Policy
Call forwarding for prison calls.
Most landlines that ring a mobile forward the call: one call in, a second out to you. Prisons are told to restrict numbers like that. Ours doesn’t forward.
Checked against GOV.UK and HMPPS policy.
What it is
That's a divert.
You get a UK landline number. When they dial it, the provider answers. Then it sends the call on to your mobile. Two calls. Two lines.
Most numbers sold for prison calls work this way. We checked 11 companies. All 11 pass the call on: BluePhone, Call From Prison, Cellphone Rocks, FoneSavvy, Locked Talk, NeatPhone, PhoneSavvy, Prison Calls, Prison Phone, Prison Phone Calls, Second Ring. Each comparison shows the date we checked.
The rule
What prisons are told to restrict.
Paragraph 7.9 of the prison rules on calls, the interception policy framework (its current version is dated 11 August 2026), tells prisons to restrict 0800 numbers as social contacts, and “numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services”.[3, 7.9]
The reason
Who they can reach, not what a family pays. A divert can get round a ban on calling someone.
Exceptions exist
They sit in a manual we haven't been able to read. This page can't name them.
How to tell
Ask, in writing.
Ask the company: “Does this number take the call and send it on to another line?” A useful answer is yes or no, not a slogan.
If they mention an app, Wi-Fi calling or a platform in the middle, assume the call is passed on. Ask them to show you otherwise. If the number lives on your phone as a second line, and the call ends there, nothing is passed on.
ringyard is built that way. The prison checks it, like any number.[1]
If it stops
Start with a wrong digit.
Then a number that was never live on the list. Then a move. The divert rule is one cause. Check it last.
Only the person inside can ask the wing what happened to that number. You can't ring in to ask.[1]
Questions
The short answers.
Can I use call forwarding for prison calls?
You can buy a number that works that way. But prisons are told to restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. A number like that can be refused when it's put forward. Or it can be taken off the list later. There are exceptions. They sit in a manual we haven't been able to read.
Why do prisons restrict forwarded numbers?
The published reason is control over who they contact. A diverted number can be used to reach someone they're barred from calling. The concern is who they reach, not what a family pays.
What if my forwarded number already works?
Keep it for now. Don't switch in a panic. Ask the person inside to check it's still live on their list. If it stops, they should ask the wing why. The helpline is 0808 808 2003.
Is ringyard call forwarding?
No. The landline number sits on the phone you carry. A call to it is a call to you. Nothing is passed from one line to another. The prison checks it, like any number.
Check us
- Staying in touch with someone in prison. GOV.UK, current guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Read it yourself
- Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework. HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice, issued 11 August 2026. Read 26 August 2026. Paragraph 7.9 points to a separate operations manual for exceptions. We have not read it. Read it yourself
A landline that doesn't pass the call on.
The number lives on the phone you have. One call, not two. The prison checks it, like any number.
£20 a month · No risk · Stop any time