Guidance

Information pack for British nationals arrested or detained in Norway

Updated 14 September 2020

Introduction

This guidance explains how to:

• arrange visits
• send money to a prisoner
• apply for a transfer to a UK prison

If you are a British national, and are arrested or detained in another country, consular staff will do what they can to help you. However, we cannot interfere with the local justice system, get you out of jail, or pay for services such as a lawyer.

Information about who we can help, including the circumstances in which we can assist dual nationals, is available. You can also request a paper copy from consular staff.

This information pack aims to give you, and your family and friends, information about the local system in Norway and who can help. Consular staff can provide a printed copy to those in prison or in custody. We welcome feedback to help us improve the information we can provide to others.

Who can help?

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is represented overseas by its Embassies (High Commissions in Commonwealth countries). Both employ consular officers, and one of their jobs is to provide help and advice to any Briton who gets into difficulty in a foreign country.

About the Embassy

We are impartial; we are not here to judge you. We aim to make sure that you are treated properly and fairly in accordance with local regulations, and that you are treated no less favourably than other prisoners.

We can answer questions about your welfare and about prison regulations but you must ask your lawyer or the court about legal matters. The attached list of lawyers is provided by the British Embassy for your convenience, but neither Her Majesty’s Government, nor any official of the Consulate, take any responsibility for the competence or probity of any firm/advocate on the list or for the consequence of any legal action initiated or advice given.

We cannot get you out of prison, pay fines or stand bail or interfere with local judicial procedures to get you out of prison nor secure you an earlier trial date; we cannot investigate a crime.

We have tried to make sure that the information in this booklet is accurate and up to date, but the British Embassy cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information. If in doubt contact a lawyer.

Who are the Consular Representatives?

Kate Taggart, Vice Consul Tel: +47 23 13 27 78 Email: oslo.consular@fco.gov.uk John Lindsay, Pro Consul Tel: +47 23 13 27 72 Email: oslo.consular@fco.gov.uk

Contact Information: British Embassy Norway, Thomas Heftyes gate 8, 0244 Oslo Tel: +47 23 13 27 00 Email: oslo.consular@fco.gov.uk. Working hours: Monday - Friday 9am-4pm (Norwegian time).

First steps

Who will know that I have been detained?

The Norwegian authorities are obliged to inform the Embassy of the arrest of a British national. However, we often learn of an arrest informally from friends or family, from the prison social worker, prison authorities themselves or the Norwegian Ministry of Justice.

What will my family be told?

If you want us to, we can tell your family or friends that you have been detained and provide them with information about how to contact you. With your consent, we can also keep them updated on your wellbeing.

If you are not sure about informing your family, we can help you consider what the impact of not doing so might be. For example, it may cause them distress if they do not know where you are, or cannot contact you. It can also be a disadvantage to you if you need someone to send you money or act on your behalf while you are detained.

What will the Consulate do?

We will aim to contact you within 24 hours of being notified of your arrest. If you request a Consular visit, we will aim to do this as soon as possible. If for example distance makes it difficult for us to visit as soon as you would like, we will explain this and confirm a time period within which we will visit.

Informing the UK police

If you are accused of certain serious offences, such as sexual assault or drugs trafficking, we are obliged to share information about your arrest with UK police. Information about this may appear if a Criminal Records Bureau check were carried out by a prospective employer. There may be other circumstances when information about you may need to be shared with authorities in Norway.

Legal assistance: lawyers

We cannot give legal advice, start legal proceedings, or investigate a crime. However, we can provide information about the local legal system, including whether a legal aid scheme is available. We can also give you a list of local interpreters and a list of local English-speaking lawyers. You should consider the benefits of local legal representation and discuss all the costs beforehand with the legal representative. We cannot pay your legal or interpretation costs in any circumstance.

Consular assistance: fair treatment

We cannot get you out of prison or detention, or get you special treatment because you are British. If you are not treated in line with internationally accepted standards, we will consider whether to approach the local authorities. This may include if your trial does not follow internationally recognised standards or is unreasonably delayed compared to local cases.

