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Pentonville Prison Information

• Accommodation: The prison provides multiple residential units with individual cells or shared accommodation for inmates. The cells are equipped with basic amenities, including beds, personal storage, and sanitation facilities.
• Education and Vocational Training: Pentonville Prison places a strong emphasis on education and vocational training. Inmates have access to a range of educational programs, including basic education, literacy, numeracy, and accredited courses. Vocational training opportunities are also available to develop employable skills and enhance prospects for successful reintegration into society.
• Work Opportunities: Inmates at Pentonville Prison have access to various work activities within the prison, such as maintenance, cleaning, kitchen, and other designated roles. These work activities aim to develop skills, instill discipline, and promote a sense of responsibility.
• Healthcare: Pentonville Prison has an on-site healthcare unit staffed with medical professionals who provide primary healthcare services to prisoners. Mental health support, substance abuse programs, and specialized medical care are also available.
• Family Contact: The prison recognizes the importance of maintaining family relationships and facilitates visits and contact with family members, subject to specific guidelines and regulations.
• Resettlement Support: Pentonville Prison offers pre-release planning and support to help inmates prepare for their eventual release. This may include assistance with accommodation, employment, and access to community-based support services.

Contact Information

Booking a visit to pentonville prison.

• Monday: 1:45pm to 2:40pm and 3:20pm to 4:15pm
• Tuesday: 1:45pm to 2:40pm and 3:20pm to 4:15pm
• Wednesday: 1:45pm to 2:40pm and 3:20pm to 4:15pm
• Thursday: 1:45pm to 2:40pm and 3:20pm to 4:15pm
• Friday: 1:45pm to 2:40pm and 3:20pm to 4:15pm
• Saturday: 10:30am to 11:30am and 3pm to 4pm
• Sunday: Enhanced Visit only 2:30pm to 4:30pm (in-house booking only by prisoner)

Unlimited Prison Phone Calls Package

• Valid Passport
• Valid Photographic
• Driving Licence (full or provisional)
• Citizen Card
• Senior Citizens Bus Pass Travel Card (issued by Scottish Government)
• Utility bill
• Council tax bill
• Benefit book
• Bank statement
• other letter from official source

• The weekly online and monthly printed national newspaper for prisoners and detainees

Search articles and comments

Hmp pentonville.

• Inside Time Reports
• 13th December 2014
• Greater London , Male Local , Male YOI , Prison Visit

Prison information

Address:  HMP PENTONVILLE Caledonian Road, London, N7 8TT

Switchboard: 01772 444550 Managed by: HMPS Region: London Category:  Male Local Link to:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pentonville-prison

Description

Pentonville is a men’s prison and young offender institution in the London Borough of Islington, North London.

Visit Booking: On-line

Use this online service to book a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales you need the:

• prisoner number
• prisoner’s date of birth
• dates of birth for all visitors coming with you

The prisoner must add you to their visitor list before you can book a visit.

You’ll get an email confirming your visit. It takes 1 to 3 days.

ID: Every visit

Acceptable forms of ID

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Prisons and Probations Ombudsman

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If you have any information that you would like to be included or see anything that needs updating, contact Gary Bultitude at  [email protected]

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Changing London: a view from inside Pentonville Prison

The Museum of London collaborated with the learning team at HMP Pentonville on a project that captures the ‘societal, cultural and economic change in post-World War II London’ through text and art. The work produced by the men has been published in a booklet, ‘Changing London: 1946-2022’.

Beverley Cook and Jason

Curator (Social and Working History), and Leading Pentonville Learner

18 July 2023

Prisons have always been an integral feature of London’s architecture and social fabric. This is reflected in the Museum of London’s social history collections that include items relating to public execution , Victorian penal reform and the imprisonment of Suffragettes , in their fight for the vote.

In 2023, the museum worked with the learning team at HMP Pentonville on a project relating to the subject of contemporary London. The resulting booklet, Changing London 1946-2022 , represents an ongoing collaboration between the Museum of London and the Creative Arts Group at HMP Pentonville. Previously, in 2022, the museum collaborated on a booklet of artworks presenting an honest account of prison food, We Are What We Eat .

This collaboration not only provides the men with opportunities for developing their creative skills, but also enriches and informs our curatorial work at the museum. Direct engagement with often under-represented individuals and communities is key to our role of understanding and representing the lived experience of all Londoners.

A majority of those living and working at HMP Pentonville have close connections with London. Many of their friends and families live in the London area. As Jason, one of the Pentonville learners notes, “Behind the walls of HMP Pentonville are men from different cultures, backgrounds, ages and experiences that are truly diversified. The obvious association that we are often identified as, or adopt, is simply that of a ‘prisoner’. Of course we are so much more than a single defining label, and we can certainly consider ourselves Londoners first and foremost.”

