Eastwood Park Prison and Young Offender Institution
Eastwood Park is a prison and young offender institution (YOI) in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, for women aged 18 and over.
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Book and plan your visit to Eastwood Park
Eastwood Park is now offering visits for family, friends and significant others, in line with stage 1 of the National Framework for Prisons.
Find out more about visiting someone in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can also follow @HMPPS on Twitter and read a rolling update page.
We are now allowing physical contact at social visits following a negative rapid test. Find out more here.
There are a number of other ways to contact someone in prison if you are unable to visit them.
You can also contact the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003. You will not be able to book a visit using this number.
To visit someone in Eastwood Park you must:
- be on that person’s visitor list
- book your visit at least 24 hours in advance
- have the the required ID with you when you go
At least one visitor must be 18 or older at every visit.
Each prisoner is allowed a maximum of 3 adult visitors per visit, plus children.
Contact Eastwood Park 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 Eastwood Park
- somewhere to stay overnight
- meals
How to book family and friends visits
You can book your visit online.
You can also book by telephone or email.
Booking line: 0300 303 0631
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
socialvisits.eastwoodpark@hmps.gsi.gov.uk
Visiting times:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 2pm to 3pm and 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Children can visit their mothers outside regular visiting hours. These visits can take place Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 11:45am, either in the visits hall or on the mother and baby unit. Prisoners can apply for these visits internally.
How to book legal and professional visits
Booking line: 0300 303 0631
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
Visiting times:
- Monday and Thursday: 2pm to 3pm and 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Getting to Eastwood Park
The closest railway station is Bristol Temple Meads, where you can catch a bus to Falfield except on Sundays.
To plan your journey by public transport:
There is a visitors car park, including space for Blue Badge holders.
Entering Eastwood Park
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.
All visitors will need to be given a pat-down search, including children.
Each adult visitor is allowed to take in a maximum of £10 in coins (notes are not allowed).
There are strict controls on what you can take into Eastwood Park. You will have to leave most of the things you have with you in a locker or with security. This might include pushchairs and car seats.
You will be told the rules by an officer at the start of your visit. If you break the rules, your visit could be cancelled and you could be banned from visiting again.
Visiting facilities
There will be no refreshments available during your visit and the children’s play area will be unavailable to use.
There is a visitors centre at Eastwood Park, which includes toilet facilities. Visitors are offered a warm welcome, information and support. It is open on visiting days.
The visits room is on the ground floor and wheelchair accessible. Pushchairs are not allowed in the room. Drinks and snacks are available from the cafe and there is a small play area for children.
Family days
Family days are not currently available.
Keep in touch with someone at Eastwood Park
You may not be able to speak with someone at Eastwood Park during their first few days. This is because it can take time to approve who they can be in touch with.
Prisoners have phones in their rooms but these do not accept incoming calls so they will always need to call you.
Phone calls
A person in Eastwood Park can call anyone named on their list of friends and family. This list is checked by the prison.
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.
Secure video calls
Secure video calling is available at this prison. Family and friends need to download the purple visits app, create an account, register all visitors, and add the prisoner to their contact list.
You can send emails to someone in Eastwood Park using the Email a Prisoner service.
You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies, depending on the rules at Eastwood Park.
Letters
Include the person’s name and prison number on the envelope.
If you do not know their prison number, contact Eastwood Park.
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 Eastwood Park are given a list of approved items that can be sent to them as gifts. Contact Eastwood Park for more information on what is allowed.
Make sure to include the person’s name and prison 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 the HMPPS Incentives Policy, Annex F.
Taking gifts when visiting
You can bring up to 10 items from the approved list for a prisoner when you visit them during a regular visit (not a children’s visit). These should be handed in at the visitors centre before the start of your visit.
Life at Eastwood Park
Eastwood Park is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where women can learn new skills to help them on release and reduce the chance of reoffending.
Security and safeguarding
Every person at Eastwood Park has a right to feel safe. The staff at Eastwood Park are responsible for their safeguarding and welfare at all times.
If you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a woman in Eastwood Park, call the safer custody hotline.
All safeguarding processes are overseen by the South Gloucestershire Safeguarding Adults Board.
Eastwood Park also trains prisoners to be ‘listeners’ for those who need support during difficult times.
Arrival and first night
When a prisoner first arrives at Eastwood Park, 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 person who arrives at Eastwood Park 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 400 women live at Eastwood Park in a mixture of rooms for 1, 2 or 3 prisoners. There are phones in every room.
It has a mother and baby unit for women with children under 18 months old.
Education and work
Prisoners can study a range of subjects within the education department to help them gain employment on release including:
- English
- maths
- cleaning
- IT
- beauty
- hospitality
- horticulture
- retail
- customer service
- catering
Other courses include victim awareness, peer mentoring and budgeting.
They can also get work experience through placements in the kitchen and canteen, the gardens, laundry, library, gym, cafe and other areas.
Temporary release
Eastwood Park prisoners have the opportunity to leave the prison for short periods of time. This is known as release on temporary licence. It can be used to gain work experience in the local community, maintain family ties and prepare for release.
Organisations Eastwood Park works with
Several local voluntary and community organisations provide support to the prisoners, including The Forgiveness Project, Nelson Trust and One25.
Support for family and friends
Find out about advice and helplines for family and friends.
Problems and complaints
If you have a problem contact Eastwood Park. If you can’t resolve the problem directly, you can make a complaint to HM Prison and Probation Service.
HM Prison and Probation Service publishes action plans for Eastwood Park in response to independent inspections.
Contact Eastwood Park
Governor: Suzy Dymond-White
Telephone (24 hours): 01454 382 100
Fax: 01454 382 101
Find out about call charges
Address
HMP/YOI Eastwood Park
Falfield
Wotton-under-Edge
Gloucestershire
GL12 8DB
Safer custody hotline
If you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a woman in Eastwood Park, call the safer custody hotline.
Telephone: 01454 382 323
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4pm
Find out about call charges
There is an answerphone out of hours that is checked regularly by a duty officer.
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Last updated 31 August 2021 + show all updates
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Updated physical contact guidance
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Updated rules for sending in money and gifts.
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New visiting times and booking information added.
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Updated visiting information in line with coronavirus restrictions.
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Updated visit info
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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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Updated visiting information in line with coronavirus restrictions.
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Updated information to include confirmation of secure video calls being available at this prison.
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updated survey link
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Prison visits update.
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First published.