Other organisations that can provide assistance

We can put you, or your family, in touch with Prisoners Abroad, a UK charity which supports British citizens detained overseas and their families.

Visits

You should consult FCDO travel advice before you travel to Norway for the latest information on safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings.

A prisoner who is in detention, arrest or apprehension on suspicion of a crime may be subjected to curtailments of his or her contact with the outside world (restrictions) if a risk exists that he or she will remove evidence or otherwise impede the investigation of the matter at issue. Being on restrictions means that you might not be able to:

• Receive or send letters without them first being inspected by the prosecutor
• Receive visits without special permission from the prosecutor
• Receive or make phone calls without special permission from the prosecutor
• Watch TV, listen to the radio and read newspapers
• Interact with other inmates

You might have restrictions in all or some of the above areas, but you can still contact your lawyer and a member of consular staff (in special circumstances you may be allowed contact with family). You can also see a priest or other representative of a religious order.

If you are without restrictions you may make telephone calls to specific people after the prosecutor and the prison authorities have given their consent. Security checks will be carried out on those you wish to call. You will have to request for a telephone permit, complete the forms that will then need to be sent to the person you wish to call. He/she then gives his/her consent by completing the forms and returning them to the prison authorities. The prosecutor will then decide to grant or deny the application. The person you wish to call will be requested to supply a landline phone bill showing clearly the number and the person’s name. They might also be required to produce a certificate from the UK police giving details of any criminal record. Ask the prison staff about how to buy a phone card, apply for a phone permit and how the consent works.

How do my family and friends arrange a visit?

We advise family members to contact the prison well in advance, so the prison and family can work on the visiting programme. In the local instructions at the remand prison you can read about how to apply for visits and what the remand prison’s visiting hours are. Most Prisons have details regarding visits or access to detainees on their websites. In some cases the remand prison can approve visits monitored by staff. If you are only granted permission to receive monitored visits, the staff monitoring the visit must be able to understand the language that you and the visitor speak. In some cases an interpreter may be hired. Detainees with restrictions are normally not allowed visits. Prisoners that have been sentenced and moved to a prison may receive visits.

Please be aware that the prison will often request all visitors bring suitable information regarding their criminal record. Further information about how to obtain this is available. It is advisable to give family and friends as much information as you can about what to expect when they reach the prison. If they want to visit you as a remand prisoner, they have to apply to the local prison for a visiting order and book a time for the visit. In addition, visitors have to be aware that photo id is required for the visit.

How many visits am I allowed?

Each prisoner will undergo an individual evaluation, taking in to account the prisoner’s circumstances and the current situation at the prison/remand prison. The number of visits/frequency of visits will also be determined at the evaluation.

Consular visits

If you request a Consular visit, we will aim to do this as soon as possible. If for example distance makes it difficult for us to visit as soon as you would like, we will explain this and confirm a time period within which we will visit.

If you are convicted and wish us to, we will visit you once more after sentencing. Please contact us direct to request this.

What can visitors bring?

Institutions vary in what they allow visitors to bring. Friends and family are advised to contact the institution you intend to visit to find out the details of what is permitted. Food and drink are usually prohibited.

Can my family and friends contact me?

If you are not on restrictions you may make, and in certain circumstances receive, telephone calls to specified people. However, the staff will carry out security checks on those you wish to call.

Prison conditions/services

What happens after I have been arrested?

