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Hmp cardiff.

  • Inside Time Reports
  • 13th December 2014
  • Male Cat. B , Prison Visit , Wales

Prison information

Address: HMP CARDIFF, Knox Road Cardiff CF24 0UG Switchboard: 02920 923100 Managed by: HMPPS Region: Wales Category: Male Cat. B Link to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cardiff-prison

Description

The establishment holds adult convicted and remand prisoners and those awaiting sentence. It is designated to hold category B and C prisoners, including life-sentenced prisoners.

Phone: 0300 303 2301 Email: [email protected]

The lines will be open Monday to Friday from 09:00-17:00

Visit Booking: Online

Use this online service to book a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales you need the:

  • prisoner number
  • prisoner’s date of birth
  • dates of birth for all visitors coming with you

The prisoner must add you to their visitor list before you can book a visit.

You’ll get an email confirming your visit. It takes 1 to 3 days.

ID: Every visit Children’s Visits: Family days

Acceptable forms of ID

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  • Category C - NEW
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2 thoughts on “ HMP CARDIFF ”

Hi, I have my partner in your prison, he says it’s one of the best he’s been too, not that he’s been to many through crime, it’s through bring passed around. The only complete I have is getting through on the phone for a visit. My example today, I’v been ringing none stop since 9.30 after returning from the nursery run, and I mean none stop as redial, redial. The most annoy thing was I got through 4 times for the phone to be ringing, but no reply. For it then again tone engaged. I don’t get a chance to visit much as I don’t drive, plus I live miles away.so when I get a chance of someone bringing me, I can never get through for a visit. Yes I understand the lines are busy. But it’s so frustrating when there not answered. I’m hoping I now get through this afternoon as I have a little boy who’s not seen his daddy for 6 weeks now. This shouldn’t be his punishment…

Cardiff Prison I am a Cardiff-based writer who wondered whether there might be any opportunity to offer to facilitate a Reading/ Writing group at the prison. G.K.B.

Editorial: You should write a letter to the governor setting out what you would like to do, your qualifications to offer it and how you think it might benefit prisoners.

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HMP Cardiff, Visits & getting there

Visiting information for Cardiff is shown below:

  • Mon: 13:45 – 14:45 & 15:00 – 16:00
  • Tue: 13:45 – 14:45 & 15:00 – 16:00
  • Wed: 13:45 – 14:45 & 15:00 – 16:00
  • Thu: 13:45 – 14:45 & 15:00 – 16:00
  • F ri: 13:45 – 14:45 & 15:00 – 16:00
  • Sat: 09:45 – 11:15 & 13:50 – 15:20
  • Sun: 13:50 – 15:20

There are no visits on the 1 st Wednesday of each month, Xmas Day, Boxing Day or Good Friday. For all other bank holidays a “Saturday” timetable runs.

You can book online at www.gov.uk/prison-visits All you need is the name and date of birth of the person you are visiting , their prisoner number and details of the visitors. You can choose up to 3 possible dates and times. Prison booking staff will check what’s available and confirm your visit by email. You’ll also receive your visiting order (VO) number by email. You must bring this with you when you visit. If you’ve made an online visit booking request and haven’t received a confirmation email within 1-3 working days, email [email protected] . or telephone 029 2092 3327 – line open 08:30 -16:00 Mon – Fri.

You can book visits by phone on t029 2092 3327 during the week or by email at [email protected] . Don’t assume you have successfully booked a visit until the prison has confirmed the details with you.

There is a Visitors’ Centre that is open 7 days per week run by a national charity click here . . As at all prisons you can’t take mobiles, cigarettes etc into the prison and these can be left in lockers. You will be searched prior to being admitted to the prison and you need to provided photo ID and proof of address. You can take small amounts of cash in to buy drinks and freshments during your visit.

T he prison is very near to the city centre, any bus taking you into Cardiff passes the prison. The nearest main line station is Cardiff Central, the closest minor station is Cardiff (Queen Street) station about ¼ mile from the prison. If driving from the east leave M4 at Junction 29 where the road splits (Swansea, etc. to the right and Cardiff to the left onto A48M). Follow the dual carriageway and take the third exit (docks/Cardiff east, A4161). Remain on A4161 and follow signs for Cardiff City Centre, through several sets of traffic lights with Cardiff Royal Infirmary and the Blind Institute (Shand House) on your left. After passing the Blind Institute take first left into Fitzalan Road (before the Railway Bridge). From the west leave M4 at Junction 33 signposted Cardiff (Wales) Airport. At roundabout take second exit (A4232) and follow the dual carriageway, after passing through the Butetown tunnel take the first left then take second exit at the next roundabout. Follow this dual carriageway over a flyover, you will then see the walls of the Prison. Turn right and follow the wall – turn left and left again, the multi storey car park is now on your right.

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Blog Government Digital Service

https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2014/09/15/you-can-now-book-a-prison-visit-online/

You can now book a prison visit online

You can now book a prison visit online

Booking a prison visit should be simple and straightforward. Until now that was far from the case. Booking a visit required both prisoner and visitor to jump through hoops: paper forms and drawn-out phone calls. And if the visit date turned out to be impossible, they had to start all over again.

Now you can book a visit online . It takes about 5 minutes. Before, picking an available date was pot luck. Now there's a date-picker that lets you select 3 possible slots instead of 1. It’s a straight-forward service with user-needs at its heart but, if you get stuck, you can call the prison's visits booking line and someone will help you with the booking.

Here's a very short film we've made about it:

By making it easier to book visits, prisoners will see more of their friends and family. Evidence suggests this will help their rehabilitation. Transformation isn't just about websites.

The service was built by the Ministry of Justice, with a combined team from the National Offender Management Service, HM Prison Service and MoJ Digital Services.

For more of the story behind this service, read Mike Bracken's account of his trip to HMP Rochester or check out the service’s transformation page .

Join the conversation on Twitter , and don't forget to sign up for email alerts .

You may also be interested in:

  • Prison visit booking: using digital analytics to inform alpha development
  • Making prison visits easier to book
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Sharing and comments

Share this page, 20 comments.

Comment by Pauline posted on 23 August 2015

How do you find out the prisoners number??? so you can go ahead with online booking of a visit?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 24 August 2015

You can find a prisoner using this service: https://www.gov.uk/find-prisoner However it will be the prisoner's responsibility to get in touch with you to let you know their prison number etc.

Comment by linda posted on 15 August 2015

This service does not appear to work this is day 2 trying to use it

Comment by Olivia posted on 30 July 2015

Hi, If a visit is booked and someone cant make it, is it possible to change the name of one of the people to someone else?

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 30 July 2015

It's best to contact the prison directly if this happens. You can find contact details here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder

Thanks, Louise

Comment by Paige posted on 28 July 2015

Hi my partner was sent to nottingham today, I was on his previous list 4 months ago for a visit. Will that still be on the system all will it have to he put through again if so how long does it take to be approved for a visit? Thanks Paige.

