visit leeds prison

Jigsaw Visitor Centre - Leeds

Jigsaw offers a range of services to prisoners' families and prisoners at HMP Leeds. Their Visitor Centre books in visitors, provides information, advice and support through their family support team, delivers relationship and parenting courses within the prison, delivers the play area and organises special family visits. Interventions are designed to help families and prisoners make positive choices for their future wellbeing, improve the outcomes for children and reduce re-offending. The Visitor Centre has produced a booklet with information for first time visitors (please download from the site below) and offers telephone and face to face support for families and friends of prisoners. They also signpost to other services in the Leeds area.

See Jigsaw's Visitor Centre at HMP Leeds for more information.

T: 0113 203 2771

A: Jigsaw Visitors Centre, C/O HMP Leeds, 2 Gloucester Terrace, Leeds, LS8 5AN

W: www.jigsawcharity.org

Our Partner

HMP Leeds 2 Gloucester Terrace Leeds LS12 2TJ

All visits must be booked 48 hours in advance

The visits booking line is 0113 203 2995

or you can email a booking on [email protected]

VISITING TIMES

Monday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:15 – 11:30, 13:30 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:30

Tuesday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:130 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:15

Wednesday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:130 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:15 u0026amp; 17:45 – 18:45

Thursday 13:45 – 14:45, 15:15 – 16:15 u0026amp; 17:45 – 18:45

Friday 08:30 – 09:30, 10:30 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 – 16:15

Saturday 09:00 – 10:00, 10:30 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 -16:15

Sunday 09:00 – 10:00, 10:30 – 11:30, 13:45 – 14:45 u0026amp; 15:15 -16:15

The Visit’s centre is called ‘The Jigsaw Centre’ and it is an independent funded charity, their website is http://www.jigsawvisitorscentre.org.uk/pages/visitors.html

Jigsaw Visitors’ Centre is a open 7 days a week, 9 to 5 for support and advice for those visiting their loved ones in HMP Leeds. They understand that prisoners’ families are just as affected by imprisonment as prisoners are, and they hope to make that experience easier. They have a welcoming Centre with café, information, free fruit while you wait, a play room for the children, and free internet access. Their Family Support Workers are there to help you and also, where appropriate, put you in touch with other organisations in the community who can help you to deal with those issues which can arise with a loved one in custody.

They hope their website, mentioned above,   can answer some of your questions and concerns. If not, please contact them on: 0113 2032771 or email [email protected]

The staff at the centre are really helpful and always sit down with first time visitors to run the do’s and don’ts.

There is a tea bar to purchase snacks before the visit. On the visit, you can purchase bags of sweets, which when un-opened, the prisoner can take back to their cell.

You CANNOT book visits via the visits centre, although you can cancel them via the centre. Make sure though you keep a record of your reference number if you wish to cancel. This then makes sure the right visit is cancelled.

Visits can be booked via telephone and also via email:- [email protected]  which is really helpful and saves long waits trying to get through on the telephone. The email service is very fast and efficient.

The visits are short compared to some prisons i.e. one hour but everyone goes onto the visit together, there aren’t usually major delays and there is no need to get to the prison hours before the visits are due to commence.

Parking within the prison grounds is quite limited.

Property can be handed in by arrangement. The property centre is located just inside the visits centre.

Blog Government Digital Service

https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2014/09/15/you-can-now-book-a-prison-visit-online/

You can now book a prison visit online

Booking a prison visit should be simple and straightforward. Until now that was far from the case. Booking a visit required both prisoner and visitor to jump through hoops: paper forms and drawn-out phone calls. And if the visit date turned out to be impossible, they had to start all over again.

Now you can book a visit online . It takes about 5 minutes. Before, picking an available date was pot luck. Now there's a date-picker that lets you select 3 possible slots instead of 1. It’s a straight-forward service with user-needs at its heart but, if you get stuck, you can call the prison's visits booking line and someone will help you with the booking.

Here's a very short film we've made about it:

By making it easier to book visits, prisoners will see more of their friends and family. Evidence suggests this will help their rehabilitation. Transformation isn't just about websites.

The service was built by the Ministry of Justice, with a combined team from the National Offender Management Service, HM Prison Service and MoJ Digital Services.

For more of the story behind this service, read Mike Bracken's account of his trip to HMP Rochester or check out the service’s transformation page .

