This page will endeavour to answer some of your FAQs including advice on key areas.

Contacting Home

How do Prisoners contact their families?
On day one of their induction they will be given a contact form to fill in. They are permitted to submit 10 social numbers and five legal numbers. These will be checked for safeguarding and then passed onto our finance department to upload. Pin numbers can take up to 48 hours to be loaded onto the system if restrictions are in place. Prisoners are then permitted to add one number every 3 days until they reach the maximum of 20 social numbers and 10 legal numbers. This can be submitted via the wing kiosk app. This duration is simply to allow our finance department enough time to manage the requests.

Can prisoners write to families?
Prisoners can send mail to their families/legal representatives by posting it into the red mailbox on the wing. Prisoners are advised to leave the letter unsealed and all letters will be checked by the night staff for safeguarding. Any prisoner on restrictions will have their mail sent to our Public Protection Unit for further checks.

When can a Prisoner request a visit?
A Prisoner can apply for a face to face visit via the app on the wing kiosk. Alternatively, they can request a Purple visit (virtual) through the app on the wing kiosk.

What does a family member need for a visit?
When family and loved ones visit the prison they must bring an appropriate form of photo ID.

Visitors under the age of 18 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.

The list of acceptable ID can be found on the website here.

Visitors must also adhere to the prison dress code which again can be found on the website.

What if a family member has a question?
There is a FAQ document on our website www.hmpforestbank.co.uk with a range of subjects however if an answer cannot be found they must email FB.PDU@sodexogov.co.uk or write to the team at

FAO: PDU
HMP Forest Bank
Agecroft Road
Salford
M27 8FB

Responses can take up to 20 days.
If it’s a concern for safety, they can ring Safer Custody on 0161 925 7000 ext 2183

 

Property

How does a Prisoner receive money?
Families can send money to a resident via www.gov.uk/send-prisoner-money Please note the sender must be on the prisoners contact list (visits or pin phone) to send money in otherwise it will be returned. This is for safeguarding and corruption reasons.

Prisoners will  have a cap of £900 on their account any payments sent in that takes the account over that amount will be rejected.

In severe cases where a family can’t go online, they can apply for an ‘exemption’ form which must be approved via the prison director and they can send it in directly to the prison.

Can a prisoner earn money in prison?
Yes, we encourage all prisoners to engage in employment and as such they will be paid for their time. Wages are paid weekly and are reflected against the particular job role. Prisoners are also paid if they engage in education on a regular basis.

Prisoners will be given the option to apply for both opportunities via the wing kiosk once they arrive on the wing after their induction.

They are not permitted to work whilst they are on the early days in custody wing.

How does a prisoner receive property?
Please refer to the prisoner property section of the website here 

How does a prisoner buy clothes?
Prisoners are issued a catalogue from Sports Direct from which they can order items. Only items from the catalogue are permitted within the prison.

Can a Prisoner receive books?
The prison accepts books for residents 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.

How does a Prisoner order his canteen?
The prison shop provides a canteen service where prisoners can order things such as Vapes, Newspapers, Snacks, Toiletries, and other desirable goods. 

Safety & Decency

What if a family member or cellmate is seriously concerned about an individual?
If family members are concerned that an individual is at risk of harming himself or others, they can ring Safer Custody on 0161 925 7000 extension 2183. This line is manned from 07.30-4.00pm and a member of the team will be able to assist straight away. If they need help out of this time, please call 0161 925 7000 and ask for comms stating is an urgent resident safety concern. They will need the residents name and prison ID to hand.

All cells have emergency buzzers so cellmates can report serious incidents of harm that way pressing the emergency call will request a member of staff immediately. For general concerns speak to the wing manager or the wing insider who could do a welfare check.

What if a family member wants to make a complaint?

If a family member isn’t happy with the service, they have received they need to put it in writing and send it to

Complaints PDU
HMP Forest Bank
Agecroft Road
Salford
M27 8FB

This will be given to the relevant head of function to complete. If their response isn’t satisfactory it will be passed to the Deputy Director to complete.