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 29 July 2015

You might want to get in touch with the prison first before booking a visit. You can find the contact details of the prison here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder

Comment by Debs posted on 27 July 2015

Hello Is there a list of prisons where online booking can't be used?

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 28 July 2015

According to the information on this page: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits , you can arrange a visit to any prison in England and Wales through this service. If you're visiting someone in Northern Ireland or Scotland you'll need to contact the prison directly.

This link also lists the type of visits that are not covered by the online service: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits so you need to get in touch with the prison directly.

Hope that's helpful.

Comment by c.steer posted on 26 July 2015

So how do I find the booking form to fill in I am new to computers

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 27 July 2015

Here's the link to the booking form: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits

You'll need this information to complete the form:

prisoner number prisoner’s date of birth dates of birth for all visitors coming with you make sure the person you’re visiting has added you to their visitor list

Hope that's useful.

Comment by Shawnaa posted on 09 May 2015

i have a visit booked which i did online but i do not have a visiting order woll the prison let me in?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 11 May 2015

Your identity will be checked on arrival to make sure you’re on the visitor list.

Comment by jessicca posted on 27 January 2015

What happens after you book the visit and its confirmed by email do you need the visiting order ?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 29 January 2015

The Visiting Order (VO) number is generated by the booking system, it is included in your confirmation email and you will need this to change or cancel a booking.

However, if you're visiting a prison the guidance is that you only need your ID, not the VO number. If when you visit the prison you are asked for the VO number you should report this via the Contact Us link on the Prison Visits Booking form.

I hope that helps.

Comment by Ilysa Mcnally posted on 18 November 2014

How late in advance can I book e.g. book a visit today (Tuesday) for the Sunday coming???

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 19 November 2014

Hi Ilysa. Thanks for your question. A visit needs to be booked 3 working days in advance. So in this case, the visit request would have to be no later than Tuesday to allow for a visit on Sunday.

Comment by carole posted on 23 October 2014

How far in advance can you book visits

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 23 October 2014

Hi Carole. You can book up to 28 days in advance. Thanks for your question.

Comment by kimberly posted on 16 August 2015

does anyone know how to cancel a visit online?

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Cardiff Prison Information

Contact information, booking a visit to cardiff prison.

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Cardiff Prison

Tel: 02920 923100  –  Knox Road, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF24 0UG

HMP Cardiff is located in the Adamstown area of the city, and is a category B local / training prison. It houses male adults, mostly those who come from the catchment area surrounding Cardiff. The prison has been there since the Victorian era, and was built to replace Cardiff Gaol, which was deemed unable to cope with the sheer volumes of prisoners. Since its construction, the prison has undergone many improvements, though has not been without its controversy. Its capacity is currently 784. If you’d like to visit HMP Cardiff, please use the map on this page.

Tel: 02920 923100

Operational capacity: 784 as of 4th September 2008

Knox Road, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF24 0UG

Prison Phone have been saving inmates at HMP Cardiff money on their calls from the prison to any UK mobile phone since 2013.

We do this by allocating a dedicated and secure local number to your mobile phone, this means when the inmate at Cardiff prison calls the new local number we have provided they will be charged at just the local landline rate (around 10p per minute) rather than the standard mobile rate (which is around 40p per minute).

This in turn helps to stretch the inmates PINS phone credit further and reduces the amount you need to send in for them to top up!

Send me Cardiff prison details via FREE SMS

Mobile number:

Here’s some facts about Cardiff Prison

HMP Cardiff is a category B prison in Cardiff, south Wales. Opened in 1832, the prison is in Adamsdown, Cardiff and can hold 784 male prisoners.

A total of 20 executions took place at HMP Cardiff, the last being 28 year old Mahmood Mattan on the 3 September 1952. He was wrongly accused of the murder of Lily Vorpet, and was sentenced to death by hanging. His case was quashed in September 1998, and the family were awarded £725,000, the first award to a family after a person was wrongfully hanged.

A group of four men were recently arrested after a homemade bomb made out of tea whiteners erupted in HM Prison Cardiff. Bethhan Jenkins said ‘That was very concerning to them as staff”.

To view the latest inspection report, click here.

Monday to Friday visits are 13:30 – 14:30 & 14:45 – 15:45. Saturday visits are  09:45 – 10:45 & 13:30 – 14:30. Sunday visits are 13:30 – 15:00.

20 executions have taken place at HMP Cardiff. All those who were executed were buried in unmarked graves within the prison grounds.

HMP Cardiff came under considerable criticism in 1997, when it was discovered that they were chaining sick prisoners to their beds.

Keith Allen spent time here as a remand inmate .

Prison Phone offers phone tariffs that reduce the costs of calls from this prison by up to 75%! This enables prisoners to get the support and love that they are missing from home, while reducing costs for the inmate. Find out more below.

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The truth about life inside Cardiff prison and the people trying desperately to stop inmates from taking their own lives

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Beneath the stained glass windows of the prison chapel, 15 men are sat in a semi circle collecting a cardboard certificate and a mug. There's lots of banter and leg-pulling as each receives a round of applause and a handshake from the prison governor. Most of these men are Class A drug dealers. But, as of today, they're also recognised Listeners and can now support their fellow inmates in times of need.

visit prisoner in cardiff

We've joined the Samaritans on their weekly Saturday visit to Cardiff prison as part of the Listener scheme which started 32 years ago in Swansea prison after two prisoners took their own lives in a year. By training up willing prisoners on how to be a Listener, it means there's a team of in-house Samaritans on-call 24 hours a day in case someone at the prison needs to talk.

A runaway success, the scheme now operates in almost every prison in England, Scotland and Wales. Like Samaritans volunteers on the outside, Listeners do an essential task, preventing suicide and self-harm through confidential and non-judgemental emotional support. You can read what it's like to be a listener for the Samaritans here .

According to an analysis by the Office for National Statistics, male prisoners are 3.7 times more likely to die from suicide than the public. In the 12 months to June 2023, there were 88 suicide deaths in UK prisons, up from 70 in the previous 12 months. The latest Ministry of Justice report showed there were 59,722 recorded incidents of self-harm in prisons during the same period.

Behind the banter, the Cardiff inmates are serious. They speak earnestly, almost childlike in their sincerity, as they explain what it means to them individually to be recognised. Bonnie and Alice - for the Samaritans - look on with pride as the men talk openly and mix easily with them all handing out tea and coffee and a selection of biscuits and cakes.

visit prisoner in cardiff

One of the inmates - who I'll call Ed - was desperate to make me a cup of tea in his new mug which he did with touching care and attention. He's been inside for almost a year for drugs related offences, the 36-year-old tells me. The former Barry Boys School pupil thinks long and hard before answering my question about why he wanted to be a Listener.

