Wayland Prison
Wayland is a men’s prison near Thetford, Norfolk.
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Book and plan your visit to Wayland
To visit someone in Wayland you must:
- be on that person’s visitor list
- book your visit in advance
- have the required ID with you when you go
A visit can be booked up to 2 weeks in advance.
Contact Wayland 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, including:
- travel to Wayland
- somewhere to stay overnight
- meals
How to book family and friends visits
You can book your visit online or by telephone.
Telephone Booking Line: 01953 804152
Monday to Friday: 9am to 4pm
Find out about call charges
You can also book social visits by email: socialvisits.Wayland@justice.gov.uk.
Visiting times:
- Monday* to Sunday: 2pm to 4pm
*2 Mondays in a month are designated Family Visits, between 12pm and 4pm.
Booking in at 1pm, last admission into the prison is at 3pm.
How to book legal and professional visits
Legal video call times:
- Monday to Friday: 9am to 9:45am, 10am to 10:45am, 11am to 11:45am
Face to face legal visiting times:
- Tuesday and Friday: 10am to 11:45am
These can be booked by email legalvisits.wayland@justice.gov.uk.
Getting to Wayland
The closest railway station is Thetford. A taxi can be booked at the station help desk.
Contact the visitors centre on 01953 804 152 for local coach or minibus information.
To plan your journey by public transport:
There is a free visitor car park with disabled parking available.
Entering Wayland
| All visitors, aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. | For babies this can be the birth certificate or Red Book. Read the list of acceptable forms of ID when visiting a prison. You will also be asked for your car registration when booking in on the day. |
All visitors will need to be given a non-invasive pat-down search, including children. You may also be sniffed by passive security dogs.
Visitors must adhere to the prison dress code that applies, further details can be requested at point of booking, further information is displayed in the visit centre.
There are strict controls on what you can take into HMP Wayland. 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. Lockers are £1 coin.
Refreshments and food are available inside the visits hall. Visitors are reminded that there is a limit to how much money (no cards) can be brought into the hall. £60.00 for normal domestic visits and £70.00 for special /family sessions. (no £50 notes please)
Call the booking line or email the social email address, if you have any questions about visiting.
Visiting facilities
There’s a visitors centre at Wayland. The visitors centre has small children’s play areas inside and outside.
Inside the main visits hall in the prison there’s a snack bar providing hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, hot food and other snacks. There’s also a play area for children.
Family visits
HMP Wayland run Family Visits on 2 Mondays every month throughout the year. They run from 12pm to 4pm. These can only be applied for by a Family member. For further information email hmpwayland@ormistonfamilies.org.uk.
Keep in touch with someone at Wayland
There are several ways you can keep in touch with a prisoner during their time at Wayland.
Secure video calls
To have a secure video call with someone in this prison you need to:
- Download the Prison Video 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.
Prison video call times
- Monday to Friday: 8:45am to 9:15am, 9:30am to 10am, 10:15am to 10:45am
- Evening calls on Monday to Thursday: 6:15pm to 6:45pm
Phone calls
Prisoners have phones in their cells but they are only for outgoing calls. They will always have to call you. They have to buy phone credits to do this.
At certain times of day 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.
Officers may listen to phone calls as a way of preventing crime and helping keep people safe.
You can send emails to someone in Wayland using the Email a Prisoner service.
You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies from the prisoner, depending on the rules at Wayland.
Letters
Include the person’s name and prison number on the envelope.
If you do not know their prison number, contact Wayland.
All post apart from legal letters will be opened and checked by officers.
Send money and gifts
You can use the free and fast online service to send money to someone in prison.
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 - 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 Wayland sentenced for a fixed length of time may have a clothing parcel sent in to them within 28 days of sentencing.
People in Wayland serving a life sentence or an indeterminate sentence may have a clothing parcel sent in to them on their birthday each year.
Contact Wayland for more information on what’s allowed.
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 the HMPPS Incentives Policy, Annex F.
Make sure to include the person’s name and prison number on the parcel.
All other parcels will be sent for storage at the National Distribution Centre at Branston and can only be returned when the prisoner is released.
All parcels will be opened and checked by officers.
