Our services in HMP Lincoln are delivered on behalf of our operational partners, The Lincolnshire Action Trust.
The team is based in the FIRST (Family Information and Release Support Team) centre to the left of the main prison gates. The Visitors’ Centre is then located to the left of the FIRST Centre. The team provides support, information and guidance to visitors and family members of prisoners.
How do I book a visit to HMP Lincoln Visitors’ Centre?
All visitors to HMP Lincoln must book their visit in advance. Visits can be booked online here or by calling 01522 663 172. This booking line is open 09:30 – 12:00 Monday to Friday.
Visiting times
- Tuesday-Thursday: 14:00 – 16:00
- Saturday and Sunday: 09:00 – 11:00 and 14:00 – 16:00
For 14:00 visits please arrive for booking in at 13:30 and for 09:00 visits please arrive for booking in at 08:30.
Please be advised that prisoners on the basic IEP level will have shorter visits as detailed below.
Convicted prisoners: visits start at 10:00am for morning visits and at 3:00pm for afternoon visits.
Unconvicted prisoners: visits start at 10:30am for morning visits and 3:30pm for afternoon visits.
Remember to bring ID!
How do I get to HMP Lincoln Visitors’ Centre?
The First Centre
HMP Lincoln
Greetwell Road
Lincoln
LN3 4BD
You can get to the visitors’ centre by car or public transport.
There is disabled access to the centre and the prison. Please inform staff of any additional needs prior to arrival. You can request a disabled parking space if you have a blue badge at the time of booking.
The FIRST centre phone number: 01522 663 355.
HMP Lincoln main phone line: 01522 663 000
By car
There is a visitors’ car park is behind the prison. Please go down the road to the left of the prison (Greetwell Lane) and the visitors’ car park is on the right. You will need change for the parking meter.
By public transport
Train: there are trains to Lincoln Central. There are taxis at the station, or it is a 30-minute walk uphill.
Bus: the bus station is located on Tentercroft Street which is a five-minute walk from the train station. Bus number 4 stops at LIncoln County Hospital, which is opposite the prison.
Taxi: Direct cabs: 01522 567567, Discount cabs: 01522 800800, Handsome cabs: 01522 545352
Frequently asked questions about visiting HMP Lincoln Visitors’ Centre
What am I allowed to bring with me on visits?
You will need to bring ID. Acceptable forms of ID for adults are: passport, driving licence, EC ID card, senior citizen public transport pass or citizen card.
If you cannot provide one of the above then you will need TWO different items from the following list:
- Birth/marriage certificate (showing current name)
- Bank statement (dated within the last three months)
- Young person’s proof of age card
- Utility bills (dates within the last six months)
- Medical card
- Paper driving licence.
The prison does not accept letters as a form of ID including police, benefits, solicitor, etc. Student ID cards are also not an acceptable form of ID.
Visitors who are under 18 years old need to bring either a birth certificate, red health book or a passport for ID.
Please note:
- If you do not produce ID you will be refused entry.
- Anything else you bring with you will have to be stored in your locker until you leave.
What happens when I arrive at the Visitors’ Centre?
When you arrive at HMP Lincoln, please go to the Visitors’ Centre and speak to a member of Lincolnshire Actino Trust team (you will know who they are because they will be wearing purple tops). We will give you a friendly welcome and talk you through what to expect.
Booking in with your ID is done in alphabetical order. You book in using the surname of the prisoner you are visiting. We start each day’s list with a new letter, so, if on Tuesday we book in visitors to prisonors whose surnames starts with ‘A’ first, on Wednesday we will book in visitors to prisoners whose surnames start with the letter ‘B’ first. If you want to find out what letter of the alphabet we will begin with on the day of your visit, contact the FIRST team.
Once booked in you will be given a number. When this number is called you will be taken through to the visits hall. All mobile phones and unauthorised articles must be left in the secure lockers in the visitors’ centre.
Before you are allowed through to the visits hall, you will be asked again if you are carrying any unauthorised items. A member of staff will search you. A sniffer dog will be there too. Once they know that you have not got anything unauthorised with you, you will be taken into the visits hall and directed to your table
What’s it like inside the visits hall?
Everyone is very friendly and helpful. There is a snack bar providing hot and cold drinks and a variety of snacks and sweets.
There is also a play area where children can spend time with Ormiston Families’ play workers. Activities are provided and the children can dip in and out of the area – but no food is allowed.
Please remember that your children are your responsibility at all times inside the prison and the visitors centre.
What if I feel worried about a prisoner?
Ormiston Families’ staff understand that prison can be a very difficult time, for both prisoners and their families. If you have any concerns about a prisoner at HMP Bedford, feel free to contact the Safer Custody team on 01522 663000 or speak to a member of staff at the visitors’ centre or in the visits hall.
Our services
- Family visits – these are special visits which take place several times a year, usually during the school holidays. These are on a Wednesday and run from 10:30 – 14:30. Application is by prisoner and a maximum of one adult is allowed with accompanying children.
- Being a Dad course: this is a three-day course for dads which focuses on improving their confidence in parenting and provides an opportunity for prisoners to share their experiences and receive support from other dads.
- Family liaison – information, guidance and support on a wide range of matters affecting prisoners’ families is offered to prisoners and their families directly through visits or via contact with the FIRST centre.