"Because I thought I could be of help to others," he said. "And I feel quite privileged in here being able to read and write and learn new skills and I can put them to good use." He holds my gaze as he waits for my response. What's prison like, I ask.

"I was very naïve about prison," he continued. "It's a lot of time behind locked doors. It's a daily struggle just to navigate yourself from getting up every morning and going to bed at night."

Does he have any regrets? "My biggest regret would be only realising what's important in life until after it's too late," he said carefully. After a long pause, he adds: "And being in here is what's taught me what's important." He said a series of poor decisions led him to where he is today: "The more you focus on important things in life like home and family and being at peace with yourself and who you are as a person then the less chance you have of being here," he said with surprising insight.

visit prisoner in cardiff

There's undoubtedly a sense of comradery among the men and it feels less like prison than a football changing room. One of the biggest characters, Sam, is on remand for dealing Class A drugs. All of these men are criminals and they've broken the law; even so, 52-year-old Sam has a kindly presence.

Many of the inmates are the same faces time and time again, he said. “We believe we can put something back into the system," he explained about why he joined the Listeners. He works in the prison in the healthcare wing and his ready smile is easy going. "When people first come in, they may not know about the listener scheme," he added.

"Not all prisoners are bad. These people need our help. Some of the calls we go through are horrific. We are the buffer between the staff and the prisoners and they actually listen to us. They may not know there’s something to help them so we can point them in the right direction."

visit prisoner in cardiff

Being a Listener is entirely confidential with Listeners given the same intensive training as Samaritans. Common problems include stress, and relationship problems. Often, once they start talking, the men will reveal trauma from their childhood such as sexual abuse. Those coming off drugs can be psychotic too. Nothing fazes Sam and he believes former drug dealers lend themselves to being a Listener. "It takes a lot of courage for men to talk," he said.

Next to him Ant explained he’d come in at 19 and was now one of the new Listeners: "It’s good to help someone because you feel good about it," he said. He doesn't say much and his words have little emotion. Now aged 21, he doesn't seem too bothered by any of it. When I ask where he's from he says simply: "Pill innit," and gives a explanatory smile. In for dealing Class A drugs, he added: "I handle situations really well, I just get on with it. When you are in your cell you have a lot of time to think. I feel bad for my victims and all the people I’ve hurt."

What skills have they learned with their Samaritans training I ask. They look at each other as they list empathy, how to speak to people, the importance of keeping an open mind and patience.

Rees, 33, is also in for Class A drugs. "Prison does help if you want to help yourself," he said. "If you try your hardest, it can be good for you." He’s been a listener for two years but he is anxious about the prospect of freedom: "Everything is slow and calm in here," he said. "Everything will be fast out there." The inmates are united in their belief that there is minimal support for prisoners when they first arrive and when they leave too. That’s when they really look out for people struggling.

"I do regret what I did," he said. "I’ve lost my business too."

visit prisoner in cardiff

In practice, a prisoner can ask a prison guard to call out a Listener at any time and, if the guard thinks that prisoner genuinely needs a visit, that guard will find out which Listener is on duty and arrange for that Listener to be brought to the prisoner who has requested it to have a private talk. Scot has been in for two years for drugs offences and became a Listener after a call was put out to get men into reception to “meet and greet” new prisoners.

"Everyone is different," he said about new arrivals. "Some are upset, others are cocky." The quiet ones tend to be the one's he'll have a chat to and reassure them that everything will be okay. They all know how hard it is to be away from loved ones.

For Dai, being away from his family is difficult: "The hardest bit is being kept away from my daughter," he said. She was seven when he was jailed and she’s nine now. Aside from family and relationship issues, he reckons around 90% of the men he sees struggling are because of the withdrawal from vapes and/or smoking.

visit prisoner in cardiff

The Listeners are recognised by prison staff and they’re allowed to wander between wings chatting to prisoners and making themselves known. Some prison guards are more supportive of the scheme than others but the governor, Andy, is wholeheartedly behind it. His job is to monitor levels of self harm, suicide and acts of violence and today, he's handing out the Listener awards. "The work you do helps people in crisis," he told the men. "It’s a big achievement because the lessons you learn here are life lessons."

Active listening is a skill many will take away with them. Some are keen to really turn life around, if not for themselves then at least for their families. Dai and Will say they were “caught up” in drugs couriering, tempted by the “easy money” on offer. One drove tankers and the other had a vehicle recovery business. Dai’s only regret is the fact his son was born in the middle of 2020, just as he went to jail.

“I started to chat to people,” he said about the Listener scheme. "I’ve seen a lot of change to myself. Before people would start talking and I would think: ‘Here we go’. Then one day I thought to myself, this boy does have problems. Just by listening and interacting, you go away with a much better feeling." He's started studying a degree in counselling and psychology while in prison and is due out this year.

visit prisoner in cardiff

What they do is a thankless task really, said Sam. "If we don’t enjoy what we’re doing it would be easy to quit," he said. But as Listener they know they’ve “made a difference” and that’s enough.

"Just being yourself is a massive help to me," said Ross. "We are just individuals, it’s just us being real. When you see the change you know that you’ve done that." Dai added: "Sometimes all they really need is a cwtch." It's not a word I'd usually associate with a criminal, but this is a man who regrets what he's done. He estimates he's seen six deaths since he’s been in Cardiff prison. They all know what it means to feel isolated and hopeless.

Sitting slightly apart from the others is Joe, a 23-year-old with a five-year sentence for dealing Class A and B drugs. He was in juvenile detention aged 17 and seems nonplussed by his incarceration as an adult. He’s a newly graduated Listener: “I was aware that people struggled mentally in custody", he said. "This does give people an outlet. I wanted to use my time productively. Five years out of a lifetime isn’t that long."

He's quietly spoken and looks at the floor as he speaks. "I find it easy, all my friends are in jail," he continued. From the Welsh Valleys, the Organised Crime Squad finally caught up with him after years of dealing. It's all he's ever known, he said. "If you’ve been involved in serious crime you don’t find anything intimidating," he added.

He won't be out until 2027 at the earliest and so he'll be familiar with prison life by the end. He knows he "owes a lot of time to my girlfriend" to make up for his dealing days but in the meantime he wants to study business and finance, skills he said come naturally to drug dealers.

visit prisoner in cardiff

Before the Saturday session ends, the Listeners are taken into a private room with Bonnie and Alice for a debriefing session, an opportunity for the men to offload anything difficult they may have heard or wish to discuss. It’s something which happens after every Samaritans shift too and is vitally important to the volunteers to help keep their personal lives separate from what they hear in the job.

Alice works in customer service professionally but is a Samaritan in her spare time. "It’s really rewarding," she said. "They [the prisoners] also really value as well. They know we’re giving up our free time so they see us as equals."

"You do get a good feeling helping people who need support," she added.

