Brinsford Prison
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-03)

Brinsford is a prison and young offender institution (YOI) in Featherstone, near Wolverhampton, for men aged 18 to 21.

Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey (https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/brinsford/).

Book and plan your visit to Brinsford

To visit someone in Brinsford you must:
- be on that person’s visitor list
- book your visit at least 2 days in advance
- have the required ID (#entering-brinsford) with you when you go
You can book 28 days in advance to visit most prisoners, or 14 days in advance for prisoners on remand. You must give at least 2 days notice if you want to book or change a visit.

Prisoners can have up to 3 visitors aged 10 or older at a time, and 3 children under 10 for any visit.

Children aged 17 or under must be accompanied by an adult who is on the prisoner’s approved visitor list.

There may be a limit to the number of visits a person can have. You can check this with Brinsford.

Contact Brinsford (#contacts) 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 (https://www.gov.uk/help-with-prison-visits), including:
- travel to Brinsford
- somewhere to stay overnight
- meals
How to book family and friends visits

You can:
- book your visit online (https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits)
- telephone the booking line: xx-xxxx-xxxx
The booking lines is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm

Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)

Visiting times:
- Monday, 2pm to 4pm
- Tuesday, 2pm to 4pm
- Thursday, 2pm to 4pm
- Saturday, 2pm to 4pm
- Sunday, 2pm to 4pm
Booking slots are allocated to specific wings each day. This will be explained upon booking.

How to book official visits

To arrange an official visit you can:
- email, for official video, xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)
- telephone for official face to face, xx-xxxx-xxxx
Booking line opens, Monday to Friday, 9:15am to midday and 1pm to 4pm Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)

Official video visit times:
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 11:30am and 1:45pm to 4:30pm
Booking must be through a CJSM or professional email account. Proof of ID will need to be shown to prison staff on the call before your visit starts.

Official face to face visits:
- Monday to Thursday, 9am to 11:30pm and 1:45pm to 4:30pm
Professional ID will be required when visiting. The latest arrival time is one hour before the end of the official visit session.

Appropriate dress and prohibited items policies are in place, you can check details upon booking. Free personal lockers are available to use.

Getting to Brinsford

Find Brinsford on a map (https://consent.google.com/m?continue=https://xxx@xxx.xx,-2.1124891,17z/data%3D!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x126431a66b0b114!8m2!3d52.6505566!4d-2.1103004?shorturl%3D1&gl=IE&m=0&pc=m&uxe=eomtm&cm=2&hl=en&src=1)

Brinsford is about 6 miles from the closest railway station, Wolverhampton. Local buses run from the station to Featherstone but you will need to walk the last mile to Brinsford. Any visitors arriving by bus should let the visitors centre know on the day in case of potential delays. Alternatively, you can take a taxi.

To plan your journey by public transport:
- use National Rail Enquiries (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/)
- use Traveline for local bus times (https://www.traveline.info/)
If you are travelling by car, use the postcode WV10 7PY in your sat nav.

There is a visitors car park next to the visitors centre, which includes disabled parking spaces.

Entering Brinsford

All visitors, aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. Read the list of acceptable forms of ID for all visitors. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/management-of-security-at-visits-policy-framework-open-estate/acceptable-forms-of-identification-id-when-visiting-a-prison-in-england-and-wales-annex-a)

All visitors will be given a pat-down search, including children. You may also be sniffed by security dogs.

There are strict controls on what you can take into Brinsford. 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 staff in the visitors centre at the start of your visit. If you break the rules, or your behaviour is unacceptable your visit could be cancelled and you could be banned from visiting again.

Dress code

Visitors should dress appropriately. Please note the below applies to visitors from secondary school aged, regardless of gender.
- no tops or dresses showing cleavage
- no tops showing midriff when both sitting and standing
- skirts, dresses, and shorts must be knee length
- no play suits
- no ripped jeans, ripped shorts, ripped leggings, or ripped trousers
- no outside jackets, body warmers or hooded clothing. All coats, jackets and hooded clothing must be placed in a locker outside the visits room after being searched
- visitors wearing more than one pair of trousers of any kind will be refused entry
- no sunglasses to be worn
- no hats of any description, except for religious headwear
Visiting facilities
- There is a visitors’ centre run by PACT. There will be light refreshments available to purchase during your visit.
The centre is open from 12:30pm on all visiting days.

Family days

We run 6 family days throughout the year. You can read more in Brinsford’s family strategy (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/brinsford-prison-families-and-significant-others-strategy).

Keep in touch with someone at Brinsford

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

Secure video calls

To have a secure video call with someone in this prison you need to:
- Download the Prison Video app (https://prisonvideo.com/app)
- Create an account
- Register all visitors
- Add the prisoner to your contact list.
How to book a secure video call

Secure video calls at this prison can be requested by prisoners only.

You will receive a notification if a prisoner has requested a video call with you.

Read more about how it works (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visit-a-prisoner-using-a-video-call)

Phone calls

Prisoners have phones in their cells but these cannot receive incoming calls so they will always have to call you. They have to buy phone credits to do this.

They can phone anyone named on their list of friends and family. This list is checked by security when they first arrive so it may take a few days before they are able to call.

You can also exchange voicemails using the Prison Voicemail service (https://prisonvoicemail.com/).

Officers may listen to phone calls as a way of preventing crime and helping keep people safe.

Email

You can send emails to someone in Brinsford using the Email a Prisoner service (https://www.emailaprisoner.com/).

You can also attach photos and receive replies.

Letters

You can write at any time.

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

If you do not know their prisoner number, contact Brinsford (#contacts).

All post, apart from legal letters, will be opened and checked by officers.