The following is a general description of the sequence of events in Norway from detention to imprisonment:

• You are detained by the police. The prosecutor then decides whether or not to issue an arrest warrant or uphold an arrest, and you will be presented with the charge(s).
• There is legal ground for an arrest if there is probable cause to suspect that you committed a criminal act punishable by imprisonment of more than six months. In addition, there must be either i) reason to believe that you will evade prosecution or execution of a sentence, ii) imminent risk that you will interfere with criminal evidence and/or iii) arrest must be deemed necessary to prevent you from committing new criminal acts punishable by imprisonment for more than six months. Alternative options to detainment must have been considered and found insufficient.
• The police will ask you if you want legal representation. You have the right to be assisted by a defence counsel of your own choice at any step of the criminal case. However, you will have to pay your own legal costs unless it is determined by a prosecutor that you will not be released from arrest within 24 hours. In case that the prosecutor decides that you will be held under arrest for more than 24 hours, you will be appointed a state-paid public defender (public defence counsel / State appointed lawyer).
• You can be held under arrest for a maximum of three days (72 hours) without the decision being reviewed by a court.
• Should the prosecutor deem it necessary to keep you detained for a longer period, you will be presented before a judge in the District Court who will decide whether you will remand in custody or be released.
• You will according to provisions be presented before the court within 48 hours of being arrested, but under no circumstance later than three days.
• At the court hearing, a prosecutor will present the evidence arguing that there is legal ground to remand you in custody. You will be asked whether or not you plead guilty to the charge(s) and will be given the opportunity to give a statement to the court before your public defender argues your case.
• The court can remand you in custody for until 4 weeks at a time. The remand can be prolonged indefinitely, should that be deemed necessary and considered proportional regarding the sentence you risk if you are convicted. The court’s remand decision must be reconsidered every 4 weeks. The District Courts decision can be appealed.
• During your stay in arrest and/or remand prison, the police will further investigate your case. This usually entails questioning you and others of relevance to the case, and may also include other investigative steps such as searches and seizure. As a suspect, you have the right to remain silent.
• When the investigation is complete, the prosecutor will decide whether to commence prosecution or not. If prosecution is commenced, you will be served the indictment, summoned to court, and there will be a trial (a main hearing) in the District Court where the case is heard. Normally you will be appointed a state-paid public defender who will assist you in relation to and during the main hearing, but there are some exceptions depending on the criminal act you are charged with and the form of penalty you risk.
• Based on the arguments and evidence presented in the main hearing, the judge and the lay judges will decide whether you are guilty or not. The length of the sentence is also decided upon.
• Usually the judgement is not pronounced at the trial, but at a later date. If you are kept in remand custody until sentencing, the judgement will be pronounced to you in remand prison. Should you have been released by the time of the sentencing, you will either be informed of the date and time for pronouncement of sentence in the main hearing, or summoned for pronouncement at a later point.
• Once the sentence has been announced, you could either accept the sentence, appeal to the court of appeal (High Court) or take time for reflection for 14 days.
• If both you and the prosecution accept the sentence, or neither party have appealed within 14 days of sentencing, the sentence comes into effect.
• If you and/or the prosecution appeal the sentence, there will be held a new trial in the High Court. The High Court is not bound by the District Courts sentence, and there is a risk that the prison sentence is increased.
• The High Court’s decision can be appealed by either party to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the final court of appeals.
• As soon as the outcome of the appeal is announced and, if the conviction is upheld, the sentence comes into effect.
• You now begin to serve your sentence and would as a rule serve two thirds of the term subject to good behaviour.
• If you are found not guilty, you might be entitled to compensation. Confer with your lawyer and the local courts.

Arrival at the detention centre

When you arrive at the remand prison you will be registered. The staff will ask you questions about your mental health status, your family and social situation, so that the staff can provide you with the support you need.

You will receive a contact person at the detention centre who will inform you about the daily routines and your rights and obligations at the remand prison. If you have not yet been appointed a lawyer, or if you want to contact your lawyer or embassy, the staff will help you with this.

You will be offered to see a counsellor. If you do not speak or understand Norwegian you can receive help from an interpreter in certain situations. The same applies if you have seriously impaired vision, hearing or speech. It is the detention centre staff who decides whether to call in an interpreter. The police and prosecutor will make the same judgement when it comes to their investigations

General information about the detention centre

Newspapers, radio/TV

You are allowed to listen to the radio, watch TV and read daily newspapers at the detention centre unless the prosecutor has decided otherwise.

Fresh air

You have the right to spend time in the detention centre’s exercise yard for at least an hour every day if there are no special reasons against you doing so.