"People can be quick to write people off but they still deserve respect and support," said Bonnie over a cup of tea after we've left prison. She explained how many prisoners decide to become Listeners because they’ve been helped themselves by a Listener. They have to go through a security check to get the training but there’s no crime which precludes becoming one.

From that first interview with Bonnie and Alice to receiving their certificate at the end, both women enjoy seeing the change in the prisoners, particularly each man's personal growth and self confidence. The training they get and the perks of a Listener, right down to the green t-shirts they're allowed to wear, is a privilege and the men know that, said Bonnie

"Is it wrong to say that we enjoy it?" she continued. "We’re privileged to be told something they’ve never told anyone."

But as volunteers, they are thinly stretched and keen to demonstrate just how rewarding the job can be. They are desperately seeking new volunteers to join them.

visit prisoner in cardiff

During Covid, they took calls from all professions, and an awful lot of ambulance staff, doctors and nurses. "Some calls do stay with you," they admitted. It's inevitable when you consider the volume of calls they field. The organisation takes five million calls each year, 37,000 of which come from prisoners in the UK. The Listeners inside Cardiff prison have dealt with 432 of their own calls.

"I find it humbling because people will open up to you," said Bonnie. "And when people thank you at the end of a call and thank you for being there, it feels good."

Being a Listener can have its benefits both outside the jail walls and within the social fabric of prisons. It undoubtedly confers respect from prisoners and officers alike, something which is clearly evident during our Saturday visit. As a Listener, prisoners work their way up in the pecking order.

But there can be wider benefits to the Listener scheme too; nearly all the prisoners believe change needs to occur at a multitude of levels, including the wider perception of prisons. There’s a mentality if you are tough on crime and brutalise people, you will, somehow, stop reoffending.

But these men have shown that sometimes, the exact opposite is the case.

*Names have been changed

If you want to learn more about becoming a Listener for the Samaritans, visit the website here .

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Cardiff Prison address and contact details

Cardiff Prison Address and Contact details

HM Prison Cardiff

Cardiff Prison can be found in the Adamsdown area of the city, postcode CF24 0UG, and is a category B Local/Training Male only facility.

Operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Cardiff Prison holds prisoners from the surrounding court area of South East Wales and has a current capacity of 784 inmates in cellular accommodation. This was increased in 1996 after three older Victorian wings were refurbished and three new wings added to help house the number of life-sentenced prisoners, now standing at 96.

Overseen by the current governor, Richard Booty, Cardiff Prison accepts Category B & Category C prisoners along with those classed as stage 1 and stage 2 life sentences. It also houses people who have been remanded in custody from the local area. To assist inmates with their rehabilitation, the prison offers a full time education programme, training courses and employment in prison workshops, alongside a Detoxification Unit for those dependant on alcohol and drugs, a resettlement unit and work based courses.

Cardiff Prison Address Contact Details, Telephone Number and Postcode

Tel: 02920 923100

Fax: 02920 923318

Cardiff Prison Address Official website

Cardiff Prison Visiting Times

The prison has various social and official visiting times and is open to social visits throughout most of the year as follows…

Social Visiting Times

Mon: 1.45pm – 2.45 pm & 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Tue: 1.45pm – 2.45 pm & 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Wed: 1.45pm – 2.45 pm & 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Thu: 1.45pm – 2.45 pm & 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Fri: 1.45pm – 2.45 pm & 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Sat: 9.45am – 11.15am & 1.50pm – 3.20pm

Sun: 1.50pm – 3.20pm

N.B. There are no visits on the fist Wednesday of each month due to staff training.

No visits on Christmas Day, Boxing Day & Good Friday.

Other Bank Holidays are on a Saturday basis.

Cardiff Prison Official Visiting Times

9.15am – 10.30am

10.15am – 11.30am

2.00pm – 3.15pm

3.00pm – 4.15pm

For cardiff prison visit bookings, please telephone 02920 923327. Lines are open 9.00am – 7.30pm.

Cardiff Prison Address, Parking and How To Get There

Due to its location close to the city centre, Cardiff Prison has good transport links and is easily reached.

By Road: From M4 Westbound, leave the motorway at J29 onto the A48M signposted for Cardiff. Take the 3 rd exit off the dual carriageway onto the A4161 signposted to the Docks/East. Carry on along this road through several sets of traffic lights until you see the hospital on your left. Take the 1 st left after passing the Blind Institute into Fitzalan Road.

From M4 Eastbound, leave the motorway at J33 onto the A48M signposted for Cardiff Airport and take the 2 nd exit from the roundabout onto the A4232. Immediately after passing through the Buetown Tunnel, take the 1 st left and then the 2 nd exit off the roundabout. Follow the road over the flyover, from which you will see the prison walls, and then turn right, then left, then left again.

Parking: There is a multi-storey car park opposite the prison called the Knox Road Car Park, postcode CF24 0EA.

Train: Cardiff Queen Street station is adjacent to the prison and is only a 5 mins walk, a distance of approx. 400yards to the front entrance. Regular services are available from the main railway station in the city, Cardiff Central, or taxis are outside with journey times around 5-10mins depending on traffic.

Bus: Most bus services pass the prison on their way into the city centre. Ask your driver for more details on the best stop for you which you should alight, or call 029 2066 6444 for more information.

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Overcrowding.

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Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA): 534

Population: 765

Cardiff is a category B Victorian local prison serving courts in South Wales. It also holds category C prisoners, and has a separate unit on site for vulnerable prisoners.

Read Cardiff’s latest inspection report here.

About this information

Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) is the prison service’s own measure of how many prisoners can be held in decent and safe accommodation. Any occupancy above CNA means that the prison in question is overcrowded.

Prisons in England and Wales fall into four separate security categories. Some prisons can operate under more than one category.

Category A : Category A prisons are high security prisons, holding those individuals considered the most threatening to the public should they escape. Category A prisons should not be overcrowded, given the high levels of security required.

Category B: Category B prisons, or local prisons, are the largest category of prison. They tend to hold un-sentenced prisoners, prisoners on remand awaiting trial, short-sentenced prisoners or those newly sentenced and awaiting transfer to another prison category. Category B prisons tend to be the most overcrowded, with a constantly churning population.

Category C: Category C prisons are sometimes called ‘training prisons’. They are meant to offer education and training to prisoners and the vast majority of prisoners on longer sentences will spend time in Category C accommodation. Historically not overcrowded, we now see more and more Category C prisons running overcrowded regimes.

Category D: Category D prisons offer open conditions and house those who can be reasonably trusted not to try to escape. Prisoners in Category D prisons will be given Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL) to work in the community or go on home leave, usually returning to the prison in the early evening. The majority of Category D prisoners will be towards the end of their sentence, and their period in open conditions is preparing them for their eventual release. Category D prisons tend not to be overcrowded.

