Buckley Hall Prison
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-08)

Buckley Hall is a men’s prison in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

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Visiting Buckley Hall

ma To visit someone in Buckley Hall you must:
- be on that person’s visitor list
- book your visit up to 4 weeks in advance
- have the required ID (#entering-buckley-hall) with you when you go
Prisoners can have up to 5 visitors at a time, including a maximum of 3 adults (over 18). At least one of the visitors must be an adult.

There is a limit to the number of visits a prisoner can have. You can check this with Buckley Hall.

Contact Buckley Hall (#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 Buckley Hall
- somewhere to stay overnight
- meals
How to book family and friends visits

You can book your visit online (https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits).

You can book your visit by telephone.

Booking line: xx-xxxx-xxxx Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 11:30am

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

Or email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Visiting times:
- Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 4pm
- Friday: no visits
- Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 11:30am and 2pm to 4pm
- Sunday, 2pm to 4pm
How to book official visits

To arrange an official visit you can:
- email, xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)
- telephone, xx-xxxx-xxxx
Booking line opens, Monday to Friday, 9am to 11:30am.

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

Official video visit times:
- Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 4pm
Official face to face visits:
- Monday to Thursday, 2pm to 4pm
All visits are booked as one hour slots. You can book more than one hour if required. There are only 8 slots per week, they are also shared with telephone visits so slots do get booked up quickly.

Getting to Buckley Hall

Find Buckley Hall on a map (https://consent.google.com/m?continue=https://xxx@xxx.xx,-2.1442272,15z/data%3D!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xfea5c11695d36163!8m2!3d53.6346446!4d-2.1442272?shorturl%3D1&gl=IE&m=0&pc=m&uxe=eomtm&cm=2&hl=en&src=1)

Buckley Hall is about 3 miles from Rochdale town centre and Rochdale train & Metrolink stations With accessible links to Manchester. It is also served by several local buses.

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/)
There is a free visitors car park, including spaces for Blue Badge holders.

Entering Buckley Hall

All visitors, aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. Read the list of acceptable forms of ID when visiting a prison (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 including children will be subject to a rub-down search
- You may also be subject to a further search by Prison staff with trained security dogs
- Buckley Hall has a strict dress code policy which means visitors should dress sensibly. You may be turned away if you are wearing items like vests, low-cut tops, short skirts or clothes with offensive statements on them
- There are strict controls on what you can take into Buckley Hall. You will have to leave most of the things you have with you in a locker in the visitors’ centre or in your car - this includes pushchairs and car seats
- Upon arrival, signs and notices are displayed to ensure you have a positive visit. Any failure to follow the published guidance could result in your visit being halted or cancelled with restrictions placed on you visiting the establishment in the future. Relevant requests and instructions are clearly displayed to inform you of all the necessary processes required
- Call the booking line if you have any questions about visiting
Visiting facilities

Buckley Hall has a visitors centre run by Partners of Prisoners (POPS) (http://www.partnersofprisoners.co.uk/hmp-buckley-hall/). Family and friends of prisoners can relax, buy refreshments and get advice and support from the staff.

The centre opens an hour before the first visit of the day.

There is a canteen and a children’s play area in the visiting hall.

Family days

Buckley Hall run 10 family visits a year. Details on how these visits by contacting: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Keep in touch with someone at Buckley Hall

There are several ways you can keep in touch with a prisoner during their time at Buckley Hall.

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

You can request a secure video call with someone in this prison via the Prison Video app.

You will receive a notification when your request has been accepted.

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

Phone calls

Prisoners do not have phones in their cells 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.

Prisoners can make calls during set hours:
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 8:30am, 11:30am to 12:30pm, 5pm to 7pm
- Weekends, 8am to 5:15pm
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 Buckley Hall using the Email a Prisoner service (https://www.emailaprisoner.com/).

You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies, depending on the rules at Buckley Hall.

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 Buckley Hall (#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 Buckley Hall are given a list of approved items that can be sent to them as gifts. Contact Buckley Hall (#contacts) for more information on what’s allowed.

Parcels should be addressed to reception. Make sure to 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).

Life at Buckley Hall

Buckley Hall is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where men can learn new skills to help them on release.

Security and safeguarding

Every prisoner at Buckley Hall 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 a prisoner first arrives at Buckley Hall, 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.

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 prisoner who arrives at Buckley Hall gets an induction that lasts about a week. 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
Everyone also finds out about the rules, fire safety, and how things like calls and visits work.

Accommodation

Around 450 prisoners are at Buckley Hall across 4 units. There is a mixture of single and shared cells. Each unit has its own communal area and public telephones. Prisoners can rent TVs in their cells for £1 a week.

Prisoners have access to a gym, sports hall, fitness classes and sports-related courses and education.

Buckley Hall has a diverse, multi-faith chaplaincy team providing services and support to prisoners.

Education and work

Education at Buckley Hall is provided by Novus (https://www.novus.ac.uk/). Prisoners can learn important skills, such as English and maths, ICT, art, creative textiles and train in a variety of professions including shop fitting, property maintenance, industrial cleaning, plastering, bricklaying, carpentry and catering.

Work is also available in 3 prison-run workshops that:
- recycle electrical equipment
- repackage fashion goods for a high street retailer
- manufacture prison work wear.
Temporary release

Some Buckley Hall prisoners may qualify for release on temporary licence. This can be used to gain work experience in the local community and prepare for release. Prisoners can apply for this within the prison.

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).

To contact our head of family provision at Buckley Hall please speak to the Head of Reducing Reoffending on xx-xxxx-xxxx

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.

Problems and complaints

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

Inspection reports

HM Prison and Probation Service publishes action plans for Buckley Hall (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmp-buckley-hall-action-plan) in response to independent inspections.

Contact Buckley Hall

Governor: David McGurrell

Telephone (24 hours): xx-xxxx-xxxx Fax: xx-xxxx-xxxx Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)

Address

HMP Buckley HallBuckley Hall RoadRochdaleLancashireOL12 9DP

See map (https://consent.google.com/m?continue=https://xxx@xxx.xx,-2.1442272,15z/data%3D!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xfea5c11695d36163!8m2!3d53.6346446!4d-2.1442272?shorturl%3D1&gl=IE&m=0&pc=m&uxe=eomtm&cm=2&hl=en&src=1)

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