How prison phone calls work.
They ring you. You can't ring them. Here's one prison phone call, from start to finish.
Checked against GOV.UK and the published rates.
One call
From the list to hang-up.
Your number goes on their list
They can only ring people on their list of friends and family. Security checks it when they arrive. GOV.UK says that can take a few days.
They ring from a prison phone
Calls go out. You can't ring in. Each prison decides when the phones are on.
They pay by the minute
From their own account. The rate is set by the kind of number they dial.
Staff can listen
Most calls can be listened to and recorded. Calls to a legal adviser aren't monitored.
GOV.UK is the source for the list, the phone and the listening.[11] The rates are the HMPPS tariff. The full table is on What calls cost them.
The rate
The number they dial sets the price.
- 2.48p
- a minute to a landline, on a weekday
- 5.50p
- a minute to a mobile, on a weekday
HMPPS tariff
HMPPS tariff
It all comes out of their account. At the landline rate, the same money buys twice the talk.
The rule
Numbers that pass calls on.
Prisons are told to restrict “numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services”.[3, 7.9] A number that passes the call on can be refused, or taken off later.
From families
Calls from each prison.
How long the phone list and the first call took, at 55 prisons. Families shared it on PrisonCheck.[19]
Families share these waits on PrisonCheck. They aren't official. The same small company runs PrisonCheck and ringyard. Figures as of 14 November 2026.
Questions
The short answers.
How do phone calls work in prison?
The person inside rings you from a prison phone. You can't ring in. They can only ring numbers on their list of friends and family. Security checks that list when they arrive. They pay for each call from their own account.
How many phone calls do prisoners get?
GOV.UK gives no daily number. They pay for each minute from their own account. Each prison sets its own phone times and how long a call can last. Ask them, or the prison, what applies.
Can I call someone in prison?
No. They have to ring you. GOV.UK says you can swap voice messages through the Prison Voicemail service.
Are prison calls recorded?
Most can be. Staff can listen to and record most types of call. Some aren't monitored, for example a call to a legal adviser.
Why do prison calls cost less to a landline?
The rate is set by the number they dial. On weekdays a call to a mobile is 5.50p a minute. A call to a landline is 2.48p. On a weekday, the same money buys twice the talk.
Are prison video calls free?
GOV.UK says one video call a month is free. A call lasts up to 30 minutes. Only some prisons offer them. You must be over 18 and on their list.
Check us
- 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
- Staying in touch with someone in prison: letters, video and telephone calls. GOV.UK, current guidance. Read 25 September 2026. States that the prisoner has to call you from a prison phone, only to people on their list of friends and family, that the list is checked on arrival, and that most calls can be listened to and recorded. It gives no daily number of calls. On letters: write their prisoner number on the envelope, and staff check most letters. Read it yourself
- Phone list and first call waits reported by families. PrisonCheck, 456 phone list reports from 104 prisons, figures as of 14 November 2026. Read 14 November 2026. Families report these waits themselves. They aren't official. A prison gets its own figure only once five families have shared. The same small company runs PrisonCheck and ringyard. Read it yourself
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