Worried about a loved one in prison? HMP Drake Hall If you think the prisoner is at immediate risk please call the switchboard on 01785 774217 and ask for the Orderly Officer and explain that your concern is an emergency. If your concern is urgent but not life-threatening, please call the Safer Custody Helpline - 01785 774250 or contact the prison safer custody team using the web form (the team will pick up all contact forms within 72 hours): Submit A Safer Custody Contact Form What are you worried about? Click on an option below: Using a mobile? Tilt your screen to landscape to enlarge the buttons. Don't think your option is here? Contact the Prisoner's Families Helpline. Select a different prison Healthcare I am worried about a prisoners’ mental/physical healthcare needs. Prisons have a duty of care to make sure the mental and physical health needs of every prisoner are being met. If you have any concerns, or feel that a prisoner’s healthcare needs are not being appropriately supported, let the prison know by contacting their Safer Custody Helpline Please note: there are restrictions on sharing healthcare information to protect the prisoner's personal data. If you would like to know more about healthcare services in prisons please click here I need to share healthcare information about a prisoner that I think is at immediate risk of harm. Contact the Prison by using the switchboard number. You should only use this number if you think the prisoner is at immediate risk. If your concern is urgent, but not life threatening, please contact the prison’s Safer Custody Helpline. Please note: there are restrictions on sharing healthcare information to protect the prisoner's personal data. click here to return to the menu Bullying and Violence I am worried that a prisoner is being bullied by a member(s) of staff Call the Staff Integrity Hotline on 0800 917 6877 This HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit manage this hotline 24 hours a day. This is managed separately from the prison, and you can ring this number anonymously. The CCU will ask who you think is bullied, and who by so that they can follow up your concern Alternatively, you can contact the prison directly to raise your concerns. The Prisoners’ Families Helpline can provide confidential support, advice and guidance on 0808 808 2003 I am worried that a prisoner is being bullied by another prisoner Contact the Safer Custody Helpline If you believe the prisoner is at immediate risk of serious harm, please call the prison and ask for the Orderly Officer. The prison want you to share information so that they can support the prisoner. You won’t be wasting staff time by following this advice and the staff will work hard to reassure you and make sure the prisoner is supported and given the resources they need to keep themselves safe. I am worried that a prisoner I know is being, or may become violent towards another prisoner or member of staff Call the Safer Custody Helpline If you believe the person is at immediate risk of serious harm, please call the prison and ask for the Orderly Officer. The prison want you to share information so that they can support the prisoner. You won’t be wasting staff time by following this advice and the staff will work hard to reassure you and make sure the prisoner is supported and given the resources they need to keep themselves safe. click here to return to the menu Emotional support I am worried about a prisoner’s emotional well-being Prisons provide lots of different types of support to help prisoners who are struggling with their emotional well-being. Family and friends sharing information with the prison can help prisons to provide them with the care and support they need. If you are worried that a prisoner is struggling with their emotional well-being or you have to share bad news that might affect a prisoners’ emotional well-being, it is important to let the prison know so that they can make sure the prisoner gets the support they need. If you are worried about a prisoners’ emotional well-being, please inform the prison's Safer Custody team: Submit A Safer Custody Contact Form If you are worried that a prisoner is at immediate risk of serious harm, please call the prison and ask for the Orderly Officer. Other things you can do: There is support available both in prison for your loved one, and also for you. If you feel able to, encourage your loved one to speak to one of the following: Listeners: These are prisoners who have been trained by the Samaritans team to offer support to prisoners who are struggling emotionally Chaplaincy: Chaplaincy departments offer spiritual and emotional support to families, and have lots of experience supporting prisoners and their families through times of bereavement and separation Prisoners can also telephone the Samaritans for free if they would like to talk to someone for support. If you would like to access emotional support for yourself, you can contact the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003 click here to return to the menu Prisoner contact A prisoner is contacting me and I want them to stop. Call the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service on 0300 060 6699 or email [email protected] This line is open from 9am until 4pm Monday - Friday with an answer machine in use outside of these hours. The service will forward your concern to the appropriate team at the prison to put a stop to any unwanted contact. A prisoner has stopped contacting me and I am worried. It can be very worrying if a prisoner stops contacting you and you don’t know why. If this is out of character and you think this might be a sign that a prisoner is not coping, please call the Safer Custody Helpline Let the prison know who you are worried about, and request a well-being check. It is important to be aware that there may be other reasons that contact may have stopped however, you should contact the Safer Custody helpline if you are worried about a prisoner’s well-being. You can find out more about prisoner contact by clicking here click here to return to the menu Transfer and release I am worried about a prisoner’s transfer If you are worried that a prisoner is being put at risk by being moved to another prison then please contact the prison's Safer Custody team. Submit A Safer Custody Contact Form Explain why you are worried and why you think the prisoner may be at risk. The prison will follow up your concern and ensure the prisoner is supported. You can find general information about transferring by clicking here I am worried about a prisoner who is due to be released. Call the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service on 0300 060 6699 or email [email protected] This line is open from 9am until 4pm Monday - Friday with an answer machine in use outside of these hours. The service will forward your concern to the appropriate team at the prison to put a stop to any unwanted contact. click here to return to the menu Finances I am worried that a prisoner is in debt to another prisoner. If you are worried that a prisoner is in a debt to another prisoner, it is important that you tell the prison so that they can work to support the prisoner and protect them from harm. Any information that you share will be handled with caution and care towards the privacy of your situation. Contact the prison’s Safer Custody team and tell the prison who you are worried about, and information about your concern: Submit A Safer Custody Contact Form If you believe a prisoner is at immediate risk of serious harm, you should use the switchboard number. Do NOT attempt to pay back the debt, even if you are only being asked for a small contribution. This could make the situation worse, and