Join the conversation on Twitter , and don't forget to sign up for email alerts .

You may also be interested in:

• Prison visit booking: using digital analytics to inform alpha development
• Making prison visits easier to book
• Meet the Transformation team

Sharing and comments

Share this page, 20 comments.

Comment by Pauline posted on 23 August 2015

How do you find out the prisoners number??? so you can go ahead with online booking of a visit?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 24 August 2015

You can find a prisoner using this service: https://www.gov.uk/find-prisoner However it will be the prisoner's responsibility to get in touch with you to let you know their prison number etc.

Comment by linda posted on 15 August 2015

This service does not appear to work this is day 2 trying to use it

Comment by Olivia posted on 30 July 2015

Hi, If a visit is booked and someone cant make it, is it possible to change the name of one of the people to someone else?

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 30 July 2015

It's best to contact the prison directly if this happens. You can find contact details here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder

Thanks, Louise

Comment by Paige posted on 28 July 2015

Hi my partner was sent to nottingham today, I was on his previous list 4 months ago for a visit. Will that still be on the system all will it have to he put through again if so how long does it take to be approved for a visit? Thanks Paige.

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 29 July 2015

You might want to get in touch with the prison first before booking a visit. You can find the contact details of the prison here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder

Comment by Debs posted on 27 July 2015

Hello Is there a list of prisons where online booking can't be used?

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 28 July 2015

According to the information on this page: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits , you can arrange a visit to any prison in England and Wales through this service. If you're visiting someone in Northern Ireland or Scotland you'll need to contact the prison directly.

This link also lists the type of visits that are not covered by the online service: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits so you need to get in touch with the prison directly.

Hope that's helpful.

Comment by c.steer posted on 26 July 2015

So how do I find the booking form to fill in I am new to computers

Comment by Louise Duffy posted on 27 July 2015

Here's the link to the booking form: https://www.gov.uk/prison-visits

You'll need this information to complete the form:

prisoner number prisoner’s date of birth dates of birth for all visitors coming with you make sure the person you’re visiting has added you to their visitor list

Hope that's useful.

Comment by Shawnaa posted on 09 May 2015

i have a visit booked which i did online but i do not have a visiting order woll the prison let me in?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 11 May 2015

Your identity will be checked on arrival to make sure you’re on the visitor list.

Comment by jessicca posted on 27 January 2015

What happens after you book the visit and its confirmed by email do you need the visiting order ?

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 29 January 2015

The Visiting Order (VO) number is generated by the booking system, it is included in your confirmation email and you will need this to change or cancel a booking.

However, if you're visiting a prison the guidance is that you only need your ID, not the VO number. If when you visit the prison you are asked for the VO number you should report this via the Contact Us link on the Prison Visits Booking form.

I hope that helps.

Comment by Ilysa Mcnally posted on 18 November 2014

How late in advance can I book e.g. book a visit today (Tuesday) for the Sunday coming???

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 19 November 2014

Hi Ilysa. Thanks for your question. A visit needs to be booked 3 working days in advance. So in this case, the visit request would have to be no later than Tuesday to allow for a visit on Sunday.

Comment by carole posted on 23 October 2014

How far in advance can you book visits

Comment by Carrie Barclay posted on 23 October 2014

Hi Carole. You can book up to 28 days in advance. Thanks for your question.

Comment by kimberly posted on 16 August 2015

does anyone know how to cancel a visit online?

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Armley Prison Leeds

Tel: 0113 203 2600  –  2 Gloucester Terrace, Stanningley Road, Leeds LS12 2TJ

HMP Leeds has an elaborate façade and the building itself dates back to 1847. The four wings of the prison are laid out in a classically Victorian radial style, and originally, the establishment was called Armley Jail, as it is located in the Armley area of the city. The prison has a capacity of 1,212 and is a category B adult male establishment. It claims to be firmly focused on supporting and resettling prisoners after they’ve served their sentence. If you’d like to find out how to get to HMP Leeds, please use the map on this page.

Tel: 0113 203 2600

Operational capacity: 1212

2 Gloucester Terrace, Stanningley Road, Leeds LS12 2TJ

Prison Phone have been helping inmates at HMP Leeds to maintain family contact by reducing the cost of calls from the PINS payphone system.