Food

Cooked meals are served every day. If you are a vegetarian or allergic or unable to eat certain foods due to religious beliefs you have the right to ask for food that you can eat.

Personal hygiene

You will receive bedclothes, towels and hygiene products. The detention centre’s staff can also offer you clothes and shoes. Laundry is to be changed regularly. You are responsible for keeping your room in order.

Healthcare

While you are detained, the state is responsible for ensuring your basic medical needs are met. When you arrive at the detention centre a doctor/nurse will visit you and carry out an arrival conversation and health check. This will take place as soon as possible after your arrival or on the following weekday at the latest. If you fall acutely ill the staff will help you to contact a nurse or a doctor.

When you are registered you will be informed about how to contact the healthcare staff if necessary and you will be asked to fill in a health declaration. It is important that you inform the staff about your diseases, injuries and medication.

If you need emergency dental care the staff will help you contact a dentist, which you may have to pay for yourself. Medical healthcare, including treatment and medication for chronic illnesses, is provided free of charge.

With your permission, we can make sure that any medical or dental problems you might have are brought to the attention of any police or prison doctor. We can also contact your GP in the UK, if the police or prison doctor requests previous medical records.

Personal belongings

In your room you are not allowed to have objects that could pose a threat to security in the remand prison or obstruct searches.

The detention centre will store your personal belongings during your stay. You and the staff members who take care of your belongings will sign a list of the belongings to be stored when you first arrive. You will also sign the list when belongings are taken out of and put back into storage.

Money

There are 2 ways you may be able to receive financial assistance while in prison:

• Private funds: deposited to you by your family or friends.
• Prisoners Abroad: depending on where you are detained, if your family cannot support you financially, Prisoners Abroad may be able to send you a small grant every quarter for essentials (enough for one hot meal a day).

The UK government does not provide financial assistance to prisoners

Some detention centres are cash-free, which means that you will not be allowed to have any money in your room. The money is instead deposited into an account or stored by the detention centre.

If you do not have any money you might be eligible for a detention centre allowance, speak with your prison councellor for more information.

Drugs

You must supply a sample for drug testing if the staff suspects that you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A “positive” drug test, as well as refusal to take a drug test, may result in your release date being postponed.

Mail/Parcels

If you are under restrictions any letters you send will (with your consent) be forwarded to the prosecutor who will decide whether the letter may be sent or not. Any letters sent to you will be dealt with in the same way. If you are not under restrictions, sealed letters will only be opened if they appear suspicious. It is permitted to receive parcels. The sender is advised to contact the prison before they send the parcel, to ask which items are permitted.

Work/Study

Detention centres have different opportunities for occupational activities. These occupational activities may regard work involving assembly, packaging, cleaning or other activities. Your possibilities of working also depend on whether you are allowed to take part in communal activities with the other inmates. Sentenced prisoners have the possibility to study while in prison.

How can I receive money?

While the FCDO does not provide financial assistance to prisoners, we may be able, within certain limits, to send you money from your family or friends. Please note that you cannot have cash sent to you in the post.

The FCDO operates a ‘Prison Comfort’ system for money transfers to prisoners. Ask your family or friends to get in touch with the FCDO to arrange this.

We cannot receive payment by credit or debit card, or by cash.

If your family and friends overseas wish to transfer money to you for “prison comforts” (phone cards etc.), they can do so by paying directly to the detention centre. Most Norwegian Prisons have details on ‘how to do this’ on their websites.

Alternatively payment from can be made via the FCO in London: Your family in the UK should call the FCO on +44 (0)20 7008 1500 (24 hours a day) if they want to find out how to transfer money to you.

The FCDO charges a fee for transferring money to British nationals overseas, but exempts prison comforts up to £200 per month. A sliding scale of fees has recently been introduced. This means those who transfer smaller amounts aren’t excessively penalised.

Prison comforts will continue to be exempt from charges up to a set limit. But from 1 January 2010 the limit will reduce to allow just one free transfer per month of up to £100. Any subsequent transfers in the same month, even under the £100 threshold, will incur a charge.

