 Points West Food Mart at 2258 Bessemer Rd. around 3:22 p.m. Friday on a call of a person shot.

Several Shot Spotter alerts, which indicate when gunfire may have erupted at a scene, were also activated, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

Police found Dorsey unresponsive in the parking lot. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene at 3:40 p.m.

Police said the suspect went to the location, shot Dorsey and then fled.

The department’s Real Time Crime Center helped patrol officers locate the suspect. He was taken into custody for questioning.

“Our patrol officers immediately began investigating this call,’’ Fitzgerald said. “They were able to gain a description of the suspect with the help of the BPD Real Time Crime Center, we were able to track not only the suspect’s vehicle but the suspect himself at a nearby location.”

Police have not yet announced any formal charges.

Dorsey was one of two men fatally shot within minutes of each other on Friday in Birmingham.

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

• Contact Halow
• 0121 707 1008

Oakwood Family Pathway Centre

HMP Oakwood Family Pathway Centre

Hmp oakwood family pathway centre is now run in-house and no longer in partnership with halow (birmingham).  you can still contact the centre using the telephone number on this page..

Examples of our work remain on our website for information.

Visits booking line & how to book a visit

At HMP Oakwood prisoners are given the opportunity to book their own visits through the N-Force System also known as the Kiosk. Visits can be booked up to a maximum of 14 days in advance, and at least 24 hours in advance.

The benefits of using the N-Force system:

• No more waiting for a Visiting Order to arrive in the post
• Visitors don’t have to spend time on a phone line trying to book a visit
• Quick and simple to use
• Touch screen technology, to assist those with difficulty
• Information protected by fingerprint and password

Contact Information

Tel: 01902 791 436 01902 799980 (answer machine service)

Prison Numbers Main Prison Operator: 01902 799700 Family Support Help line: 01902 799776 Family Pathway Centre: 01902 791426 Safer Custody: 01902 799991

Other Useful Numbers

Offender’s families helpline: 0808 808 2003 Frank, friendly confidential drug advice: 0800 77 66 00 APVU for claiming travel: 0845 300 1423 Family Live (Parent Line): 0808 800 222 Citizens Advice Bureau: 0870 120 2450 Child Support Agency: 08457 133133 Samaritans : 0845 909090

Local Bus / Train information

Bus The bus servicing the local area is run by Arriva Buses and is the number 70, running from Wolverhampton to Cannock. Pick up points in Wolverhampton are Lichfield Street, Cleveland Street and Stafford Street and run 7 days a week. Exact bus times can be found on the Arrive bus website www.arrivabus.co.uk

The bus stop is situated on New Road, Featherstone. Once off the bus there is approximately a half a mile walk continuing in the direction that the bus was traveling. HMP Oakwood is situated on Oaks Drive which will be on the right hand side. Walk down Oaks Drive and the Family Pathways Centre for HMP Oakwood is the White building.

Train The nearest train station is Wolverhampton train station which is serviced by Arriva Wales, London Midland, Virgin Trains and Cross County train companies. Exact train times can be found a www.nationalrail.co.uk .

The train station is just over 6 miles away and the on going/ return journey can be completed by bus or taxi.

Taxi Local Taxi companies include; Central Taxis- 01902 575757 Rainbow Taxis- 01902 311118 West Side Radio Cars- 01902 772727

From M6 Exit at Junction 11, at the roundabout take the A460 towards the M54 and Featherstone. Drive 1.2 miles and at the cross roads with the traffic lights take the right hand turning on to New Road, HMP Prisons should be sign posted. Drive 1.2 miles and turn left on to Oaks Drive. The car park for HMP Oakwood can be found by following the one way system and taking the right hand turning on to the visitor car parks. The Family Pathways Centre for HMP Oakwood is the White building.

From M54 Exit at Junction 1 towards the Featherstone and Cannock. Drive 1.2 miles and at the cross roads with the traffic lights take the left hand turning on to New Road, HMP Prisons should be sign posted. Drive 1.2 miles and turn left on to Oaks Drive. The car park for HMP Oakwood can be found by following the one way system and taking the right hand turning on to the visitor car parks. The Family Pathways Centre for HMP Oakwood is the White building.

Help with costs of prison visits

You can apply online for help with prison visiting costs at  https://www.gov.uk/help-with-prison-visit  

Centre staff can also provide information.

Our Facilities

Access to community agencies.

Yes, Available in the visitors’ centre

Baby Changing Facilities

yes in both male and female toilets

Yes, The Cafe is open Monday to Sunday between 12.30 - 14.30.

Children's Activities

Yes, Available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons and during School Holidays and Bank Holidays.

Dedicated help & advice line

The visitors centre can be contacted on 01902 791 426 or 01902 799 980 (Answer Machine available), we will be happy to assist you.

Disabled Toilets

Yes: unisex

Family Support

Yes including Father Baby Bonding, Partners days, Children's Days.

Induction loop system

Yes Available

Information & Advice

Available In visitors centre, a £1 deposit is required which is refundable.

New Visitor welcome packs

Yes, Every family is offered a Welcome Pack or introduction. We also have slips with the main information on for you.

One to one meetings

Yes There is always someone to speak to with your concerns, either in person or over the phone.

Parking Facilities

Yes including disabled parking.

Prayer Room

Yes and religious items, such bibles, Quran's, and Kirpans.

Sign Posting

Yes, Information station, staff on hand to assist in the Visitors’ Centre.

Toilets and Baby Changing facilities in the Visitors’ Centre.

Wheelchair Access

Yes and an onsite wheelchair that can be used.

Family Days

Yes we have Family Days, Childrens days to support prisoners and families maintain family ties.

Michigan Panthers vs. Birmingham Stallions: What time, TV channel is UFL playoff game on?

Michigan Panthers (7-3) vs. Birmingham Stallions (9-1)

Kickoff:  3 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.

Streaming:  Check out the Michigan Panthers on  Fubo (free trial) .

All things Lions: Latest Detroit Lions news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

HELLO, AGAIN: Michigan Panthers UFL playoff preview: Panthers seek revenge vs. Birmingham Stallions

Game notes: As they note, it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season, which is good news for the Panthers, losers of both games thus far against the Stallions. Both games were decided by one score, with Birmingham prevailing 20-13 back in Week 2 and then scoring with 59 seconds remaining last week for a 20-19 victory to clinch homefield in this week’s game.

Part of the Stallions’ success has been their ability to neutralize star defensive end Breeland Speaks, who was named UFL Defensive Player of the Year on Friday. Sparks had four tackles, with two for loss, in the Week 2 loss. In Week 10, Speaks had three tackles (two for loss) and a sack. In his other eight games, however, Speaks posted 25 tackles (nine for loss) and 8½ sacks, plus two pass breakups.

On the other side, the Stallions will put the ball in the hands of former Lions QB prospect Adrian Martinez, the frontrunner for UFL MVP. Martinez snatched the starting job away from former NFL draft pick Matt Corral, then completed 58.5% of his passes for 1,749 yards, 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Against the Panthers, Martinez went 22-for-43 (51.2%) for 251 yards and a touchdown while rushing 13 times for 106 yards, an 8.2-yard average.

The winner of today’s game will turn its attention to Sunday’s XFL Conference title game between the San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks, with the UFL title game set for June 16 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Panthers beat the Battlehawks in Week 1, but fell to the Brahmas in Week 4.

Contact Ryan Ford at [email protected] . Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford .