What can you send in, and what gets it sent back?

The honest answer: letters, photos and money nearly always; everything else depends on the prison. Here is what usually works, what never does, and how to check first.

Nearly always fine

• Letters and cards. No stickers, no glitter, no perfume (it triggers drug checks), nothing glued in. Plain and heartfelt beats fancy.
• Printed photos. Usually a handful per letter, nothing explicit, and some prisons refuse polaroids. Write their name and number on the back.
• Money, through the free GOV.UK service, never cash in an envelope. See how much is worth sending.
• Email a Prisoner messages, where the prison takes the service.

Sometimes fine, check first

• Clothes and trainers. Easier on remand. After conviction it usually needs a property app approved first, and many prisons only take hand-ins at visits or at set times. Check colours too: some ban all black or anything with a hood.
• Books. Usually only direct from an approved retailer, ordered online and delivered to the prison with their name and prisoner number on it.
• Radios, watches, other property. App first, always. Unrequested parcels sit in storage.

Never

• Food, toiletries or vapes (they buy these from the canteen).
• Cash in envelopes, stamps stuck loose inside, or SIM cards.
• Anything soaked, sprayed, or with things hidden in it. Post is checked, dogs are good, and a stupid favour can add years. If someone pressures you to send something in, that is a problem to raise, not a favour to do.

The golden rule

Every prison publishes its own rules, and they change. Before sending anything beyond a letter, ring the prison or check the official rules on GOV.UK and the prison's own page. Thirty seconds of checking saves a returned parcel and a disappointed phone call. Every prison also has a page in our prison directory with its official links.

Common questions

What can I always send to prison?

Letters and cards, printed photos (no polaroids in some places, nothing explicit, and usually a limit per letter), and money through the GOV.UK service. Email a Prisoner messages also always get through where the prison takes the service. Everything else varies by prison.

Can I send clothes into prison?

Sometimes. Remand prisoners can usually receive clothes. Convicted prisoners often have to wait until a property application (an app) is approved, and many prisons only accept clothes handed in at a visit or sent at set times. Always check with the prison first or the parcel can sit in storage for months, or get sent back.

Can I send books to a prisoner?

Yes, but usually not from home. Most prisons require books to come direct from an approved retailer, so order online and have it delivered to the prison with their name and prisoner number. Check the prison’s rules for which retailers they accept.

What is banned from being sent in?

The obvious: drugs, weapons, phones, SIM cards. Less obvious: perfume-sprayed letters (drug checks), stickers and glued-in items, polaroid photos in some prisons, cash in envelopes, food and toiletries in nearly all prisons, and anything with a hood or the wrong colour clothing in some. When in doubt, ask before sending.

Why did my parcel get rejected when someone else’s got in?

Because every prison sets its own property rules, and even the same prison applies them differently on remand and after conviction. The rules also change after drug finds. It is not personal. Ring the prison or check its page on GOV.UK before sending anything beyond letters.