In many prisons across the UK, maintaining contact with family, friends, and legal professionals is an essential part of an inmate’s well-being and rehabilitation process. One of the main ways prisoners stay connected is through prison phone calls. However, to make calls, inmates must add numbers to their prison PIN phone account, which involves adhering to a specific process due to prison security regulations.

The system for adding numbers to a prisoner’s phone account is changing. The prison service is moving from a mixed system, which included "call barring" and "call enabling," to a fully standardized call enabling system. By the end of February, this change will be implemented across all prisons. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of adding your prison call number to a prisoner’s PIN list, explain the changes in the system, and outline the benefits of prison phone plans, including low-cost prison calls, cheap prison phone calls, and unlimited prison calls.

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How to Add Your Number to a Prisoner’s PIN List

If you are a family member, friend, or legal representative, and you want to be added to a prisoner's PIN phone list, follow these steps:

Provide Your Number to the Prisoner:
First, the prisoner needs to submit your phone number to the prison. you can ususally do this by submitting it via email or calling up the prison to update them with your new number.

Go Through Security Clearance:
Once the prison receives the list of phone numbers, they will carry out a security check, particularly for social numbers. This may involve verifying the relationship between the prisoner and the contact.
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‍Legal and confidential numbers: These will be checked and verified for legitimacy but are less likely to face significant delays unless there are concerns regarding public protection.

‍Social numbers: These will be subject to security checks depending on the risk assessment of the prisoner. For high-risk prisoners, such as those under public protection restrictions or category A prisoners, all requested social numbers will be verified before approval.

Confirmation:
Once the prison has completed its checks, the approved numbers will be added to the prisoner’s PIN account. The prisoner will then be notified, and they can start making calls to the approved numbers. It’s important to note that the prison call provider will regularly allow prisoners to update their list of phone numbers if needed.

Changing the Number List:
If the prisoner needs to add or remove a number from their PIN list, they can submit a request to the prison. Prisons are expected to handle these requests promptly and keep the prisoner informed of any actions taken regarding their PIN account.


Maintaining contact with loved ones is essential for a prisoner’s mental health and rehabilitation, and being on their approved PIN list ensures that calls can be made quickly and securely. Additionally, there are several prison phone plans and services that can help reduce the cost of these calls.

Legal Professional Privilege (LPP) is a key concern for both inmates and their legal representatives. Calls between prisoners and their legal professionals are supposed to be confidential, and the only time these calls can be recorded or monitored is if there is credible evidence of criminal activity. This decision must be made by the prison service head office. The call enabling system is designed to ensure that legal calls are better protected and that there is less risk of these calls being listened to in error.

Understanding The Call Enabling System

Traditionally, prisons have used two systems for allowing phone numbers on a prisoner's PIN account: call barring and call enabling.

Call barring:
Under this system, specific numbers are barred, meaning the prisoner can call any number except those that are restricted.

Call enabling:
In this system, all numbers must be approved and security cleared before they are added to the prisoner’s PIN phone account.

All UK prisons are now transitioning to the call enabling system. Once in place, prisoners must submit a list of numbers they want to call, and they will only be allowed to contact those numbers.


The prison service has introduced this new system for three key reasons:

Protecting Legal Calls:
Legal Professional Privilege (LPP) ensures that calls between prisoners and their legal representatives remain confidential. Under the old call barring system, there was a higher risk of legal calls being mistakenly recorded or monitored. By moving to a call enabling system, where all numbers are pre-approved, legal calls are less likely to be accidentally intercepted.

Preventing Intimidation:
The prison service identified that under the mixed system, where some prisoners were on call barring and others on call enabling, there was potential for intimidation. Prisoners on the call enabling system could pressure others to make calls on their behalf, to numbers they were not authorized to contact.

Reducing Crime:
By requiring inmates to submit a list of their social contacts for approval, the prison service aims to prevent illegal activity. By monitoring and approving these numbers, prisons can better regulate who prisoners are communicating with, reducing the likelihood of criminal behavior being coordinated through phone calls.

What You Need to Know About the New System

Under the new call enabling system, inmates can add both legal and social numbers to their PIN phone account, but there are limits:

Prisoners are allowed up to 15 legal or confidential numbers, such as those for legal representatives. If a prisoner has ongoing legal cases, they can apply for an additional 15 legal numbers. In exceptional circumstances, the prison governor can authorize more than 30 legal numbers.

For social numbers, prisoners are allowed up to 20 numbers. This includes family members, friends, and other approved contacts.

Prisoners will still have access to globally and locally allowed numbers, such as the Prison Reform Trust (PRT). If needed, prisoners can also apply to have more than 20 social numbers on their account, but this will be subject to approval based on individual circumstances.

Adding your phone number to a prisoner’s PIN account is a straightforward process, but it’s important to understand the rules and security checks involved. The new call enabling system ensures that all numbers are verified and authorized before prisoners can make calls, providing greater protection for legal calls and reducing the risk of crime.

For families and friends of inmates, staying connected is crucial. By using affordable prison calls, cheap prison phone calls, and inmate calling plans, you can maintain regular communication without incurring excessive costs. Whether through prison landlines, prison phone services, or inmate phone services, the new system allows for safer, more secure communication while ensuring that prisoners’ rights to contact their loved ones are upheld.

If you are a prisoner or someone wanting to be added to a prisoner’s PIN list, remember to follow the process carefully, provide accurate information, and stay up to date with the latest prison regulations regarding phone calls.