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Moonshine Saloon

Cell Block Nine-One

Cardiff’s ultimate immersive cocktail bar experience.

Behind the hustle and bustle of Cardiff’s thriving city centre is an alluring, hush-hush, immersive prison bar experience like no other. This secret cocktail speakeasy is for rule-breakers only; do the crime, sneak in your liquor past the Warden and spend the night in the clink with your favourite reprobates.

"We had a fantastic time! The actors were amazing and it was incredibly fun...from cleaning chores to library duties. Cocktails were to die for too!" "> Wendy Google
"The most fun i’ve ever had in Cardiff. I thought I’d experienced everything worth experiencing in the city, but this is honestly the most fun activity to do with friends that I have done. Highly recommend!" "> Samantha Google
"It was brilliant even before the performance started. It made you feel a part of a movie or TV show! We would all highly recommend this to all!!" "> Chris TripAdvisor

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What to Expect

Immersive storylines, amazing actors and secret cocktails. ​

Get ready for a hidden, hands-on encounter of the criminal kind where you’ll live and breathe an exciting theatrical prison experience.  Alcotraz Cell Block Nine-One is Cardiff’s only secret prison cocktail bar that is about to change your nights out. To some this is the City of Castles, to us it’s the city of crooks, and you’re about to serve time. So pass on the historic towers and take on the prison guards instead. 

Once convicted, you and your fellow inmates are taken into an exciting world of mischief, with instructions by an infamous bootlegging gang to smuggle-in your liquor of choice. Practice your poker face, smuggle your liquor and enjoy a night like no other as your contraband is transformed into a series of delicious, bespoke cocktails. There are no menus in prison, so you’ll have the opportunity to get creative with what you want. Once you make it to your cell, your expert ‘serving’ mixologist will create something criminally delicious for you, to suit your tastes.

Beyond the booze, there is a rich and exciting experience as you become an integral part of one of our Alcotraz stories. Be swept away in this immersive event as our first class actors, mind-blowing real jail cells and prison radio ensnare your senses and transport you into a night like no other. Become the inmate, the janitor or even the mole with one of our incredible stories – we can’t tell them without you!

Whether you’re here for a hen party, a very different and far less boring type of corporate event, or you’d like the private hire – your cell, and your jumpsuit, awaits.

Be ready for fun, surprises and a sentence that you’ll want to repeat again and again.

Visiting Hours

MONDAY Closed for visitors

TUESDAY 19:05 – 20:50

WEDNESDAY 19:05 – 20:50

THURSDAY 19:05 – 23:15

FRIDAY 16:40 – 23:15

SATURDAY 12:00 – 23:15

SUNDAY 16:40 – 18:25

Unit 9a Brewery Quarter, Caroline St, Cardiff, CF10 1AD

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  • Corporate Event

Your sentence is what you make of it, so whether you’re going up against the Warden, or simply trying to enjoy a smuggled drink in the clink, we have the perfect penitentiary experience for you and your teammates. If you’d like your own mission, or a personalised storyline for you and your company, then you won’t find a better corporate event in Cardiff than what’s on offer here at Alcotraz. Immersive, engaging and not to be beaten.

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  • Private Hire

Want to put you and your entire friend group, hen party or event into Alcotraz solitary? Yes, you can have the whole cell block to yourselves if you’re seeking a truly unforgettable event experience. If you’d like to book a block for a party, photoshoot or gathering, one of our Cardiff team can help make your immersive sentence completely bespoke.

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Want to get locked up before your nuptials are locked in? Choose Cardiff Cell Block Nine-One for a hen party to remember. Grab your gang, form a line up and celebrate with something completely, criminally different.

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  • Gift Vouchers

Give the gift of rehabilitation by sentencing a loved one to Alcotraz. Vouchers remain valid for one year from purchase.

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Christmas Convictions

Celebrate Christmas in style with a night at Alcotraz Cardiff. Whether you’re booking a small gathering for your nearest and dearest partners in crime, or looking to hire the whole penitentiary for your corporate accomplices, we’ll have you locked up in no time.

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Eat a Gourmet Meal at the Clink Prison Restaurant in Cardiff

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Located in the heart of Cardiff, Wales, The Clink Charity offers a unique and enlightening experience for visitors interested in social change, culinary excellence, and the rehabilitation of offenders. This innovative initiative not only serves as a bridge between the incarcerated individuals and the society but also challenges perceptions about prisoners and their potential to change. Through its restaurant and training programs, The Clink Charity showcases how focused efforts can lead to significant impacts on individuals’ lives and the community at large.

Discovering The Clink Charity

The journey into The Clink Charity begins with understanding its mission: to reduce reoffending rates by equipping prisoners with professional skills in catering and hospitality. Situated within or adjacent to prisons, The Clink Restaurants offer a real-world working environment where inmates can learn, work, and earn qualifications that are recognized outside the prison walls. Visitors to The Clink in Cardiff are treated not just to a meal but to an experience that challenges preconceptions and opens minds.

How does dining at The Clink Restaurant directly support inmate rehabilitation?

A culinary experience like no other.

Dining at The Clink is an adventure in itself. Guests can expect high-quality meals prepared under the guidance of professional chefs. Menus are seasonal, featuring locally sourced ingredients that highlight the best of Welsh cuisine while also incorporating international flavors. It’s not just about enjoying a delicious meal; it’s about supporting a cause that gives inmates a second chance at life through vocational training and employment support upon release.

Supporting Rehabilitation Through Engagement

By choosing to dine or participate in events at The Clink Charity in Cardiff, visitors play an active role in supporting inmate rehabilitation. Every booking contributes directly to funding the training programs that equip participants with essential skills for successful reintegration into society. Moreover, engaging with this charity offers insights into the power of redemption and how structured support can transform lives.

Planning Your Visit

To visit The Clink Restaurant in Cardiff, it’s recommended to book ahead due to its popularity among locals and tourists alike. While there, guests have the opportunity to learn more about the charity’s work through informational displays or talks arranged by staff members who are passionate about their mission. It’s an educational visit that leaves many inspired by what they learn about criminal justice reform and social enterprise.

Making a Difference Beyond Dining

Beyond enjoying a meal at The Clink Restaurant, there are numerous ways visitors can support this transformative charity. From volunteering opportunities to donations or simply spreading the word about their work, every action contributes towards making a difference in both inmates’ lives and society as a whole. Engaging with The Clink Charity is an invitation to be part of something larger than oneself—a movement towards positive change.

  • Innovative approach combining culinary excellence with offender rehabilitation
  • Real-world working environment for inmates within or adjacent to prisons
  • Seasonal menus featuring locally sourced ingredients highlighting Welsh cuisine
  • Every booking contributes directly towards funding prisoner training programs
  • Educational visits offering insights into criminal justice reform
  • Numerous ways for visitors to support beyond dining: volunteering, donations, advocacy

The Clink Charity

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Pope Francis is greeted by gondoliers upon his arrival in Venice.

