Social visits: 

• Social visit: Social visits are now available for all prisoners. Prisoners are able to book visits through the internal booking system.

Legal visits: 

We offer face-to-face legal visits as well as visits in a virtual format, via our video conferencing facilities.

• Face-to-face - please contact PBLegalVisits@sodexogov.co.uk to book a face-to-face legal visit. These visits take place in our legal booths to provide confidentiality.
• Virtual legal visits - to book a virtual legal visit/videolink please email PeterboroughVCC@sodexogov.co.uk or call 01733 271631

Purple Visits

Prisoners can book Purple Visits sessions via the internal booking system. Please see the 'Visiting times' section for more details.

Official Prison Visitors (OPVs):

OPVs are volunteers who come into the prison to visit residents who would otherwise not have any visitors. They are members of the public with whom residents can talk in confidence, establishing a degree of trust and mutual understanding. To find out more contact pb.chaplaincy@sodexogov.co.uk

Social visits

Visits must be booked by the prisoner via our internal process and they must ensure that anyone they wish to visit them is registered on their 'approved visitors' list.

• Social visits are offered during the week from Monday to Thursday in the afternoon - please note that social visits are not available on a Friday
• Female prisoners can book a two-hour visit session from 14:00 until 16:00 – this is available Monday to Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
• Male prisoners can book a one hour visit from 13:30 to 14:30, or 15:15 to 16:15 Monday to Thursday. Visits sessions are available on Saturday and Sunday at 09:30 to 11:00, 13:30 to 14:30 and 15:15 to 16:15.

Visits will begin and end promptly, so please make sure that you are on time for your session

Legal visits

Face-to-face visits are available Monday to Friday in 45 minute slots, from 09:00 to 11:45, then 14:00 to 16:00. If a longer appointment is required, this can be arranged upon request and according to availability.

If you wish to bring a laptop with you for your visit you must submit the laptop make, model and serial number when making your booking request. Failure to do so may result in you not bring permitted to bring the item into the prison for your visit. Please be advised that we cannot authorise iPads to be brought into the establishment.

Virtual legal visits operate as follows:

• Male prison - Monday to Friday, 08:30 - 17:30 (including over the lunch period)
• Female prison - Monday to Friday, 08:30 - 17:30 (including over the lunch period)

Purple visits

Purple visits are available from Monday to Sunday at the following times:

• 09:00 - 09:30

• 09:45 - 10:15

• 10:30 - 11:00

• 11:15 - 11:45

• 14:00 - 14:30

• 14:45 - 15:15

• 15:30 - 16:00

Prisoners can book a session through the internal booking system - please note that to participate in a Purple Visits session you must first download the app to your mobile device (not laptop) to enable the booking to be confirmed. To download the app please visit https://www.purplevisits.com/

If you experience any difficulties in registering or when using the Purple Visits system, please use their online chat facility to ask for support. You can access this via the link above.

If you find you are having difficulties during a Purple Visit, call the prison switchboard on 01733 217500. We'll put you through to one of our advisers who can share simple tips on getting the best out of your call.

Only those confirmed for the visit can participate - please be advised that any unregistered guests (including pets) appearing on the call will cause the system to freeze until they leave the area.

Participants over the age of 18 must each create their own profile on the Purple Visits app and upload a photo, together with the relevant ID required. Children need to upload a 'selfie' on the day of the scheduled visit and must be registered for the session by the lead visitor (as named by the prisoner). It is the responsibility of the lead visitor to ensure that details of all participants (max 4) are registered for the same visit session. Please bear in mind that it can take up to 48 hours for your ID to be verified by the Purple Visits system, so make sure that you allow plenty of time for everything to be processed successfully. 

Social visits

When you come for your visit you must bring one form of photo ID from list A below. If you are unable to provide any of these items, you must bring one document from list B plus one document from list C.

Visitors under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult who must provide the required forms of identification. The accompanying adult has responsibility for the child and for giving assurances of the child's identity.

List A - bring one item from this list

• Passport
• Identity card from an EU or EEA (European Economic Area) country
• UK photocard driving licence
• EU or EEA driving licence
• NI electoral identity card
• US passport card
• Proof of age card recognised under PASS with a unique reference number - this includes the CitizenCard
• Armed forces identity card
• UK biometric residence permit

List B - if you do not have any ID from list A, you must bring one from list B plus one from list C

• Home Office travel document (convention travel document, stateless person's document, one-way travel document or certificate of travel)
• Older person's bus pass
• Freedom Pass
• Proof of age card recognised under PASS without a unique reference number

List C

• Birth or adoption certificate
• Education certificate from a regulated and recognised educational institution (eg NVQ, SQA, GCSE, A level or degree certificate)
• Rental or purchase agreement for a residential property (signed and dated)
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Bank, building society or credit union current account card that shows your identity

We reserve the right to refuse entry if there are concerns over the legitimacy of the documentation provided.