The £100 threshold will enable families/friends to transfer for free what is considered to be a sufficient amount per month to meet basic needs, and allows for the cost of living increases affecting some countries.

Prisoners Abroadmay be able to assist you with funding for prison essentials and some medical care if you are not receiving regular funding from other sources.

How can I make a complaint about mistreatment?

If you have been mistreated, you should inform consular staff as soon as it is safe for you to do so. We will then do our best to visit you, to check on your welfare, discuss the allegations, and explain any local complaints procedures and supportive organisations that you may wish to consider. With your permission, and where appropriate, we will consider approaching the local authorities if you have not been treated in line with internationally-accepted standards. If you have been mistreated, try to see a doctor, obtain a medical report and if possible take photos of your injuries.

You should be treated fairly and without prejudiced by the officers and employees of the detention centre, they are there to do their jobs and not judge you. Should you feel that you are being treated in an unfair or prejudice way please bring this to the attention of other members of staff or contact the British Embassy.

You can also complain directly to Sivilombudsmannen, if you feel that you have been treated wrongly or unjustly by a public authority. The contact details are:

• Postal address: Sivilombudsmannen, Postboks 3, Sentrum, 0101 Oslo
• Telephone: +47 22 82 85 00
• Email: postmottak@sivilombudsmannen.no

The Norwegian Judicial System

The FCDO cannot interfere with the judicial system. We cannot ask for your case to be judged more quickly just because you are British, or ask the authorities to waive any penalties.

Is the system the same as in the UK?

No. The biggest difference is that there is no bail system in Norway. Another difference is that you can only be held in the UK for up to 24 hours (or up to 36 or 96 hours if you are suspected of a serious crime, for ex murder) before they have to charge you with a crime or release you. In Norway you can be held for maximum 72 hours before they release or remand you on suspicion of committing a crime. When an arrest warrant is issued by the prosecutor, this simultaneously entails charging you with a criminal act punishable by imprisonment of more than six months.

What should happen when I am arrested?

If you’re arrested, you usually will be taken to a police station, held in custody in a cell and then questioned. As a suspect you have the right to remain silent. The police can hold you for maximum 72 hours before they release you or present you before court to remand you in custody. Being on remand means that you are suspected with probable cause of committing a crime, but you are not convicted, and should according to law be considered innocent until proven guilty.

If you have any questions on the legal aspects of your arrest, contact your lawyer. See a list of local English-speaking lawyers.

For how long can I be remanded in custody?

In the remand hearing a prosecutor will present the evidence arguing that there is legal ground to remand you in custody. The court can remand you in custody for up to 4 weeks at a time. If the investigation is not complete within 4 weeks, the prosecutor can apply for an extension of a further 4 weeks. This process can be repeated indefinitely should that be deemed necessary and considered proportional regarding the sentence you risk if you are convicted. In other words, there is no preset “maximum time” you can stay on remand and this can vary from case to case.

What happens when I am charged?

Being charged is a term used in the UK. In Norway, if a prosecutor decides to issue an arrest warrant, you are simultaneously charged. There is legal ground for an arrest and/or to remand you in custody, if there is probable cause to suspect that you committed a criminal act punishable by imprisonment of more than six months. Furthermore, at least one of the additional conditions for arrestation must be present, and arrestation must be deemed necessary and proportional.

If you are remanded, you will stay on remand until the court decides that the conditions for you being remanded are no longer fulfilled or your case is heard in court and you are convicted or released. You have the right to have an interpreter at the hearings. You can only be remanded as long as it is deemed necessary and considered proportional regarding the sentence you risk if you are convicted.

What provision is there for bail?

There is no bail system in Norway.

What kind of legal assistance is available?

