My pet subject while inside was visits. They are a minefield to the average person on the outside, wishing to see someone.

So, let's go through the preliminaries.

Depending on your level of restrictions you can have up to four visits a month.

First, you need to confirm by telephone or letter, that someone wishes to see you. Then you apply for a VO. (visitor order). You fill in the name and address of the person wishing to visit you on this VO and send it to them. They ring up the visitors hotline to confirm the time and day they will be coming, you get to know, hopefully before they land and then you see them for a couple of hours.

All sounds too good to be true? Correct, for a verity of reasons the system falls flat on it's face. Sometimes the available places are full, the staff may not turn in, or the letter containing the VO takes longer to leave the prison!

The other main problem is the "drug" dog. The little Mongolian wombat decides to sit down next to your visitor who has at great expense travelled all day to see you. This is supposed to indicate that the person has been in contact with drugs! However, you can no longer meet this person face to face over a low coffee table, but must have a shield between you and them.

Your time is reduced to half an hour as well. When you challenge the staff on this, as many visitors have, the stock answer is that "you would be surprised were they put the drugs"! Ok, so why have all the prison officers patrolling the visitor area and the cameras? My visitors called the police and required a full search of themselves, followed by an apology from the prison, the dog was kept away after that. Said dog was sent for further training, although I personally think the handler needed it!

Your visitors can obtain the cost of two visits per month from the local probation office. They can bring in kit for you and take stuff away, but only if it is in the rulebook of allowed items.

Any other problems relating to visits should be discussed with the visitor's office by telephone, they are normally up to speed on most questions and will get back to you if not.

Some prisoners are sent along way from home, if this happens to you, you can "collect" the visits and take them at a local prison near you all together in one set of visits, ask to see the probation officer inside to talk this through.

Every little detail about your visit will be clear into the long lonely night, nothing can explain the hope and fear blended with the thrill of the visit, but it pours strength and courage into both the visitors and the inmate. Bonding like this has no equal, should you be fortunate to have people who believe and care enough to visit, repay them with your total commitment when released. I was only aware of the sacrifices made by my family to visit me and the distances involved, when released.

Those visits, I still remember with deep and profound emotion.