Send me Leeds prison details via FREE SMS

Mobile number:

Here’s some facts about Armley Prison Leeds

HMP Leeds is a category B men’s prison in the Armlet area of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Opened in 1847, the prison has capacity to hold 1212 inmates.

The prison has wings A-F, and an intermediate social care unit. A wing has the vulnerable prisoner unit, and the segregation unit on A1. B, C, E and F wings hold adult male convicted prisoners and those on remand. D wing is a recovery unit and the first night centre on D1. The intermediate social care unit holds men with identified social care needs that cannot be met in the main prison environment.

One wing at HMP Leeds was put on lockdown on the 9th August 2017 after a violent incident involving two prisoners. The wing was locked down for 45 minutes, and all prisoners in that wing were locked in their cells. This meant at least one court hearing was missed.

To view the latest HMIP inspection report, click here .

Visiting hours are 10:00 – 11:30, 14:00 – 15:00 & 15:30 – 16:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 09:00 – 10:00, 10:30 – 12:30, 14:00 – 15:00 & 15:30 – 16:30 Saturdays and Sundays.

There were 46 fires reported in the prison in 2016.

In 2013, HMP Leeds was awarded a Leaders in Diversity award, for their efforts to create an inclusive environment in the prison.

The Howard League for Penal Reform revealed that the prison had the highest rates of suicide in the UK, in 2005.

Prison Phone offers phone tariffs that reduce the costs of calls from this prison by up to 75%! This enables prisoners to get the support and love that they are missing from home, while reducing costs for the inmate. Find out more below.

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• Crime, justice and law
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Secure video calls with prisoners

How to book and make a secure video call with somebody in prison.

Applies to England and Wales

You can book and take part in a secure video call with a family member or friend in prisons in England and Wales.

Video calls last up to 60 minutes and can have up to 4 people on the call talking to a prisoner. All callers must be on the prisoner’s visitor list and the ‘main caller’ must be over 18. People under 18 can be on the video call, as long as they are on the prisoner’s visitor list.

Every adult prisoner and young person in custody is offered up to two 30-minute video calls or one 60-minute video call per month. The governor may allow additional calls for wellbeing reasons and in exceptional circumstances.

Video call security

You’ll need to follow the usual prison rules around what to wear and how to behave. Remember that all calls are recorded, and prison staff may view or listen to calls as they are happening. The call can be paused or ended if prison rules are not followed.

What you’ll need to make a video call

• Mobile phone or tablet – this service is not available using a computer
• An account with a secure video calling application
• Passport, driving license or another government-issued photo ID
• Proof of address (if your ID does not include this)
• The prisoner’s name, number and date of birth
• Names, dates of birth and addresses for everyone who would like to be on the video call

How to get set up for a video call

You need to use one of 2 apps to have a video call with someone in prison. The app you need to use will depend on the prison.

To find out which app is used by the prison you wish to call, please visit the relevant GOV.UK page for individual prisons .

Step 1: Download and install an app

Download the app being used at the prison.

You can download the Prison Video app via the Prison Video website and Purple Visits app via the Purple Visits website .

Both apps are free and also available from Google Play or the Apple App Store .

You will need to install the app on your phone or tablet.

Step 2: Create an account in the app and add everyone who will be on the call

To create an account on either app you will need to be over 18 years old and have a picture of your driving license, passport or other government-issued photo ID.

It can take up to 24 hours for your account to be verified.

Once verified, set up the call: You must include the names and dates of birth of everyone who will be on the video call. You will also need to upload ID for people over 18.

Finally, add the name of the person you want to want to have the video call with as a ‘contact’.

Step 3: Make a video call request

The exact process of booking a call will depend on the prison.

For some prisons, you will be able to select a possible date and time in the next 7 days in the app. In other prisons, staff will book a date and time following a request from the prisoner.

Either way, you’ll receive a confirmation email when your video call has been scheduled.

Step 4: Get set up for the video call

You need a reliable internet connection. Wi-Fi is recommended, but you can also use 3G or 4G mobile data.

You don’t need headphones for the video call, but it may help with the sound quality.

Step 5: Have the video call

You should open your app ahead of the scheduled video call time and be ready for the call to start. Call times are fixed and cannot be extended.

Calls will be paused if anyone:

• who is not booked on the call appears on the camera
• behaves in a way that would not be appropriate for a social prison visit
• tries to record the call or take a screenshot

If a call is paused, you will need to go through a security check before it can start again.