You have the right to be assisted by a defence counsel of your own choice at any stage of the criminal case. However, you will have to pay your own legal costs unless it is determined by a prosecutor that you will not be released from arrest within 24 hours. For the case that the prosecutor decides that you will be held under arrest for more than 24 hours, you will be appointed a state-paid public defender (public defence counsel / State appointed lawyer). Please see our list of lawyers for Norway. Prisoners Abroad can also supply general (non-country specific) information on legal aid, court proceedings and can advise on appointing a lawyer.

What happens at the trial?

Based on the arguments and evidence presented in the main hearing, the judge and the lay judges will decide whether you are guilty or not. The length of the sentence is also decided upon.

Usually the judgement is not pronounced at the trial, but at a later date. If you are kept in remand custody until sentencing, the judgement will be pronounced to you in remand prison. Should you have been released by the time of the sentencing, you will either be informed of the date and time for pronouncement of sentence in the main hearing, or summoned for pronouncement at a later point.

You have the right to an interpreter free of charge at the main hearing.

Sentences

If both you and the prosecution accept the sentence, or neither party have appealed within 14 days of sentencing, the sentence comes into effect.

How can appeals be made?

If you are not satisfied with the judgement, you can appeal to the court of appeal (High Court). You have 14 days to appeal from the sentence is pronounced to you. Your lawyer should help be able to help you with a subsequent appeal.

If you and/or the prosecution appeal the sentence, there will be held a new trial in the High Court. The High Court is not bound by the District Courts sentence, and there is a risk that the sentence is increased.

The High Court’s decision can be appealed by either party to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.

As soon as the outcome of the appeal is announced and, if the conviction is upheld, the sentence comes into effect.

You now begin to serve your sentence and would normally serve two thirds of it, subject of course to good behaviour. If you are found not guilty, you might be entitled to compensation.

What provision is there for reduction of sentence (remission) or early release e.g. for good behaviour?

You would normally serve two thirds of the sentence subject to good behaviour.

What provision is there for early release e.g. on parole?

You would normally serve two thirds of the sentence subject to good behaviour.

What provision is there for clemency or pardon?

Under the Instrument of Government, one of Norwegian’s fundamental laws, the Government may, by exercising clemency, pardon a person or reduce their sentence. Clemency is for use in exceptional situations. It is for the Norwegian Government to decide whether or not to grant clemency in each individual case. Clemency is therefore not a right. Clemency can only apply to a criminal judgment that has become final and non-appealable. Foreign judgments can also fall within the scope of clemency if the enforcement of the sentence has been transferred to Norway.

What about any financial penalties?

Fines may be levied in different amounts and ways dependent upon the nature and seriousness of the offence. A fine may be the only penal sanction or imposed together with another penalty, e.g. suspended sentence of imprisonment. If you are sentenced to pay a fine and you do not pay, you risk the fine being transformed into a prison sentence.

Is transfer to another prison within Norway possible?

Which prison you are sent to depend on for example which type of security level is required and if there is a treatment plan in place. The prison authorities can impose transfers between prisons in Norway for security or other reasons. This is the policy of the Norway authorities, and the British Embassy cannot intervene on your behalf.

Prisoners may (if there are specific reasons such as medical or safety issues) apply to the prison for a transfer to a different prison. It is the prison authorities that takes the final decision on a subsquent transfer.

Is transfer to the UK a possibility?

Yes. There is a Prisoner Transfer Agreement between the UK and Norway. Prisoner Transfer Agreements (PTAs) allow prisoners to transfer and to serve the remainder of their sentence in their own country. This enables them to be closer to family and friends in an English-speaking environment and permits them to benefit from pre-release courses available in British prisons.

The prisoner should inform the prison of their interest in applying and they will take the application forward. Please note that the transfer process can be very slow and bureaucratic (processing time does vary, although it generally takes around 9 months to get permission for a transfer to the UK).

To transfer to the UK, you must:

• be a British citizen or have close family ties with the UK (normally through permanent residence in the UK)
• not be awaiting trial
• have exhausted all appeals against your conviction and/or the length of your sentence; or have waived your right to an appeal
• have at least 6 months of your sentence left to serve when you apply for transfer
• have no outstanding fines or other non-custodial penalties

The offence you were convicted for must also be a criminal offence in the part of the UK you wish to be transferred to: England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

The authorities in the sentencing country may refuse your request. Even if the sentencing country agrees to your transfer, the UK authorities may also refuse your request. Reasons for this might include if you have not lived in the UK for a number of years and you have no close family living there.

