Guidance
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.
Prison visits are temporarily suspended following instructions for people to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. We will update here as soon as this changes. You can also follow @HMPPS on Twitter and read a rolling update page.
There are a number of other ways to contact someone in prison if you are unable to visit them. You can:
- leave a voice message using the Prison Voicemail Service
- send them an email using the email a prisoner service
- write to them
- 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. Read more about how it works.
You can also contact the Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
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Book and plan your visit to Eastwood Park
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 resident 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.
Booking line: 0300 303 0631
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
Visiting times:
- Tuesday: 2pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
- Wednesday: 2pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
- Friday: 2pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
- Saturday: 2pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
- Sunday: 2pm to 3pm, 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. Residents can apply for these visits internally.
How to book legal and professional visits
Email: hmppsvisitbooking@justice.gov.uk
You can also book by telephone.
Booking line: 0300 303 0631
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
Visiting times:
- Monday: 9:30am to 10:30am, 10:45am to 11:45am
- Tuesday: 9:30am to 10:30am, 10:45am to 11:45am, 2pm to 3:15pm, 3:30pm to 4:45pm
- Wednesday: 9:30am to 10:30am, 10:45am to 11:45am, 2pm to 3:15pm, 3:30pm to 4:45pm
- Thursday: 9:30am to 10:30am, 10:45am to 11:45am
- Friday: 9:30am to 10:30am, 10:45am to 11:45am, 2pm to 3:15pm, 3:30pm to 4:45pm
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 and older must bring the required ID, which can be either:
One of the following documents:
- passport
- driving licence
Or 2 of the following documents:
- rail or bus pass (with photo card)
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- credit or debit card
- rent book
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). The money can be used to buy food and drink from the cafe in the visits hall.
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 is a visitors centre at Eastwood Park, which includes toilet facilities. Visitors are offered a warm welcome, information and support. It is open from 1pm to 4:45pm on visiting days (closed Monday and Thursday).
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
Eastwood Park hosts 3 family days a year for residents. Contact Eastwood Park for details.
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.
Residents 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.
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 from the resident, 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 also send postal orders and cheques. These should be made payable to ‘HM Prison Service’ and include the resident’s name and prison number on the back.
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.
Taking gifts when visiting
You can bring up to 10 items from the approved list for a resident 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 residents to be ‘listeners’ for those who need support during difficult times.
Arrival and first night
When a resident 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 residents. There are phones in every room.
It has a mother and baby unit for women with children under 18 months old.
Education and work
Residents 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 residents 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 residents, 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.
Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minute survey.
Published 2 October 2019
Last updated 5 June 2020 + show all updates
Last updated 5 June 2020 + show all updates
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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.