Tips for a successful video call

Keep the camera still.

Try to keep your phone or tablet as still as possible. It may be best to rest it against something.

Good lighting and a plain background

You must have the call in a private place rather than a cafe or public space. Make sure the room is well-lit. Uneven lighting, for example sunlight, can disrupt the way the system recognises faces.

It is best to sit in front of a plain wall. Pictures or patterns in the background may affect the camera being able to stay focused on your face.

Clear sight of everyone on the call

Make sure that your whole face – and the faces of any additional people – can be seen clearly.

If there are young children on the call, make sure they either look directly at the camera or else stay out of the picture.

The call may be paused if only part of a face or the back of a head can be seen.

Updated to reflect the change to free video calls

Secure video calls information has been updated.

Removed a line about a person's face needing to be in view of the camera at all times so the call doesn't pause. Linked to the prison directory instead of listing all prisons where calls are available.

Added more prisons where video calls are available.

Added to the list of prisons where secure video calls are available

Added prisons where video calls are available

Updated list of prisons offering secure video calls

First published.

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The #1 governor is Simon Walters  who has been in charge since March 2022, and the prison has a capacity of with a capacity of 1110.  It is part of the Yorkshire & Humberside Region and is run by HMPS

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Prisons · West Yorkshire

Overcrowding.

Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA): 641

Population: 1106

Leeds is a category B local prison, built in 1847. It was formerly known as Armley Prison.

Read Leeds’ latest inspection report here. 

About this information

Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) is the prison service’s own measure of how many prisoners can be held in decent and safe accommodation. Any occupancy above CNA means that the prison in question is overcrowded.

Prisons in England and Wales fall into four separate security categories. Some prisons can operate under more than one category.

Category A : Category A prisons are high security prisons, holding those individuals considered the most threatening to the public should they escape. Category A prisons should not be overcrowded, given the high levels of security required.

Category B: Category B prisons, or local prisons, are the largest category of prison. They tend to hold un-sentenced prisoners, prisoners on remand awaiting trial, short-sentenced prisoners or those newly sentenced and awaiting transfer to another prison category. Category B prisons tend to be the most overcrowded, with a constantly churning population.

Category C: Category C prisons are sometimes called ‘training prisons’. They are meant to offer education and training to prisoners and the vast majority of prisoners on longer sentences will spend time in Category C accommodation. Historically not overcrowded, we now see more and more Category C prisons running overcrowded regimes.

Category D: Category D prisons offer open conditions and house those who can be reasonably trusted not to try to escape. Prisoners in Category D prisons will be given Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL) to work in the community or go on home leave, usually returning to the prison in the early evening. The majority of Category D prisoners will be towards the end of their sentence, and their period in open conditions is preparing them for their eventual release. Category D prisons tend not to be overcrowded.

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Our staff will not be in the office for their safety - please email all communication requests to [email protected]. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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Leeds Jail Visitation Center

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General Facility Information

Visitation table of contents.

• What time can I visit my inmate at Leeds Jail?
• Can I bring my inmate anything in the visiting room?
• Can I request longer visitations with the facility?
• Where can I get a visitation application for Leeds Jail? - Click to download.
• What are some of the do’s and don’ts of visitation?
• Visiting an Inmate - 10 easy steps you should know.
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• How to quickly locate your transferred inmate?
• Visiting day at a prison - Things you should be aware of.

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Visitation Hours

Visiting hours for Leeds Jail are subject to change, so it's crucial to confirm them by contacting the facility directly by phone. Please reach out to 205-699-2585, on visitation procedures, applications, or directions to the facility in Leeds. Please note that visitors will undergo a thorough search before entering the premises, and personal belongings, including cell phones, are strictly prohibited. Individuals under probation, parole, or community corrections supervision must obtain approval from both their supervising officer and the superintendent before visiting, although such visits are not typically approved.

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Visits quick reference guide

Prisoners are entitled to the following visits:

Basic Regime  Remand: 1 x 1-hour visit per week.  Sentenced: 1 X 1-hour visit every 2 weeks.  

Standard Prisoners Remand: 3 x 1-hour visits per week.  Sentenced: 1 x 1-hour visit per week. 

Enhanced Prisoners Remand: 3 x 1-hour visits per week.  Sentenced: 1 x 1-hour visit per week, plus 1 extra visit per month (not weekend). 