Women

Approximately 5 per cent of inmates are women. Women in prison often have a different background compared with men and they face different problems. They are therefore placed in female prisons.

What are the procedures for release and deportation?

Sometimes people find that they face difficulties adjusting to life in the UK once they have left prison. You may find yourself ready for life on the outside but not prepared for living in the UK. You may not have lived in the UK before and have no connections there, or perhaps you have lost touch with friends and family. You may want to talk to another person who understands what you have been through, to help you consider what to do next.

If you are registered with Prisoners Abroad, you can visit Prisoners Abroad when you first arrive back in UK for advice, to use their temporary luggage store, make essential phone calls or use a computer. If you have no belongings Prisoners Abroad may be able to help with basic toiletries and finding suitable clothing. If you know your release date in advance you should tell the Prisoner and Family Support Team when you are likely to arrive and what help you think you might need. If you have no money and nowhere to go, Prisoners Abroad’s Resettlement Service can help with:

• advice on finding emergency accommodation in the London area
• claiming welfare benefits, including emergency benefit payments if you are destitute
• making appointments with doctors and dentists
• putting you in touch with local agencies if you are not returning to the London area

Later on you may want advice on housing, looking for work, applying for training or getting counselling. Prisoners Abroad can refer you to the right agency.

Other sources of practical help back in the UK are:

• The Salvation Army, UK Helpline: +44 (0)20 7367 4888, Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm, or contact your local Salvation Army branch
• The Prison Fellowship, UK Helpline: +44 (0)20 7799 2500, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Release

The institution will determine the day on which you are released. Usually it is early in the morning. If you are unable to arrange any clothing yourself, the institution must help you with clothes suitable for the time of year, and in some circumstances a release allowance and possibly money for the journey home.

Deportation

If deportation is part of your sentence, the most common procedure is that you are transferred from the prison, sometimes via a temporary remand centre, to the airport by the Prison and Probation Service Transport Company. You will be escorted by them until you reach the airport in your home country.

Your criminal record in the UK

We will not normally pass on information about your case to a third party without your consent. However, if you’re arrested for certain serious offences, such as child sex abuse or drugs crimes, our staff must tell other relevant UK authorities. It is possible that information about this may appear if a Criminal Records Bureau check were carried out by a prospective employer.

Additional Information

Since 1978 the charity Prisoners Abroad has offered practical support and advice to British citizens imprisoned abroad. It is the only UK charity providing this service. It is available to all, whether guilty or innocent, convicted or awaiting charge or trial. Prisoners Abroad supports your health and welfare during your imprisonment. It can also provide support on your return to the UK, through their resettlement service (if you have registered whilst in prison). They can also provide support and advice to your family when you are in prison. To access any services, you must first register with Prisoners Abroad by signing and returning their authorisation form.

Once you seek help from Prisoners Abroad, the Prisoner & Family Support Service will be your point of contact for advice and information. The type of assistance they can offer varies from country to country, but generally they can provide you with information, in English, on:

• your rights as a prisoner
• issues that may affect you such as health or transfer to the UK
• getting magazines, newspapers, books and the regular Prisoners Abroad newsletter
• learning the language of your country of imprisonment
• translating documents
• grants for food if you are in a developing country and do not have funds from other sources
• grants for essential medicines and toiletries if you do not have funds from other sources
• preparing for release
• help for your loved ones, including information, family support groups and, in a few cases, assistance with the cost of visiting
• Freepost envelopes to help you stay in touch with others

Prisoners Abroad UK Helpline +44 (0)20 7561 6820 or 0808 172 0098 Mondays to Fridays 9:30am to 4:30pm (UK time) 89 – 93 Fonthill Road London N4 3JH UK