Facilities in prisons vary, but in general, visitors are expected to go to the prison reception centre upon arrival. If this facility is available, it is usually a small building located outside the prison compound. Upon arrival at the reception centre (or at the prison reception, where this facility is not available), visitors must have their order of visit verified by the staff. Visitors who do not have a visiting mission or who forget their order of visit are not allowed to enter the prison, regardless of the circumstances or the distance travelled. Only one visit order is issued per visit, so if the people listed on the visit order live at a different address, the main visitor receives the visit order. The prison or reception centre can tell you if there was a problem when issuing a visiting order. If you visit Belmarsh Via Train, the nearest train station is Woolwich Arsenal and Plumstead. You can actually walk from Plumstead to Belmarsh, which is about a 15-minute walk away. If you are leaving from Woolwich Arsenal, you will need to catch a bus. People must be over the age of 18 to visit a prisoner. If a child is visiting, they must be accompanied by an adult.
Governors have the discretion to allow persons between the ages of 16 and 18 to visit each other without being accompanied by an adult with the consent of their parents. All mail, with the exception of legal letters, is opened and checked by officials. In most prisons, reservations can be made by phone, and more and more now allow reservations by email. Please note that there can sometimes be long waiting times when booking tours by phone. In England and Wales, an order of visit or “VO” is a form that is completed by the prisoner and sent to the person or persons he wishes to visit in prison. A visiting order contains the name and address of the visiting person(s) as completed by the detainee, as well as a unique reference number to be used when booking the visit. A visitor must not attempt to add, modify or delete information about the visit request. Find out about someone visiting the prison during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can also follow @HMPPS on Twitter and read an update page in progress.
There is a visitor centre run by Spurgeons, a national charity that is open before your visit. Make sure you arrive at least 45 minutes before your visit time so that you can be authorized by security. These are lockers (£1 deposit) where you can leave your belongings and you can take £15 to the tour room to buy refreshments. For more information, visit www.spurgeons.org/hmp-belmarsh, call 020 8317 3888 or email [email protected]. Belmarsh Prison in London, United Kingdom Website: www.gov.uk/guidance/belmarsh-prison From the reception centre, visitors head to the main prison. Before arrival in the visiting room, all visitors are searched, including babies, children and visitors with disabilities. The search includes a palpation/friction search. Visitors are only searched by a police officer, but men can be searched by both sexes. Male visitors who resist being searched by an officer for religious or cultural reasons may request to be searched by a male officer.
The search process also includes metal detectors (similar to those seen at the airport) and sometimes the use of a passive drug detection dog. Dogs used in drug detection in prisons are trained to detect the smell of drugs on a person. They are always kept on a leash and do not bark at visitors. If the dog detects the smell of illegal substances, he is trained to sit quietly next to the visitor. Visitors who are “seated” near the dog may be subject to further research. If no drugs are found, the visitor may be offered a visit behind closed doors. If drugs are found, the police are called and the visitor is arrested. Anyone caught trying to smuggle drugs into a prison risks a prison ban and perhaps a long prison sentence itself. Updated visit information based on new local restriction levels. To book legal visits via Videolink, send an email videolinkbelmarsh@justice.gov.uk HMP Belmarsh accepts detainees from all over the country.
He holds some of the most dangerous to national security, for example Charles Bronson, who is described as Britain`s most dangerous and violent prisoner. Bronson was arrested several times and detained in four psychiatric hospitals.