Each visit session will be booked in by the prisoner on behalf of their visitors. 

Please note prisoners are unable to block book sessions. Each visit will be booked in on a month-by- month basis.

Prisoners are permitted to receive a maximum of 3 adults & 3 children. 

All visitors / family groups will be searched on entry to the prison.

You can bring up to £20 cash with you to purchase refreshments from the tea bar during your visit (please bring change rather than notes if possible) 

There will be a 45-minute break in between visits to allow for the sanitisation of the visits area in readiness for the next scheduled visitors.

Legal and Professional Bookings

Legal and professional visits can be booked by emailing [email protected] Professional bookings via video link can be made by emailing [email protected] Thank you for your co-operation as we continue to maintain a safe environment for colleagues, prisoners and visitors to HMP Forest Bank

Identification required for a visit

As of Tuesday 6 April 2021, the forms of ID that social and official visitors need to provide to enter a prison have been updated.

These requirements have changed to make visits safe and secure for everyone.

Social visitors have the option to present one photographic ID document from List A:

• Identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country
• UK photocard driving licences
• EU or EEA driving licences
• NI Electoral identity cards
• US passport card
• Proof of age card recognised under PASS with a unique reference number (This includes the Citizen ID card)
• Armed forces identity card
• UK biometric residence permit (BRP

Should you be unable to present an ID document from List A, you may present one ID document from List B, supported by one document from List C:

• Home Office travel document (convention travel document, stateless person’s document, one-way document or certificate of travel)
• Older person’s bus pass
• Freedom Pass
• Proof of age card recognised under the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) without a unique reference number (please refer to List A where a unique reference number is present)
• Birth or adoption certificate
• Education certificate from a regulated and recognised educational institution (such as an NVQ, SQA, GCSE, A level or degree certificate)
• Rental or purchase agreement for a residential property (signed and dated)
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Bank, building society or credit union current account card (on which the claimed identity is shown)

Proof of Address

Please be aware that visitors also need to bring proof of address to every visit so we can ensure that visitors are from the same household. 

Entry will not be permitted if you fail to bring proof of address. 

Appropriate forms will be a utility bill, credit or bank statement, voter registration or driver's license. We will not accept mobile phone contracts/bills etc. 

Visits Dress Code

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Please be advised that you are requested to dress appropriately for your visit. Any item of clothing which may facilitate the concealment of unauthorised articles or be considered offensive may result in you being refused entry.

Please consider that you are entering a public visits hall where other families including small children are present. We ask that you apply a level of common sense and decency when choosing your outfit.

Staff reserve the right to refuse you entrance if you are not dressed appropriately. 

• No see through, revealing clothing or crop tops which reveal the stomach.
• Must wear underwear, Women must ensure their top garment covers their cleavage.
• No ripped or damaged clothing e.g. ripped jeans, coats, tops. No tears or frays in material.
• Skirts, dresses, and shorts MUST be knee length.
• No clothing bearing slogans that are deemed to be racist, insulting, or derogatory.
• No uniforms, (except children in school uniform and police officers on a legal visit).
• No watches.
• Jewellery is best kept to a minimum (earrings to be studs / small hoops only)
• No knee length boots or over the knee. No stiletto heels.
• No football and rugby slogan clothing.
• No caps (religious headgear is permitted) headscarf’s (medical grounds only).
• No sunglasses. (Prescription only.)
• No paperwork or photographs to be handed over on a visit.
• No Work Boots/ steel toe capped or motorcycle boots
• No ponchos or capes
• No camouflage clothing 

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in this matter. Failure to adhere to the policy may result in admittance being refused.

What to expect when visiting the prison

Heading into the visits centre, you’ll be greeted by our colleagues on the front desk.

• They’ll  ask for your name ,  check your booking  and  look at your identification .
• They will  take your picture and fingerprint biometric  for identification purposes. This is a requirement for all visitors to the prison.  
• All official visitors  will be subject to a level ‘B’ rub down search prior to their visit.  
• All social visitors  will be subject to a level ‘A’ rub down search prior to their visit. This includes before returning to the visits hall, and after using the amenities.  
• If there is an indication, the staff must be able to identify what is causing the indication.
• If the item cannot be identified then the visit will be refused.  
• Refusal to be searched will result in no entry and any action the police wish to take. Any articles recovered may result in the police being called and prosecution of visitors.