Pope visits women’s prison in Venice and tours Vatican show at art Biennale

Pope Francis, 87, met inmates, staff and volunteers at Giudecca jail during first trip outside Rome for months

The pope has met female prisoners in Venice who are stars of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show, and urged the women to rebuild their lives in the first ever papal visit to one of the world’s biggest art gatherings.

Pope Francis, 87, arrived by helicopter in the courtyard of the women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, amid concerns over his health. He has not travelled outside Rome since visiting the French city of Marseille in September.

The pope, who throughout his papacy has spoken up in defence of prisoners and the marginalised, encouraged the women to reconstruct their lives “brick upon brick, together, with determination” during their time in prison.

Pope Francis, dressed in white and seated in a courtyard, speaks with a group of women who sit on a bench opposite him as prison staff look on

“Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering there,” he said, sitting in front of the prisoners. “But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth.”

Francis called on the prison system to “offer detainees the tools and room for human, spiritual, cultural and professional growth, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration”.

The pope toured an art exhibition housed at the prison which examines the daily lives of the inmates through the work of 10 different artists. The exhibit is the Vatican’s entry for this year’s Biennale festival of art , which began last weekend.

Pope Francis views a wall of small, framed paintings at the Giudecca’s women’s prison: he is seated in a wheelchair while attendants look on

As some of the women wept, Francis praised the art show. “Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolised by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” he said.

The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison – once a convent for reformed prostituted women – into one of the must-see attractions of this year’s Biennale, even though to see it, visitors must reserve in advance and go through a security check. It has become an unusual art world attraction, with visitors greeted at the entrance by Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet, a work that recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

Francis’s visit represented “a historic moment because he will be the first pope to visit the Venice Biennale,” said the exhibition’s lead curator, José Tolentino de Mendonça.

Later, during a meeting with young people at the iconic Santa María della Salute basilica, Francis acknowledged the miracle that is Venice, admiring its “enchanting beauty” and tradition as a place of east-west encounters, but warning that it was increasingly vulnerable to climate change and depopulation.

“Venice is at one with the waters upon which it sits,” Francis said. “Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment, it might even cease to exist.”

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Venice, sinking under rising sea levels and weighed down by the impact of overtourism, is in the opening days of an experiment to try to limit the sort of day trips that Francis undertook on Sunday.

This weekend, the city launched a new entry fee for daytrippers , aimed at easing the pressure of tourism on the Unesco world heritage site. As a guest, the head of the Catholic church was exempt from buying a €5 (£4.25) ticket – but non-resident pilgrims visiting for his mass had to pay.

Pope Francis waves as he is driven in a golf cart-like vehicle through a square; men in dark suits walk alongside the cart

Francis acknowledged Venice’s beauty in his homily at a mass before about 10,000 people in the shadow of St Mark’s basilica, one of the most celebrated churches in Italy .

But he said the city also faced an array of challenges, including climate change, the fragility of its cultural heritage, and overtourism. “Moreover, all these realities risk generating … frayed social relations, individualism, and loneliness,” he said.

Last year in December, a bout of bronchitis forced the pope to cancel a trip to Dubai, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks. He also pulled out of an Easter event at the last minute in March, after suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a “light flu”.

The pontiff, who uses a wheelchair, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, from knee pain to surgery for a hernia and on his colon. Despite his health, the Vatican is planning for him an ambitious 12-day trip to Asia in September, taking in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. Before that, the pope is due to make two other trips within Italy: to Verona in May and Trieste in July.

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Pope Francis visits Venice, says his work isn't easy

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  • Pope makes flying visit to Venice, first trip of 2024
  • Meets prisoners, youngsters and artists
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Pope Francis meets with faithful at the Venice Women's Prison on the Island of Giudecca

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Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah have expressed the political will to seek reconciliation through dialogue at unity talks in Beijing, China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

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Pope’s Visit to Art Exhibition in Prison Is a First for Venice Biennale

Incarcerated women serve as guides to the show, which reflects Pope Francis’ longtime commitment to society’s marginalized people.

Pope Francis sits in the courtyard of a building, with several others sitting on green benches.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Reporting from Venice and Vatican City

Landing by helicopter at a women’s prison where the Vatican has mounted its pavilion for the Venice Biennale international art exhibition, Pope Francis on Sunday told the women incarcerated there that they had a “special place in my heart.”

“Grazie,” one woman called out. Others applauded.

Many of the women had participated with artists in creating works that hang throughout the prison for the exhibition, titled “With My Eyes.” Francis, the first pope ever to visit — if briefly — a Venice Biennale, said that it was “fundamental” for the prison system “to offer detainees the tools and room for human, spiritual, cultural and professional growth, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration.”

“Not to isolate dignity, but to give new possibilities,” Francis said to applause.

Over the decades, countries participating in the Biennale — the world’s principal showcase for new art — have used deconsecrated churches, former beer factories, water buses and various other sites to display their art, but this was the first time a prison was selected.

That made the project “more complex and more difficult to implement,” Bruno Racine, the director of two venues of the Pinault Collection in Venice and a co-curator of the Vatican Pavilion, said in an interview. But the setting is consistent with Francis’ message of inclusivity toward marginalized people, he added.

The Vatican project has received an overwhelmingly positive public reception, but it has not been without controversy. Some critics raised ethical concerns about the intersection of powerful institutions like the Vatican and the Biennale with the limited autonomy of imprisoned women. Others suggested that the Vatican, in mounting the show, was complicit in a penal system in which overcrowding remains a serious issue .

Still others demanded that the pope request pardons or at least reduced sentences for any women who were incarcerated because they had responded violently to domestic abuse.

“I don’t think the Vatican has the power to have any influence over Italian justice,” Mr. Racine said of that idea.

While the Vatican has not publicly responded to the critiques, Francis has been consistently outspoken about domestic abuse, saying in 2021 that there was something “almost satanic” about the high number of cases of domestic violence against women.

He has also been a vocal advocate of prison reform, denouncing overcrowding and often meeting with inmates during his travels.

On Sunday, Francis said that prison was “a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence give rise to a great deal of suffering there.” But he said prison could also be a place where people’s dignity could be “promoted through mutual respect and the nurturing of talents and abilities, perhaps dormant or imprisoned by the vicissitudes of life.”

The pope described his artistic vision to artists he called to the Sistine Chapel last year , telling them to “think of the poor and to ensure that art went into the peripheries,” the Vatican’s culture chief, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, said earlier this year. On Sunday, Francis told artists involved with the Vatican project that “the world needs artists.”

The curators, Mr. Racine and Chiara Parisi, of Centre Pompidou-Metz, the French museum, selected a handful of artists to work with the incarcerated women to create works that are scattered through the prison.

