Prison Visitor

Role:
Sometimes we are called ‘ordinary people from all walks of life’. We are unpaid volunteers. We are not part of the inmate’s treatment or training. The strapline for our work is, ‘Bringing the Outside In’. For usually the inmate we visit will have no family or friends to visit him, and will have had no visit from the outside for possibly a number of years. There is no age limit. There is no requirement for previous experience. Common sense, compassion and a sense of humour are the prime qualities needed.

WHAT DO WE DO?
Having been allocated a prisoner we go and see him. All we are told is his name, age and prison number. All he is told is our Christian (or anonymised name if you prefer). And we know nothing of his offences, neither do we want to. At HMP Bure (at Coltishall) visits take place with all other family visits in a visiting hall (which smells agreeably of the excellent coffee and servery) and HMP Norwich visits take place on the wings.

WHAT WE DON’T DO
‘Nothing in, nothing out’ is the rule. All our conversations with our inmate are confidential between you and he. But if you have a real concern that he may be at risk of self-harm or harming others, then you tell the chaplain. We do not bring anything for the inmate into the prison, neither do we pass on any message from the inmate to anyone on the outside. (eg “Please will you ring my mother and tell her I’m alright”. No, we can’t). We don’t allow ourselves to get too ‘close’ to an inmate. We are his professional friend only. And once you stop visiting him, all contact with him ceases completely.

IS THE WORK REWARDING/INTERESTING
Hugely, not least because you get to see the inner workings of a prison that most people do not. You meet other OPV’s, prison staff and chaplains. And, of course, the interaction with your allocated inmate can be both rewarding and challenging. You learn so much about the penal system and find yourself with many more questions than answers about its effectiveness. Very few OPV’s, having started to visit, decide to give it up soon, and most continue for many years. Do we do any good? You’ll never really know. But the NAOPV has been in operation for 99 years, which perhaps speaks for itself.

TRAINING AND SUPERVISION
You would initially meet the prison managing chaplain, who would tell you all about the work and show you round the prison. It is he or she who recommends your appointment to the Governor. From then on the chaplain is always there to support you. In addition, at the outset you would spend some three hours with prison ‘Security’ to be given advice about basic safety and prison rules. So if you are troubled by what you are hearing from or about your inmate the chaplain is always available, as is the Regional Secretary of the NAOPV if you have become a member (annual sub. £25.00).

The appointment process is long, for there is at least a two month wait whilst your enhanced DBS check is carried out. Two references will be required by the chaplain.

Time commitment:
Generally OPV’s visit once a fortnight, but there is no lower or upper limit. The visit will take no more than two hours, but it can be much less if you prefer.

About the organisation:
Prison Governors have an obligation to recruit members of the public to come into a prison and offer non-judgmental friendship to prisoners. If appointed they become an ‘Official Prison Visitor’ at that prison. They are then invited to join the NAOPV.

How to apply:
If you are interested in this role and would like to apply or would like more information, contact the Volunteer Hub at Merchants’ Place –
E: volhub@merchantsplace.co.uk
T: 01263 519454

Alternatively, you can complete an online registration form and your details will be sent to us directly. A link for the form can be found on our Volunteer Hub page on our website.

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