| VISITS ARRANGEMENTS Visits are booked by prisoners. At present a convicted prisoner is entitled to not less than 2 hours in any period of 28 consecutive days. A maximum of 3 adult visitors are allowed. All visitors under 17 require to be approved prior to visiting the establishment. It is the responsibility of the prisoner to notify the visitor of the date and time of the visit. Visitors should also ensure that they have identification with them when arriving for a visit. Visiting times are: Wednesday afternoon 1.45 pm - 3.45 pm Wednesday evening 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm Friday evening 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm Saturday and Sunday afternoon 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm Please note that there is no admission to the prison prior to 1.10 pm at the weekends. TRAVELLING BY CAR: From Aberdeen take the A90 road to Peterhead. On approaching Peterhead, at the roundabout, leave by the fourth exit to the left and take the first turning on the left. The prison is less than half a mile along this road on the right. For car parking, drive past the prison and take the second turnoff on the right. The car park is situated on the left. Disabled parking is at the main gate. TRAVELLING BY TRAIN: The nearest railway station is Aberdeen. It has a rail links with Glasgow(178 miles), Edinburgh(160 miles) and Inverness (110 miles). Times are available on the following website. http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/timetables/index.html TRAVELLING BY BUS: A regular bus service runs to and from Aberdeen. The bus station is opposite Aberdeen Railway Station. The journey to the prison takes approximately one hour and the bus stops at the main gate. Times are available on the following website. http://www.stagecoachbus.com/bluebird/timetables.php?depart=&arrive=&service=323 In addition, SACRO operate a bus service on the first and third Sunday of every month. Further information regarding this service may be obtained by contacting: SACRO - 0141 248 1763 or SACRO Lothian - 0131 622 7500. PROCEDURES AT VISITS: On entering the prison, visitors will find themselves in a small vestibule attended by a member of staff. To the right is the visitors' waiting area. Visitors must have identification with them. The member of staff will check visitors’ identification and ask them to hand in their mobile telephone. Visitors will be allocated a visit area and table number, and issued with a token for a locker if required. No bags, food, cameras or tape recorders may be taken into the visit area. These should be placed in a locker. There are toilets and a coin operated telephone in this area as well as baby changing facilities. SEARCHING Prior to going to the visit, visitors are asked to go through metal detection equipment similar to that used in airports. They will be asked to display any metal objects detected by the equipment. Under current regulations, visitors may also be asked to undergo a rub down search of their person, and any items being carried will also be checked. These searches will be carried out by prison staff. SMOKING HMP Peterhead operates a no smoking policy in line with current Government health advice. Visitors' co-operation in this matter is appreciated. SUPERVISION All visits are supervised by Prison Officers and are monitored by closed circuit television cameras linked to video recording equipment. Visitors involved in passing prohibited articles during a visit will be reported to the police. Visitors who pass prohibited articles may also be subject to further action in that they may be placed on closed visits or banned. Any prisoner found passing or receiving prohibited articles will be reported to the Governor and subsequently be placed on closed visits. VISIT AREAS Visitors will be escorted to the visit room by a Prison Officer. The visit room is equipped with disabled toilets, baby changing equipment and vending machines which dispense a variety of drinks and confectionery. Items purchased at these machines can be purchased for the person being visited, but can only be consumed at the visit. The visit area also has a child’s play area. During weekends an additional area is used which also has access to a disabled toilet and vending machines. Family Contact Officers Family Contact Officers (FCO) work within the prison and should visitors require help or advice you can phone the prison or ask if they are available during your visit. The current FCO is Mr Alex Spalding. Letters to him should be addressed to: HM Prison Peterhead, South Road, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, AB42 2YY. In the event of an emergency, relatives can telephone the prison at any time, day or night, and a message will be passed to the prisoner. Tel: 01779 479101. TELEPHONES In addition to visits, prisoners can access telephones throughout the day. These telephones can only be used to make outgoing calls. Phone times: Monday to Thursday: 7.10 am - 8.30 am 11.50 am - 1.40 pm 4.45 pm - 5.25 pm 6.35 pm - 8.55 pm Friday: 7.10 am – 8.30 am 11.30 am – 1.40 pm 4.30 pm – 5.25 pm 6.35 pm – 8.55 pm Weekend: 7.40 am – 11.55 am 1.40 pm – 4.55 pm MONEY Visitors are permitted to hand over or post in money to prisoners. This can be in the form of cash or postal orders. Money or postal orders in excess of £30.00 must be accompanied by a pro-form. If it is less than £30.00, no pro-form is required. Money will be collected by the staff on duty in the visits room who will also issue visitors with a receipt. SOCIAL WORK UNIT The prison has a full time social work unit which operates Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. The Senior Social Worker is Mrs. Eileen Gibson. Social work staff will be pleased to assist visitors with any problems or information of a social work nature. Telephone Number: 01779 485086 |