Financial Support for visiting a prison

If you visit a family member, partner or someone who doesn’t get other visitors you might be able to get help paying for travel to the prison, somewhere to stay overnight and meals.

To qualify for assisted help you must be receiving certain benefits or have a health certificate.

If you’re taking a child with you or someone to help you (for example because you’re disabled) you might also be able to get help paying for their visit.

For more information and to apply, please visit the website for the  Assisted Prison Visits Scheme.

How we collect your data

In order to facilitate your visit to one of our prisons and to ensure that we deliver appropriate levels of security and safety and prevent crime, for identification purposes we shall collect your name, date of birth, address, a biometric template of your fingerprint and a photograph. A series of reference points from a finger print are collected, allowing a unique identification pattern. We do not collect or hold actual fingerprints.

Our prisons operate CCTV and staff may wear Body Worn Video Recording Equipment. We do not collect biometric readings or photographs of children under 16, however with the use of CCTV, images may routinely be captured.

DATA SHARING

We will only share your information with a third party where there is a legal obligation to do so.

RIGHTS OF ACCESS, CORRECTION, ERASURE AND RESTRICTION

You have legal rights in connection with personal information. Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:

Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Armley prison and vows to tackle drugs, weapons and crime

The Prime Minister warned that jails cannot become "factories for making bad people worse"

• 13:54, 13 AUG 2019
• Updated 14:54, 9 SEP 2019

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Armley prison today after announcing a £100 million investment package to boost security in prisons.

Mr Johnson walked around HM Prison Leeds, the category B prison in Armley, which was one of the country's most overcrowded when it was inspected two years ago.

Mr Johnson has vowed to stop the flow of drugs, weapons and phones flooding into prisons, in a bid to cut violence and ensure sentences rehabilitate offenders.

During the 2017 inspection, 60 per cent of inmates at HM Prison Leeds reported that drugs were easy to get hold of in prison.

Violence and drugs in prisons have been in the spotlight in recent times, with prison officers staging a mass walkout last year over safety concerns.

Labour accused the PM of 'timidly tinkering at the edges', saying the investment falls short of the sum needed to reverse the damage caused by years of Conservative cuts.

Announcing the pledge, Mr Johnson said: "We cannot allow our prisons to become factories for making bad people worse.

"We will stop the drugs, weapons and the mobile phones coming in, so we can safeguard victims, protect staff, cut violence and make our prisons properly equipped to reform and rehabilitate."

The Ministry of Justice said the funding, provided to jails in England and Wales, has been released by the Treasury and will be immediately available.

The sum will fund an increase in X-ray scanners and metal detectors across the prison estate, and be used to target drug smugglers and kingpins who continue to run their rings from behind bars.

It will also be used to strengthen the corruption unit that identifies dishonest prison staff.

And it will expand technology to detect and block mobiles being used in prisons and identify those harassing victims or organising drug deals from within prison.

Problems at HMP LEEDS

• Elite officers have been called to HM Prison Leeds 44 times over the last three years to deal with serious incidents. The specialist unit, known as the National Tactical Response Group, were called to the prison in Armley to deal with hostage taking situations, rooftop protests, a riot and 'incidents at height' where prisoners gain access to safety netting between 2016 and 2018.  

The number of attacks by prisoners on prison officers and other inmates at HMP Leeds has hit a record high – for the second year running.There were 560 attacks recorded at the Armley jail last year.

Self-harm among prisoners at Leeds Prison continues to rise to record levels - there were 778 incidents of self-harm at the Armley jail in 2017/18.

According to a report from the Howard League for Penal Reform just 78% of prisoners in a survey at the Armley jail said they were permitted to shower every day in 2017.

HMP Leeds had the greatest number of prison officers quit after a year or less in the post. Some 31 new prison officers* left the Armley jail in 2018 having served 12 months or less.

Earlier today Morley and Outwood MP Andrea Jenkyns tweeted that the PM had had a 'great reception' in Leeds .

Leeds MP: 'Measures fall 'woefully short'

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon was critical of the scale of the announcement.

"These measures fall woefully short of what is needed to make our prisons safe. Faced with a prisons emergency caused by austerity, Boris Johnson is timidly tinkering at the edges," the Labour MP said.

