Every cell now has a phone
A major project to install a landline telephone in every jail cell has now been completed – allowing prisoners to keep in touch with their families and friends more easily.
According to the Prison Service, all 92 closed public-sector prisons in England and Wales were fully fitted with phones by February 24. When Justice Minister Lord Bellamy announced the date in January, the work had been done at 86 prisons with six more to go.
Previously, prisoners used payphones on landings – but there were regular complaints about calls being overheard and fights in queues. The in-cell PIN phones work in the same way, with prisoners buying credits and restricted to dialling security-cleared numbers.
Installation of in-cell phones began before Covid, and by mid-2020 around half the estate had in-cell phones. Installation at women’s prisons was completed in 2021. Open and privately-managed prisons are not included.
The Scottish Prison Service announced last year that it would install in-cell phones at its 13 jails, to replace mobile phones.
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