‘London in my Mind’, by Thanh

As produced in Changing London 1946-2022 , by the Creative Arts Group at HMP Pentonville.

The idea for a project on ‘societal, cultural and economic change in post-World War II London’ was initiated by the Pentonville learners and developed under the guidance of their team, with the museum’s support.

The work produced by the men who, while still living in London, are excluded from the day-to-day life of the capital reflects their unique position of being able to objectively look at the outside world from within an enclosed institution.

As Jason writes, “This project allows us to relate to each other and hopefully, you as Londoners, who have experienced changes in a city we all consider our home.”

The published artworks and writings provide a reflective and creative response to the history of post-war London. While Raghu writes about London’s changing roads and population; Habib’s two-page article on ‘Gangs of London’ provides a unique personal view of the city’s underbelly since World War II. But many of the contributions provide insights into a more personal lived experience of contemporary London. Barry, for example, writes a powerful piece on growing up with two identities, familiar to many — feeling English at school, and Jamaican as soon as he was home.

At times, these reflections represent the gritty, edgy and challenging aspects of London life, including racism, isolation and first impressions. As Patrick, who arrived in London as an adult notes, “In my country people love when you say good morning. But when I came here, I tried to say good morning to people, but they just stepped past. I felt very insulted.”

‘Tomorrow Lane’, also by Thanh

But the booklet also represents a more positive view of changes to London over the last 76 years that we can all relate to and embrace. For as Carl notes, “I am an African Caribbean man brought up on ‘Turkish pizza’, Portuguese custard tarts and Mauritian curries as much as patties and coco bread.”

Pride and perspective

Working with the men at HMP Pentonville on this project, has influenced our curatorial work at the museum by offering fresh, unfiltered perspectives of contemporary London. But the collaboration also benefits the men at HMP Pentonville for, as Jason notes, “This project was an innovative and enjoyable way of learning and creating work that I can be proud of and others can enjoy.”

This sentiment is also echoed by José Aguiar, who led the project from the learning team and notes, “This project-based learning, in partnership with the museum, was a powerful learning experience. It blended content mastery, meaningful work, and personal connection. The Changing London project provided a unique opportunity for the participants to develop and increase their social and cultural capital.”

The achievements of the project are also supported by the Governing Governor of HMP Pentonville, who writes: “The collaboration between the Museum of London and HMP Pentonville was one of the most creative project I have seen in my time in the Service. Both staff and prisoners contributed to the book that was produced and it was high quality work…it was also a step further towards rehabilitation for the men who took part.”

‘The Media’ and ‘Cell, 2022’, by Thanh, and ‘Citizenship, Diversity, Identity’ by Barry

Below, Jason, who took a leading role in the project, provides his own perspective of the project:

As a topic for the project, ‘Changing London’ could not have been as well-suited a match for our creativity. Over a few short months, Pentonville from across a number of creative workshops collaborated in sharing their interpretations of the changes they had observed in a post-war London. Through poetry, short stories, personal essays, art and audio recordings, there were high expectations among ourselves to furnish this project with interesting, colorful and relatable experiences. When we finally got to see all the contributions neatly packaged in an attractive, well-designed and presented booklet we would like to think we managed to collate some personal, authentic and interesting perspectives of some of the changes we have observed in London.

A sense of pride and achievement certainly accompanies this project, and it was also a thought-provoking and emotional experience at times. A short recollection of childhood in ‘Look at me now’ touches on some of the issues faced by many first-generation African and Caribbean children when my own mother reminds me that “They used to call me names too and tell me to go back home, but look at me now!”

Although some students were able to draw on their personal recollections, others chose to ‘interview’ their older family members. Not many of us were around to personally experience Blitzkrieg; so in George’s ‘Back in our London days’, we are reminded, by his Nan, that Leicester Square “was a classier Tube station to hide in during the bombing, with wardens, hot refreshments, kids’ magic shows” as opposed to Camden, where there was people “swearing” and “stepping over you until 10pm”.

As Londoners, we can relate to a city that has undergone so many transformations and makeovers. It doesn’t matter if you were born here decades ago, or you consider yourself a relatively new arrival, we can all think of some changes that we may love, dislike, inspire us, leave us frustrated or make us happy about our changing city. The changes to our tastes, the language, the colour of the faces, the culture of the city, the social attitudes of another generation may be just as memorable to you as it has been for us . If there is one sentiment we would like to convey to you through this project, it is that from behind the high walls of HMP Pentonville, we have sought to take a nostalgic trip around our experiences of a ‘changing London’ and share them with you.

Read/download the booklet ‘Changing London: 1946-2022’ here (1.6MB).

The Museum of London’s work with HMP Pentonville forms part of our active Engagement Charter that defines engagement as “Working with, listening to and learning from different communities, partners and visitors to inform and enrich our work.” Love history and trivia? Subscribe to our free History of London newsletter for stories from our collections, displays and exhibitions.

