What you’re allowed to have in prison is set out on the “Facilities List”, available from the wing office. There’s been an attempt to standardise this across the estate, but individual prisons still vary quite a bit in what they allow. Borrowing or lending your personal belongings is strictly against the rules. The prison keeps a Property Card listing exactly what you have – if you’re found with, say, a radio that isn’t on your card, it’s likely to be confiscated, and staff will reasonably suspect it was stolen, borrowed under pressure, or used as payment for a debt. Whatever the truth of it, expect an adverse entry on your prison record (still often called P-NOMIS, run by HMPPS).
There’s an undercover trade in small items – tobacco being the classic example – often run on a 2-for-1 basis known as Double Bubble. No actual cash changes hands inside, but debts do build up between prisoners, and disputes over unpaid debts are a common cause of violence; it’s one of the main reasons some prisoners ask to move to a vulnerable prisoner wing.
If you want to buy something, like a small radio, you can normally do so provided you’ve got the funds. The prison works from its own facilities list, based on the national criteria, and you order through the prison’s approved supplier (Argos is a common one). The item is delivered to the prison, added to your Property Card, PAT tested if necessary, and then handed over – and, as with almost everything else, it all starts with an application to the wing office.
More in this section:
| Accommodation | Cell Life |
| Getting things done | Phone and letters |
| Meals and Food | Drugs treatment |
| Self Improvement | Learning to read |