One, a 1965 serigraph featuring the word Hope backward, was hung over the door of the prison canteen, where about a quarter of the 80-odd inmates who agreed to serve as guides to the show first meet visitors. The serigraph was created by the artist Corita Kent, a former nun and an activist for social justice who died in 1986.

The Lebanese artist Simone Fattal transcribed poems and reflections by the incarcerated women on lava slabs that line a brick corridor: “I thought I was suffocating.” “I often think of my family.” “I am so sad.”

In another room were small stylized paintings by the French artist Claire Tabouret that were based on family photos the women had given her.

Visitors get only a brief glimpse of penitentiary life, but during the tour a short film, directed by Marco Perego and starring his wife, the actor Zoe Saldaña, shows the conditions inside in bleak black and white: shared rooms, shared showers, little privacy. Both inmates and professional actresses acted in the film, Mr. Racine said.

This is the third time the Vatican has participated in the Biennale: In 2013 and 2015, it was among many participants at the Arsenale, one of the fair’s main venues. And for the 2018 Architecture Biennale, the Vatican built a series of chapels, “for believers and nonbelievers alike,” that can still be visited .

On Sunday, the pope greeted the inmates of the Giudecca prison individually in an inner courtyard. Some gave him flowers, and others pressed envelopes and notes into his hands.

Giovanni Russo, the head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration in the Italian Ministry of Justice, told reporters at a Vatican news conference last month that the women who participated in the project were entitled to unspecified benefits. While the Vatican Pavilion was unique, he said, nearly all of Italy’s 190 penitentiaries had “artistic projects” of some kind or another, involving more than 20,000 volunteers.

It’s not the first time that the inmates at the prison have participated in major art projects. Two years ago, the French artist Pauline Curnier Jardin worked with inmates to make a film and paint a large common room where the women meet visitors twice a week. The walls are now a soft purple, decorated with stylized leaves and figures designed by the inmates during a series of workshops with the artist.

After the Biennale closes in November, the artworks in “With My Eyes” will be removed, Mr. Racine said. But Ms. Curnier Jardin’s soothing additions, which are unrelated to the Biennale, will remain.

After the prison, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Mark’s Square.

Praising Venice’s “enchanting beauty” during the homily, he added that the city was also threatened by issues like climate change, overtourism and the “the fragility of constructions, of cultural heritage, but also of people,” which risk fraying the city’s social fabric. City officials this past week began charging an access fee to the city, hoping to deter day visitors from coming on especially busy days.

Many tourists hoping to visit St. Mark’s Square on Sunday were stymied by dozens of blockades around the area, part of the increased security for the pontiff’s visit.

“I’m not upset,” Julia Suh, visiting from Augusta, Ga., said at one of the blockades while watching the Mass on her cellphone. “I’m very honored — it’s what they’re supposed to do because of heightened security.”

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo

Former NSA worker gets nearly 22 years in prison for selling secrets to undercover FBI agent

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DENVER — A former National Security Agency employee who sold classified information to an undercover FBI agent he believed to be a Russian official was sentenced Monday to nearly 22 years in prison, the penalty requested by government prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore said he could have put Jareh Sebastian Dalke , 32, behind bars for even longer, calling the 262-month sentence “mercy” for what he saw as a calculated action to take the job at the NSA in order to be able to sell national security secrets.

“This was blatant. It was brazen and, in my mind, it was deliberate. It was a betrayal, and it was as close to treasonous as you can get,” Moore said.

Dalke’s attorneys had asked for the Army veteran, who pleaded guilty to espionage charges last fall in a deal with prosecutors, to be sentenced to 14 years in prison, in part because the information he sold in 2022 did not end up in enemy hands and cause damage.

Assistant federal public defender David Kraut also argued for a lighter sentence because he said Dalke had suffered a traumatic brain injury, had attempted suicide four times, and had experienced trauma as a child, including witnessing domestic violence and substance abuse. Research has shown that kind of childhood trauma increases the risk of people later engaging in dangerous behavior, he said.

Later, Dalke, who said he was “remorseful and ashamed,” told Moore he had also suffered PTSD, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He denied being motivated by ideology or earning money by agreeing to sell the secrets. Dalke also suggested he had an idea that he was actually communicating with law enforcement but was attracted to the thrill of what he was doing.

Moore said he was skeptical of Dalke’s claims about his conditions since the defense did not provide any expert opinions or hospital records.

According to court documents, Dalke, who worked at the NSA for about a month, told the undercover FBI agent that he wanted to “cause change” after questioning the United States’ role in causing damage to the world, but he also said he was $237,000 in debt. He also allegedly said he had decided to work with Russia because his heritage “ties back to your country.”

Dalke was initially paid $16,499 in cryptocurrency for excerpts of some documents that he passed on to the agent to show what he had, and then he offered to sell the rest of the information he had for $85,000, according to the plea deal. Prosecutors say $85,000 is about what he would have earned at the NSA in a year.

The agent directed him to go to Denver’s downtown train station on Sept. 28, 2022, and send the documents using a secure digital connection during a four-hour window. Dalke arrived with his laptop and first used the connection to send a thank you letter that opened and closed in Russian and in which he said he looked “forward to our friendship and shared benefit,” according to the plea deal. Moments after he used his laptop to transfer all the files, FBI agents arrested him.

According to his indictment, the information Dalke sought to give to Russia included a threat assessment of the military offensive capabilities of a third, unnamed country. It also includes a description of sensitive U.S. defense capabilities, some of which relates to that same foreign country.

Speaking outside court after the hearing, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said he could not provide details about what the documents contained, but he said Dalke knew the risk they posed.

“He knew that the disclosure of those documents was expected to cause exceptionally grave danger to the national security of the United States,” said Michalek, who was joined by U.S. Attorney for Colorado Cole Finegan.

The Associated Press

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visit prisoner in cardiff

  • Crime, justice and law
  • Prisons and probation
  • Management of security at visits Policy Framework: Open estate
  • HM Prison & Probation Service
  • Ministry of Justice

Acceptable forms of identification (ID) when visiting a prison in England and Wales (Annex A)

Updated 30 May 2023

Applies to England and Wales

visit prisoner in cardiff

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/management-of-security-at-visits-policy-framework-open-estate/acceptable-forms-of-identification-id-when-visiting-a-prison-in-england-and-wales-annex-a

Below is Annex A, part of the HMPPS policy, Management of security at visits Policy Framework: Open estate

All visitors to prisons in England and Wales, other than accompanied children under the age of 16, whether visiting for social, or official purposes, are required to prove their identity before entry.

This list defines the accepted forms of ID when visiting a prison in England and Wales.

Visitors under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult, who must adhere to the ID requirement set out above. The accompanying adult has responsibility for the child, supporting the child’s relationship with the prisoner, and for giving assurances of the child’s identity.

You may use any one form of ID from List A .

If you are unable to do this, you can use one document from List B and one form of ID from List C .