you could get into trouble yourself, both with the police and with a criminal gang if they are involved. Do NOT transfer money to a prison money account or an outside bank account of someone you don’t know. Even if your family member asks you to - tell the prison if this happens. ONLY accept calls if your loved one is using a prison PIN phone. You can find more information on debt by clicking here If you would like further advice, support and guidance on your situation you can also call the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003. I am receiving threats because of a prisoners’ debt to another prisoner. You should never be subjected to threats or violence because of a prisoner’s debt they owe to another prisoner. If this is happening to you, please inform the police on 101. If your situation is an emergency you must call 999. Do NOT attempt to pay back a prisoner’s debt, even if you are only being asked for a small contribution.This could make the situation worse, and you could get into trouble yourself, both with the police and with a criminal gang if they are involved. Do NOT transfer money to a prison money account or an outside bank account of someone you don’t know. Even if your family member asks you to - tell us if this happens. ONLY accept calls from your loved one if they are calling using a prison PIN phone. If you would like further advice, support and guidance on your situation you can also call the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003. click here to return to the menu Visiting I am being pressured to visit someone in prison. Call the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service on 0300 060 6699 or email [email protected] This line is open from 9am until 4pm Monday - Friday with an answer machine in use outside of these hours. The service will forward your concern to the appropriate team at the prison to put a stop to any unwanted contact. I am being pressured to bring something in on a visit. Contact the prison's Safer custody team: Submit A Safer Custody Contact Form You should never feel pressured to bring something into a visit with you. It is important to let the prison know so that they can support you. You should never bring anything into a visit that isn’t allowed (prisons call this contraband). If you are unsure about what is allowed, contact the prison's visits team by calling 0808 808 3444. Or you can email [email protected] If you try to bring contraband into a visit the police may be informed and you could be arrested. If you would like any further advice or guidance on your situation, you can ring the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003 I am worried about visiting. Many people feel nervous about visiting someone in prison and have lots of questions. Prisons understand this and want to make sure that family and friends receive the support and information they need. At HMP/YOI Drake Hall the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) Charity offer support to prisoners and families. They also have a Prison Visitor’s guide which can be downloaded for free here There are also lots of resources for adults and children available on the NICCO Website You can find more information about prison visits here click here to return to the menu Property and clothing I am worried that a prisoner does not have their property (Clothes, medicine, books etc). Prisons have a duty of care to make sure the needs of every prisoner are being met. All prisoners are provided with the following for free: Prison issue clothing Toiletries [toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap/shower gel etc] 3 meals a day Library access 2 letters per week Prescription medicine Opportunity to earn a living wage Prisoners have the option to purchase extra items through an approved supplier, they can do this by having money sent to them, or they can earn this by working in the prison. You can find more information about prisoner property and how they can purchase more items here If you are still concerned about a prisoners’ property please send a letter explaining your concerns to: FAO The Governor, HMP/YOI Drake Hall Eccleshall, Staffs, ST21 6LQ The prison has 28 days to respond to your letter. If you are unhappy with the outcome, or if you do not receive a response within 28 working days, please ring the prisoners’ families helpline for further advice on 0808 808 2003 Or you can read about how to escalate your complaint by clicking here I brought/mailed property for a prisoner that was rejected and I want to know why. If you have attempted to bring property in for a prisoner and it has been refused, there could be different reasons as to why it was rejected. This will usually be stated on the prisoner’s application. The prisoner can make a complaint by filling out a ‘formal complaint form’ inside the prison. They will receive a response within 5 days. If you are both dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaint then you can make a complaint on the prisoner’s behalf. To do this, please address your letter to: FAO The Governor, HMP/YOI Drake Hall Eccleshall, Staffs, ST21 6LQ The prison has 28 days to respond to your letter. If you are unhappy with the outcome, or if you do not receive a response within 28 working days, please call the Prisoners’ Families Helpline for further advice on 0808 808 2003 Or you can read about how to escalate your complaint further by clicking here click here to return to the menu Urgent Numbers I am worried that a prisoner is at immediate risk. Call the switchboard on 01785 774217 and ask for the Orderly Officer. Explain your concern is an emergency. You should only use this number if you think the prisoner is at immediate risk. If your concern is urgent, but not life threatening, please call the Safer Custody Helpline. The Orderly Officer will ask who you are worried about and take immediate action. Prison staff want you to share information so that they can support the prisoner. You won’t be wasting staff time by using this number and the staff will work hard to reassure you and make sure the prisoner is supported and given the resources they need to keep themselves safe. I have already done this, and I have waited for 24 hours. I am still worried. I am worried about a prisoner and I want to tell the prison about my concerns. Call the Safer Custody Helpline on 01785 774217 and explain your concern. This is the control room which is staffed 24 hours a day and your concern will be noted and passed to the relevant department. OR If you would prefer to do this in writing, you can email the safer custody team using this form: Submit A Safer Custody Contact Form Prison staff want you to share information so that they can support the prisoner. You won’t be wasting staff time by using this number and the staff will work hard to reassure you and make sure the prisoner is supported and given the resources they need to keep themselves safe. If your concern is about someone who may be at immediate risk of serious harm you should refer to the answer above. I have already done this, and I have waited for 72 hours. I am still worried. click here to return to the menu The Prisoners Families Helpline If you have ongoing concerns, general worries and/or questions: If you have a general worry about a prisoner and have questions about their care in custody, what they might be entitled to or you are worried your concerns are not being responded to: Call us for free, on 0808 808 2003. Our trained advisors can offer you information, advice and support. The line is open 9am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm at the weekend. click here to return to the menu Select a different prison Manage Cookie Preferences