"Reckless Tory cuts to staffing and budgets unleashed unprecedented levels of violence in our prisons.

"Boris Johnson should set out a detailed plan and provide proper funding to ensure that our prisons have the staffing and resources needed to focus on rehabilitation and reducing re-offending."

Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said it was a 'hollow move' by Mr Johnson which 'fails to tackle the causes of crime'.

"The further funding announced is still not being used to rehabilitate people to stop them committing crimes in the first place," she said.

"Boris Johnson can lock people up for longer or search people on their way in and out of prison, but none of this bravado will actually make our streets safer."

HMP Leeds latest

Justice secretary Robert Buckland, QC, said there is a 'direct link' between crime in prison wings and on the streets.

"By disrupting those who continue to offend behind bars, we can keep our staff and other prisoners safe, and make sure that prisons truly fulfil their purpose of protecting the public," he added.

The spending pledge is the latest in a string of announcements from the PM, each adding to suspicions a general election is looming.

Mr Johnson pledged £2.5 billion to create an extra 10,000 prison places over the weekend and £85 million for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Monday.

In recent weeks, the Government has also announced a £1.8 billion cash injection for the NHS and £2.1 billion boost to no-deal Brexit preparations.

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Pope visits women’s prison in Venice and tours Vatican show at art Biennale

Pope Francis, 87, met inmates, staff and volunteers at Giudecca jail during first trip outside Rome for months

The pope has met female prisoners in Venice who are stars of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show, and urged the women to rebuild their lives in the first ever papal visit to one of the world’s biggest art gatherings.

Pope Francis, 87, arrived by helicopter in the courtyard of the women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, amid concerns over his health. He has not travelled outside Rome since visiting the French city of Marseille in September.

The pope, who throughout his papacy has spoken up in defence of prisoners and the marginalised, encouraged the women to reconstruct their lives “brick upon brick, together, with determination” during their time in prison.

“Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering there,” he said, sitting in front of the prisoners. “But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth.”

Francis called on the prison system to “offer detainees the tools and room for human, spiritual, cultural and professional growth, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration”.

The pope toured an art exhibition housed at the prison which examines the daily lives of the inmates through the work of 10 different artists. The exhibit is the Vatican’s entry for this year’s Biennale festival of art , which began last weekend.

As some of the women wept, Francis praised the art show. “Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolised by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” he said.

The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison – once a convent for reformed prostituted women – into one of the must-see attractions of this year’s Biennale, even though to see it, visitors must reserve in advance and go through a security check. It has become an unusual art world attraction, with visitors greeted at the entrance by Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet, a work that recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

Francis’s visit represented “a historic moment because he will be the first pope to visit the Venice Biennale,” said the exhibition’s lead curator, José Tolentino de Mendonça.

Later, during a meeting with young people at the iconic Santa María della Salute basilica, Francis acknowledged the miracle that is Venice, admiring its “enchanting beauty” and tradition as a place of east-west encounters, but warning that it was increasingly vulnerable to climate change and depopulation.

“Venice is at one with the waters upon which it sits,” Francis said. “Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment, it might even cease to exist.”

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Venice, sinking under rising sea levels and weighed down by the impact of overtourism, is in the opening days of an experiment to try to limit the sort of day trips that Francis undertook on Sunday.

This weekend, the city launched a new entry fee for daytrippers , aimed at easing the pressure of tourism on the Unesco world heritage site. As a guest, the head of the Catholic church was exempt from buying a €5 (£4.25) ticket – but non-resident pilgrims visiting for his mass had to pay.

Francis acknowledged Venice’s beauty in his homily at a mass before about 10,000 people in the shadow of St Mark’s basilica, one of the most celebrated churches in Italy .

But he said the city also faced an array of challenges, including climate change, the fragility of its cultural heritage, and overtourism. “Moreover, all these realities risk generating … frayed social relations, individualism, and loneliness,” he said.

Last year in December, a bout of bronchitis forced the pope to cancel a trip to Dubai, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks. He also pulled out of an Easter event at the last minute in March, after suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a “light flu”.

The pontiff, who uses a wheelchair, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, from knee pain to surgery for a hernia and on his colon. Despite his health, the Vatican is planning for him an ambitious 12-day trip to Asia in September, taking in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. Before that, the pope is due to make two other trips within Italy: to Verona in May and Trieste in July.

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