Their phone list
How to get your number on the PIN list
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
They start itThe prison checks itNo published deadline
Someone you love is in prison. This list decides if they can ring you. Little of it is written down. You cannot start it from outside.
Every fact below links to HMPPS policy or GOV.UK. Where the prison decides, we say so.
Checked against the published rates.
One
What the PIN phone system is
People in prison cannot have a mobile phone. They ring you from a prison phone. They use a PIN. It is their own code. It pays from their own money.[1]
The phone only dials numbers on their account. GOV.UK says they can only call people on their list of friends and family. Security check that list when they first arrive.[1]
You cannot ring in. There is no number to call. There is no form to fill in. It all starts with them.[1]
Why the checks exist
The list stops people in prison contacting people they must not. That means victims and witnesses. It means anyone a court has barred them from.[3, 7.5][2, 2.26]
Policy makes the checks compulsory for some groups. They include people held as category A. People remanded or convicted of terrorism offences. People seen as a risk to children. People dealt with for harassment or stalking, or under a court order. People identified as domestic abuse perpetrators. People dealt with for a sexual offence listed in Schedule 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. And people who may intimidate victims or witnesses.[3, 7.5]
For everyone else, the same policy says checking is not mandatory. It can be “considered and managed locally in consideration of risk and resource”.[3, 7.5] That is why two prisons can treat two families differently. It is why this page often says to ask the wing.
Staff can listen to and record most calls. Some are not monitored. Calls to a legal adviser are one example.[1] The person inside signs a communications compact when they arrive. It sets this out.[3, 8.1]
Two
How a number gets added
What they do
Ask staff to add the number
They put your number forward for their PIN account. How a prison takes that request — a paper application, wing staff, or a kiosk — varies, and the policy does not set one method. Ask the wing which it is. [UNVERIFIED — check source]
Give your name and how they know you
Staff check how you know the person inside. That is what they will be asked.[3, 7.5]
Wait, and chase from the inside
Only they can ask the wing what has happened. There is no route from outside.
What you do
Get them the number, correctly
Read it out digit by digit on a call. Or send it by post. Have them read it back. One wrong digit is the failure nobody suspects. The form was accepted. No error is ever reported.
Answer the phone
The prison may ring you to check who you are. Take the call. Answer it honestly. See what they may ask you for.
Wait without reading into it
Neither of you is told when the check starts or ends. The first sign it worked is the phone ringing. Silence is not a refusal.
PSI 49/2011 allows up to 20 social numbers. That is for prisoners on a call enabling regime. There are 15 more for legal and confidential access numbers. Those are held apart.[2, 6.13] If they are near the limit, a number has to come off first.
Three
What they may ask you for
Where checks are done, policy says they must cover three things.[3, 7.5]
Who you are
That you are who the prisoner says you are.
How you know them
Your relationship to the person inside.
That you consent
That you are happy to be called on that number.
Proof you do not have
Some families are asked for a utility bill or a tenancy agreement. Or something else that shows the number or address is theirs. Nothing in the published policy sets a national list of documents, so what is asked for varies. [UNVERIFIED — check source]
You may not have what they ask for. The bill may be in a partner’s name. You may be staying with family. You may be in temporary housing. The account may be prepaid. Say so plainly. Explain what you do have. Ask the wing what else they will accept.
Do not borrow someone else’s documents. Do not put the number in another name. Do not describe the line as something it is not. A number added on a false basis can be taken off later. The person inside bears the cost.
If you are stuck, the Prisoners’ Families Helpline deals with this. It costs nothing. Details below.
Four
How long it takes
No published HMPPS policy sets a deadline for adding a number.
We looked. PSI 49/2011 gives no timescale. Nor does the interception policy framework. We would rather say that than invent one. If another guide quotes working days, ask where that came from.
GOV.UK does say security check the list when someone first arrives. It may take a few days before they can call at all.[1]
For numbers added later, policy tells staff to minimise delays. Each number should go on once it has been checked. Staff should not wait for a whole list to clear. Prisoners should be told of each addition as soon as is practical.[3, 7.8]
When it stalls
Check the digits first. It is the most common cause. Nothing is ever reported back as an error.
Then the person inside should ask the wing what has happened. They are the only one who can. If they get nowhere, they can use the prison’s complaints process. You can ring the Prisoners’ Families Helpline for advice on what to ask.
A number can also be refused. Policy lists reasons. One is intelligence that the number is an attempt to get around restrictions. Another is reason to think the number belongs to another prisoner.[3, 7.5] Prisons do not always say which applies.
Five
Diverts and other people’s numbers
HMPPS policy requires prisons to restrict requests to add 0800 numbers as social contacts, and numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. Such numbers can be used to divert calls to people the prisoner may not contact.[3, 7.9]
That framework was issued on 11 August 2026. It is the clearest statement of this rule. It applies across England and Wales. The rule, in their words.
The same paragraph says there are exceptions. It points to a separate operations manual. We have not been able to read that manual, so we cannot tell you what the exceptions are. [UNVERIFIED — check source]
Several companies sell families a landline number that forwards calls to a mobile. How those numbers are built. On the policy as written, those are the numbers it describes.