National Prison Radio’s Family and Friends request show

National Prison Radio broadcasts into prison cells across England and Wales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Family and friends can stay connected with their loved ones in prison by sending song requests, written messages and voice recordings. They are then read and played out on weekly episodes.

You can send in a message, and hear the show, at nationalprisonradio.com (https://prison.radio/national-prison-radio/#songrequest)

Send money and gifts

You can use the free and fast online service to send money to someone in prison (https://www.gov.uk/send-prisoner-money).

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 (https://send-money-to-prisoner.service.gov.uk/help/apply-for-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

People in Brinsford are given a list of approved items that they can order through a catalogue system. You can send them money for this.

Prisoners can also apply to have their own clothes sent to them. If you receive an approved clothing application, you can send in clothes. You should include a copy of the approved application in the parcel. Make sure to also include the person’s name and prisoner number on the parcel.

All parcels will be opened and checked by officers.

Friends and families of prisoners are permitted to send books directly to their loved ones, or can order books from approved retailers, which can source and send the books on to prisoners.

For the full list of approved retailers, you can read Prison education and library services, Annex A (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-education-and-library-services-for-adult-prisons-in-england/annex-a-sending-and-handing-in-of-books-to-prisoners).

Contact Brinsford (#contacts) for more information on what’s allowed.

Life at Brinsford

Brinsford is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where prisoners can learn new skills to help them on release.

Each person is supported based on their specific educational and personal needs.

Security and safeguarding

Every person at Brinsford has a right to feel safe. The staff are responsible for their safeguarding and welfare at all times.

For further information about what to do when you are worried or concerned about someone in prison visit the Prisoners’ Families helpline website (https://www.prisonersfamilies.org/pages/category/need-urgent-help?Take=24).

Arrival and first night

When someone first arrives at Brinsford, they will be able to contact a family member by phone. This could be quite late in the evening, depending on the time they arrive.

New prisoners will spend their first night in a dedicated first night centre where staff are specifically trained to support people through the transition to prison life. They will get to speak to someone who will check how they’re feeling and ask about any immediate health and wellbeing needs.

Induction

Each person who arrives at Brinsford gets an induction on a specialised unit that lasts 3 days. 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 and offending behaviour programmes
- information about day-to-day life at Brinsford and how to make the best of their time there
Everyone also finds out about the rules, fire safety, and how things like calls and visits work.

Accommodation

Brinsford has a capacity of 577 spread across 6 units.

These include an early days in custody unit, incentivised substance free living (ISFL) and 4 main residential units. (Cells on ISFL have in-cell showers.)

Prisoners have access to a gym, sports hall and outdoor pitches and can take part in a varied programme of work and education activities.

Brinsford also has a diverse, multi-faith chaplaincy team providing support to prisoners.

Prisoners and staff work together to make sure that everyone at Brinsford takes care of each other and their environment. Levels of cleanliness and hygiene are important.

Brinsford has a prisoner council. Representatives attend regular meetings and share information with other prisoners. They can also raise issues on their behalf.

Education and work

Prisoners have access to education and training provided by NOVUS (https://www.novus.ac.uk). A range of academic and vocational courses are provided based on the needs of our prisoners.

Brinsford offers a wide range of activities and work roles based on personal development and employability skills. Activities include:
- domestic duties
- cleaning duties
- kitchen
- gym
- chapel
- library
- gardens
- painting parties
- careers advice
- painting and decorating
- cookery
- industrial cleaning
- music
- construction services
- physical education
- industrial packing
- catering
As a key partner with the local chamber of commerce, Brinsford is continually assessing local projects to expand employment opportunities.

Brinsford also runs a number of accredited offending behaviour programmes (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/offending-behaviour-programmes-and-interventions).

Temporary release

Prisoners at Brinsford may be eligible for release on temporary licence (ROTL). This is assessed on individual factors and circumstances. ROTL can be used to prepare prisoners for employment and release. Success on ROTL can lead to other benefits, such as weekend home visits.

Brinsford also operates the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) early release scheme. Prisoners who are eligible for HDC will be told when they can apply for this. Approval for HDC will be based on things like behaviour, meeting sentence plan targets and having a suitable home to go to. If prisoners do not have access to a suitable home, they can still apply for early release using accommodation provided by our partners BASS.

Support for family and friends

Find out about advice and helplines for family and friends (https://www.gov.uk/support-for-families-friends-of-prisoners).

You can read the Brinsford family strategy (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/brinsford-prison-families-and-significant-others-strategy) to see how we help prisoners build positive relationships with loved ones.

Support at Brinsford

The visitors centre at Brinsford is run by PACT (https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/hmp-yoi-brinsford). Trained, experienced staff are available during visit sessions to help families. They will also give people information about the range of support services available in the local community.

The team includes a dedicated family engagement worker and a child support worker who have specific roles. These roles include child activity and community support, as well as help for prisoners in repairing difficult or damaged family relationships.

Call or ask in the visitors centre for more information.

Telephone: xx-xxxx-xxxx Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)

Concerns, problems and complaints

In an emergency

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

Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)

Problems and complaints

If you have any other problem contact Brinsford (#contacts).

Inspection reports

HM Prison and Probation Service publishes action plans for Brinsford (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/brinsford-prison-action-plan) in response to independent inspections.

Contact Brinsford

Governor: Darren Hudson

Telephone (24 hours): xx-xxxx-xxxx

Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)

Address

HMP/YOI BrinsfordNew RoadFeatherstoneWolverhamptonWV10 7PY

See map (https://consent.google.com/m?continue=https://xxx@xxx.xx,-2.1124891,17z/data%3D!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x126431a66b0b114!8m2!3d52.6505566!4d-2.1103004?shorturl%3D1&gl=IE&m=0&pc=m&uxe=eomtm&cm=2&hl=en&src=1)