Life at Wayland
Wayland is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where prisoners can learn new skills to help them on release.
There are a range of opportunities for prisoners to recover from drug and alcohol addiction.
Security and safeguarding
Every prisoner at Wayland 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.
If you have any concerns about a prisoner at Wayland, contact the Safer Custody team or speak to the chaplaincy team on 01953 804 080.
Arrival and first night
When a prisoner first arrives at Wayland, 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 Wayland 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 1000 prisoners live at Wayland, across 13 units. Most cells are single. The induction area has shared cells, as well as in some of the other units. Some units have in-cell showers and many have privacy keys and kitchen facilities. Communal eating areas are also available.
There are specialist units for drug treatment programmes, a drug-free area, and for those preparing for release. There is a healthcare centre at Wayland.
Education and work
Wayland has a wide range of training facilities with opportunities to gain qualifications. Workshops include electrics, welding, bricklaying, plumbing, carpentry, plastering, streetworks, industrial cleaning and motor mechanics. There’s also a farms and gardens area.
Wayland’s large education department and library offers prisoners the opportunity to improve their literacy and numeracy.
To prepare for release, Wayland works with partners to help prisoners find employment and resettle in the community.
Wayland also offers behaviour programmes and a range of opportunities for prisoners to recover from drug and alcohol addiction.
Temporary release
Prisoners in Wayland can apply for Release On Temporary License (ROTL). This includes day release and overnight release.
It will be linked to objectives in prisoners’ sentence plans. It is used to help prepare for release by rebuilding family relationships, re-establishing links in the local community and attending interviews for work, training or accommodation.
The prisoner can apply to the offender management unit who will assess if they can apply.
Support for family and friends
Find out about advice and helplines for family and friends.
Support at Wayland
Family services at Wayland are provided by Ormiston Families..
Concerns, problems and complaints
In an emergency
Call 01953 804000 if you think a prisoner is at immediate risk of harm. Ask for the Orderly Officer and explain that your concern is an emergency.
| Contact category | Phone number | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| Non-emergency | 01953 804000 or 01953804080 | Call this number if you have concerns about a prisoner’s safety or wellbeing which are serious but not life-threatening or complete a safer custody contact form on the Prisoners’ Families Helpline website. |
| Staff Integrity Hotline | 0800 917 6877 (24 hours answering machine) |
This number can be called anonymously. If you are concerned about a prisoner being bullied by a member of staff, you can use this number. As this line is managed separately from the prison, you can call this number anonymously. |
| Prisoners’ Families Helpline | 0808 808 2003 | The Prisoners’ Families Helpline can provide confidential support, advice and guidance. |
| Unwanted Prisoner Contact | 0300 060 6699 | If a prisoner is contacting you and you want them to stop, you can use the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service. You can complete the Stop prisoner contact online form, email unwantedprisonercontact@justice.gov.uk or contact by phone. |
If you have a problem contact Wayland.
Contact Wayland
Governor: Kevin Clark
Telephone: 01953 804 100
Fax: 01953 804 220
Find out about call charges
Address
HMP Wayland
Griston
Thetford
Norfolk
IP25 6RL
Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey.
Updates to this page
Published 18 December 2019Last updated 2 August 2022 + show all updates
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Secure video calls update.
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Updated visiting information
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Updated visiting guidance based on 1 April COVID rule changes
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Added link to new safer custody information under Security and safeguarding.
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Updated visiting information: Reduced visit schedule and testing for visitors aged 12 and over.
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Updated visiting information: Testing for visitors aged 12 and over.
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Updated governor
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Added link to information about testing for physical contact at visits.
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Updated visits booking line number.
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New visiting times and booking information added.
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Prison moved into National Stage 3 framework and is now preparing to open visits for family, friends and significant others. We will update this page with specific visiting information as soon as possible.
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Updated visiting information in line with new local restriction tiers.
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Updated visiting information in line with new local restriction tiers.
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Updated visiting information in line with new local restriction tiers.
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Updated visiting information in line with new national restrictions in England.
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Updated visiting information in line with coronavirus restrictions.
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Added confirmation of secure video calling availability at this prison.
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Updated survey link
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Prison visits update
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First published.