If you are unable to produce any forms of ID from these lists, you may still be able to apply under exceptional circumstances .

You are likely to be turned away from the prison if you are unable to produce any of the required ID documents at the time of your visit, or if you have not made arrangements with the prison, prior to your visit.

  • identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country
  • UK photocard driving licences
  • EU or EEA driving licences
  • NI Electoral identity cards
  • a US passport card
  • a proof of age card recognised under PASS with a unique reference number (This includes the Citizen ID card)
  • an armed forces identity card
  • a UK biometric residence permit (BRP)

One form of ID from this list, together with list C.

  • a Home Office travel document (convention travel document, stateless person’s document, one-way document or certificate of travel)
  • an older person’s bus pass
  • a Freedom Pass
  • a proof of age card recognised under the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) without a unique reference number (please refer to List A where a unique reference number is present)

One form of ID from this list, together with list B.

  • a birth or adoption certificate
  • an education certificate from a regulated and recognised educational institution (such as an NVQ, SQA, GCSE, A level or degree certificate)
  • a rental or purchase agreement for a residential property (signed and dated)
  • a marriage or civil partnership certificate
  • a bank, building society or credit union current account card (on which the claimed identity is shown)

4. Exceptional Circumstances

If you do not have access to the above listed ID , you may still be able to attend a visit with advanced permission from the prison. Please contact the prison direct to arrange this. Contact details for prisons are available on the prison information pages .

5. Official Visitors - Acceptable Forms of Identification

The following documents are examples of acceptable forms of identification for professional visitors:

  • Members of either House of Parliament: Houses of Parliament ID card or HMG ID cards;
  • Legal advisers: Identification document from the above List A, or from Lists B and C. This must be in conjunction with either a. a headed document from their legal practice stating that they are representing the prisoner they are requesting to visit, or b. should they not yet be representing the prisoner, a headed document from their legal practice explaining the purpose of the visit
  • Police, UK Border Agency and HM Revenue & Customs officers: warrant card
  • Probation and Youth Offending Team officers: probation / YOT department ID card
  • Staff from other prisons, HQ, the Children’s & Young People’s Secure Estate, the inspectorates (including Lay Observers) or Home Office: photo security pass issued by (or on behalf of) Ministry of Justice, HMPPS, or Home Office
  • Consular officials: consular ID card
  • Other public officials: departmental or local authority pass or ID card (but must show the name of the visitor and the name of the department or local authority)
  • Social workers: social worker identification cards
  • Researchers: Security Photo pass or official letter (visits must be pre-arranged)
  • Healthcare staff: NHS photographic identification badge/card or independent sector healthcare photographic identification badge/card

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  1. Cardiff Prison

    To book a Legal Visit call: 0300 303 2301 and select legal visits option. To book via email: [email protected]. Legal visit times: Monday to Friday: 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 11:30am ...

  2. HMP CARDIFF

    Visits. Phone: 0300 303 2301. Email: [email protected]. The lines will be open Monday to Friday from 09:00-17:00. Visit Booking: Online. Use this online service to book a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales you need the: prisoner number. prisoner's date of birth. dates of birth for all visitors coming with you.

  3. HMP Cardiff, Visits & getting there

    You must bring this with you when you visit. If you've made an online visit booking request and haven't received a confirmation email within 1-3 working days, email [email protected]. or telephone 029 2092 3327 - line open 08:30 -16:00 Mon - Fri. You can book visits by phone on t029 2092 3327 during the week or by ...

  4. Cardiff Prison Information, Contact, Support and Advice

    You can book a visit online Here. You will need the name ad date of birth of the person you are visiting , their prisoner number and details of the visitors. You can also book via email or phone. [email protected]. or telephone 029 2092 3327 - line open 08:30 -16:00 Mon - Fri.

  5. HMP Cardiff

    HMP Cardiff. If you think the prisoner is at immediate risk please call the switchboard on 02920 923100 and ask for the Orderly Officer and explain that your concern is an emergency. If your concern is urgent but not life-threatening, please call the Safer Custody Helpline - 02920 923341 or contact the prison safer custody team using the web ...

  6. You can now book a prison visit online

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  7. Cardiff Prison Information

    How to book a visit at Cardiff Prison. You can book a visit online Here. You will need the name and date of birth of the person you are visiting , their prisoner number and details of the visitors. You can also book via email or phone. [email protected]. or telephone 029 2092 3327 - line open 08:30 -16:00 Mon - Fri.

  8. Cardiff Prison

    HMP Cardiff is a category B prison in Cardiff, south Wales. Opened in 1832, the prison is in Adamsdown, Cardiff and can hold 784 male prisoners. A total of 20 executions took place at HMP Cardiff, the last being 28 year old Mahmood Mattan on the 3 September 1952. He was wrongly accused of the murder of Lily Vorpet, and was sentenced to death by hanging.

  9. Prisons in Wales

    HM Prison Cardiff in 2010. The prisons in Wales are run by His Majesty's Prison Service, which is in turn a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice responsible for the correctional services in England and Wales.The objectives of prison confinement in Wales is threefold: to "hold prisoners securely", to "reduce the risk of ...

  10. HM Prison Cardiff

    Opened. 1832. Managed by. HM Prison Service. Website. Cardiff at justice.gov.uk. Onlookers during the execution of Rowlands and Driscoll in 1928. HM Prison Cardiff (Welsh: Carchar Caerdydd EF) is a Category B men's prison, located in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff, Wales. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service .

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    The approximate cost for keeping a prisoner in jail for one year is approximately £40,000, which is a huge amount for the taxpayer. IOSW aim to assist in reducing the reoffending rate which will also have a dramatic knock on effect for society, by turning -£40,000 to a potentially tax paying member of society which has an immediate knock on ...

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  15. Cardiff Prison Address and Contact details

    Cardiff Prison Official Visiting Times. Mon to Fri. 9.15am - 10.30am. 10.15am - 11.30am. 2.00pm - 3.15pm. 3.00pm - 4.15pm. For cardiff prison visit bookings, please telephone 02920 923327. Lines are open 9.00am - 7.30pm. Cardiff Prison Address, Parking and How To Get There

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    Welsh prisoner population increased to 4,682 in 2022. • Over a quarter (27 per cent) of Welsh prisoners were being held in English prisons in 2022. • All Welsh female prisoners continue to be imprisoned in England with Welsh women held in 11 of the 12 women's prisons in England in December 2022.

  18. The Howard League

    143%. Average: 110%. Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA): 534. Population: 765. Cardiff is a category B Victorian local prison serving courts in South Wales. It also holds category C prisoners, and has a separate unit on site for vulnerable prisoners. Read Cardiff's latest inspection report here. About this information.

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    All visitors to prisons in England and Wales, other than accompanied children under the age of 16, whether visiting for social, or official purposes, are required to prove their identity before entry.

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