A refused number costs the person inside their contact with you. So does one withdrawn later. What to check if a number stops working. Weigh that risk before paying anyone for a number.
Where this applies to us
ringyard sells a landline number. So this paragraph is about us too. Our number rings your own handset directly. It does not forward a call from one line to another.
Whether a prison treats that as inside the restriction is their call, not ours. We cannot promise it will be accepted. Do not believe any company that does. A prison approves a number. The person inside applies for it. Nobody can sell that to you in advance.
If the wing asks how the number works, tell them exactly what it is. Never call it something else.
Other people’s numbers
Prisoners may ring business numbers. But only to speak to family and friends. They may not make commercial enquiries or order goods by phone.[2, 6.18, 6.19]
One number on several prisoners’ accounts draws attention. Policy gives a reason not to add a number. That is a reasonable suspicion it belongs to another prisoner.[3, 7.5] If your household is in touch with more than one person inside, say so when asked.
Six
Free help from people who know
All three are charities. None of them sells you anything. All of them know more about this than we do.[4]
Prisoners’ Families Helpline
0808 808 2003
Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm.[5]
info@prisonersfamilies.org[4]
Pact
Prison Advice and Care Trust. Support for families and partners. Listed by GOV.UK for prisons in England and Wales.[4]
prisonadvice.org.uk
POPS
Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group. Also listed by GOV.UK.[4]
partnersofprisoners.co.uk
GOV.UK also lists Barnardo’s, the Prison Reform Trust, Nepacs, Ormiston Families and Invisible Walls. It lists separate services for Scotland and Northern Ireland.[4]
Common questions
- What is a PIN phone in prison?
- The prison phone they ring you from. They use a PIN, their own code, and it pays from their own money. It only dials numbers on their list of friends and family. You cannot ring in.
- Can I add my own number to a prisoner's phone list?
- No. The request must come from the person inside. They give the number to the prison. Prison security decide if it goes on their account. You cannot send anything in from outside.
- How many numbers can they have?
- PSI 49/2011 allows up to 20 social numbers. That is for prisoners on a call enabling regime. There are 15 more for legal and confidential access numbers. Those are held apart. Prisons can vary this within the limit. Ask the wing what applies.
- How long does it take to be approved?
- No published HMPPS policy sets a deadline. GOV.UK says security check the list when someone first arrives. It may take a few days before they can call. After that, staff should add each number as it clears. Policy sets no time limit for it. If it has been weeks, the person inside should ask the wing.
- Will the prison ring me?
- They may. For some groups of prisoners the checks are compulsory. Staff must confirm who you are. They must confirm how you know the person. They must check you are happy to be called. For other groups it is up to the prison. Answer the phone and tell the truth.
- Can a prisoner call a number that forwards to a mobile?
- HMPPS policy says prisons must restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. Such numbers can be used to get round restrictions. Any service that forwards calls fits that description. The policy says there are exceptions. They are in a manual we have not been able to read. If you are asked how a number works, say so plainly.
Where this came from
Open any of them and check us. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us. We will correct it.
[1]Staying in touch with someone in prison
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-23.
https://www.gov.uk/staying-in-touch-with-someone-in-prison[2]Prisoner communications policy: PSI 49/2011
HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice — in force since 1 October 2011, page last updated 11 August 2026. Read 2026-08-23.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prisoner-communications-policy-psi-492011[3]Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework
HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice — issued 11 August 2026. Read 2026-08-26.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interception-monitoring-and-security-of-prisoner-communications-policy-framework[6]Send money to someone in prison
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-30.
https://www.gov.uk/send-prisoner-money[7]Incentives policy framework
HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice — current version. Read 2026-08-30.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/incentives-policy-framework[8]Find a prisoner
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-30.
https://www.gov.uk/find-prisoner[9]Visit someone in prison
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-30.
https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits[4]Support for families and friends of prisoners
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-23.
https://www.gov.uk/support-for-families-friends-of-prisoners[5]Prisoners' Families Helpline
prisonersfamilies.org — opening hours read from the site. Read 2026-08-23.
https://www.prisonersfamilies.org/[10]Social contact in prison: April 2019 to June 2024
Ministry of Justice — published 11 December 2025. Figures cover the year to June 2024. Read 2026-09-21.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-contact-in-prison-april-2019-to-june-2024[11]Staying in touch with someone in prison: letters, video and telephone calls
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-09-25.
https://www.gov.uk/staying-in-touch-with-someone-in-prison/letters-video-and-telephone-calls[12]Stop prisoner contact
HM Prison and Probation Service, on GOV.UK — current service. Read 2026-09-25.
https://www.gov.uk/stop-prisoner-contact[13]Get support as a victim of crime: if you're contacted by a prisoner
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-09-25.
https://www.gov.uk/get-support-as-a-victim-of-crime/if-youre-contacted-by-a-prisoner
Some lines are marked [UNVERIFIED — check source]. We could not find those in a published document. They are flagged, not guessed. This page is not legal advice. It does not replace what the prison tells you.
A landline that goes on the list like any other.
ringyard sells a landline number for families of people in prison. Calls from prison to a landline cost less than calls to a mobile. So their money goes further. Two of the options compared cost nothing.
No term. Stop in one tap.