 

Official visitors

The following documents are examples of forms of acceptable identification for professional visitors:

1. Members of either House of Parliament: Houses of Parliament ID card or HMG ID cards
2. Legal advisers: Identification from the above List A, or from Lists B and C. This must be in conjunction with either:
   • a headed document from their legal practice stating that they are representing the resident they are requesting to visit, or
   • should they not yet be representing the resident, a headed document from their legal practice explaining the purpose of the visit
3. Police, UK Border Agency and HM Revenue & Customs officers: warrant card
4. Probation and Youth Offending Team officers: probation/YOT department ID card
5. Staff from other prisons, HQ, the Children's & Young People's Secure Estate, the inspectorates (including Lay Observers) or Home Offipe: photo security pass issued by (or on behalf of) Ministry of Justice, HMPPS or Home Office
6. Consular officials: consular ID card
7. Other public officials: departmental or local authority pass or ID card (but must show the name of the visitor and the name of the department or local authority)
8. Social workers: social worker identification cards
9. Researchers: Security photo pass or official letter (visits must be pre-arranged)
10. Healthcare staff: NHS photographic identification badge/card or independent sector healthcare photographic identification badge/card

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.

We also operate a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol - we reserve the right to refuse entry to any visitor suspected of being intoxicated in any way.

Please note, any visitors aged 17 years or under must be accompanied by an individual of at least 18 years of age. Any visitors under the age of 17 must have appropriate identification.

Security: As you would expect, security is a major consideration for us so all visitors are required to comply with our rules of conduct and behaviour. Please make sure that you read the list of prohibited items carefully to avoid any confusion or delays.

 

Before your visit:

1. We can only allow a maximum of three adults per visit.

2. You will need to have ID with you – it needs to be photographic ID with your address, including the postcode. Please refer to the section on 'Acceptable forms of identification' to ensure you bring the correct documents with you. PLEASE NOTE: Our staff are authorised to refuse entry if they are not satisfied that the documentation provided proves the identity of the visitor or have concerns over its legitimacy.

3. You will not be allowed to bring any property with you for a prisoner. You will need to post it in for them, then they can collect if from reception.

4. Please ensure that you are appropriately dressed and be aware of our zero tolerance to drugs, alcohol and violence. Our staff are permitted to refuse your visit if they deem your clothing inappropriate, if you appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or your behaviour/language is unacceptable.

5. Photographs and finger printing - when you book in for your visit your name, identification and booking details will be checked. If it is your first visit you will have your photo taken and fingerprint scanned. These will be checked each time you visit.

6. Prohibited items - When you have booked in, you will need to use a locker to deposit any prohibited items, such as keys, mobile phones, cigarettes, tobacco, lighters, vapes and capsules etc. Peterborough is a smoke free prison, so anything related to smoking is now considered a prohibited item. Please note, all 'smart wear' capable of storing data or receiving/transmitting data is also prohibited. This includes items such as fitness trackers (eg Fitbit, Garmin etc) and all 'smart' watches.
   Please read the list of prohibited items carefully. Click here for an easy read version.

7. Watches and jewellery - please be advised that watches are prohibited in the visits hall so must be left in a locker. Jewellery must be kept to a minimum.

8. Please make sure that you do not arrive too early before your scheduled visit time - 45 minutes is ideal.

9. Security and searching – you will be required to pass through airport-style security, including walking through a metal detector. Please be reassured that the metal detectors in use do not adversely affect medical devices such as pace makers. You will be asked to demonstrate that you are not carrying any items on your person; this may involve being searched by a member of staff. If you refuse to comply with these requirements you will be refused entry to the prison.

10. There may be dogs working at the prison – please do not try to pet them as they are working animals.

You will need to wait outside of the prison for the prisoner to be released.

We are unable to receive any property delivered in person to the prison. All items must be sent in via the post, then the prisoner can obtain them from reception.

Parcels must fit within the dimensions shown below. Any parcels that exceed these dimensions cannot be accepted.

• Height - 285mm (28.5cm)
• Width - 400mm (40cm)
• Length - 600mm (60cm)

We accept books for prisoners sent directly from friends or family, or via our approved retailers. These are Waterstones, WH Smith and prisons.org.uk - we do not accept books purchased via Amazon. All books are subject to security protocols and must be sent separately, they cannot be accepted as part of a property parcel. Books must be marked clearly with the name of the prisoner and their prisoner number.

We can only accept flowers via our approved supplier - Fleur by Lizz. You can contact them to place an order by calling 01733 311159 or on their website at http://www.fleurbylizz.co.uk. We cannot accept deliveries from any other provider.

Please note, we DO NOT accept Amazon parcels or food parcels (eg fresh produce) addressed to prisoners.

Please check the list of prohibited items to make sure you are not trying to bring or send in banned items.

Click here to see what you can and cannot send in for prisoners.

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: dataprotection.ukandie@sodexo.com or email the Global Data Protection Office at the following email address: dpo.group@sodexo.com 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/)

 

Click here to read our Privacy Notice