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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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Pentonville Prison, Islington, London

The idea for the construction of what became Pentonville prison came from the Reverend Whitworth Russell (a former chaplain at Millbank ) and William Crawford, who were two of the inspectors appointed by the Inspectors of Prisons, a body established by the 1835 Prison Act to visit and report on the state of the country's local prisons. The two were staunch supporters of the 'separate' system of accommodation, in which inmates ate, worked and slept in their cells, only leaving for activities for exercise and chapel services. The alternative 'silent' system allowed inmates to perform communal labour but not to speak to one another while working. Accordingly, in Russell and Crawford's scheme, inmates would sleep, work and eat in a spacious and self-contained cell, with no contact allowed with other prisoners. The daily routine would include time for reflection, religious devotions, exercise, receive regular visits from prison officers, particularly the chaplain.

Crawford and Russell produced a number of designs for model prisons in which their scheme could be implemented, with some of their plans being taken up by local prisons interested in introducing the separate system. This trend was given added impetus in the 1839 Prisons Act under which all new prison plans required approval from central government in the shape of Joshua Jebb, the Home Office's advisor and subsequently Surveyor General of Prisons. The Act effectively gave official endorsement to the separate system which, it insisted, was quite different from solitary confinement. Crawford and Russell's greatest success, however, came in 1838 when their proposal to erect a large model prison in London gained support from the Home Secretary, Lord Russell, who also just happened to be Whitworth Russell's uncle.

The site chosen for the new 'Model Prison, on the separate system' was at Pentonville in north London. Construction began in April 1840, and the first inmates arrived in December 1842.

In addition to its role as a model prison, Pentonville's function within the penal system was to provide an initial term, normally eighteen months, of probationary discipline and labour for selected convicts prior to their transportation to Van Dieman's Land. Those behaving well would receive a ticket-of-leave, effectively freedom in their new country. Those performing indifferently would be given a probationary pass, a status which imposed some restrictions of their movement and earnings. For those whose conduct at Pentonville was deemed unsatisfactory, their destination would be a convict labour settlement.

The architect of Pentonville was Joshua Jebb, but its design was clearly based on the ideas of Crawford and Russell. The main prison building comprised a central administration block from which four wings radiated like the spokes of a half-cartwheel. Each wing contained 130 cells arranged in three galleries, one above the other, with each floor containing forty or so individual cells. From the central hall it was possible for staff to have a view of every cell door. Every cell was fitted with an alarm handle which rang a bell and raised a semaphore indicator outside the cell's sound-proof door.

Pentonville Prison — bird's-eye view, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

Pentonville Prison — bird's-eye view, London. © Peter Higginbotham

Pentonville Prison — main gate, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

The regime imposed at Pentonville was a rigorous form of the separate system. Prisoners slept, worked and ate in their cells, only going outside for exercise or to attend chapel, at which times they wore turned-down caps (later masks) to conceal their faces. The circular exercise yards were divided into individual segments at the centre of which was an observation post. The chapel, too, was constructed with partitions between each seat to prevent communication.

An important aim of Pentonville was to equip each inmate with a trade by which they could earn their living in Australia. Instructors were employed for a variety of trades including carpentry, shoemaking, tailoring, rug and mat weaving, linen and cotton weaving, and basket making. Prisoners were also provided with twice-weekly classes which included reading, writing, arithmetic, history, geography, grammar, and scripture. A bible, prayer-book and hymn-book were given to every inmate able to use them.

Pentonville Prison — cell, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

Pentonville Prison — corridor with open galleries, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

While moving around the prison, inmates were required to space themselves apart while holding onto a long chain. Their masks prevented communication or recognition of one another.

Pentonville Prison — masked prisoners, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

Pentonville Prison — partitioned chapel seats, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

The chapel was equipped with a device for silently signalling to the prisoners the order of their leaving the building.

Pentonville Prison — chapel leaving signal, London, 1850s. © Peter Higginbotham

As at Millbank, the daily routine, from rising at 05.30 till lights out at 21.00, was timetabled with military precision. Parties of sixteen prisoners, in single file at five-yard intervals, were marched from their cells for sessions of exercise, worship, or labour — pumping water from the prison's own 370-foot deep artesian well. The warders' activities were regulated by special clocks around the prison, with levers requiring to be pressed at preset times. Moving inmates from their cells to the chapel, for example, was to occupy exactly six and a half minutes.

The Pentonville inmates' dietary is shown below:

In November 1843, The Times reported that after barely six months at Pentonville, two inmates had been 'driven mad by the severity and the seclusion of its discipline', requiring their removal to the Bethlehem Hospital. It condemned the prison's 'maniac-making system' which, it noted, subjected prisoners to solitude for a period six times as long as that which the Millbank authorities had now agreed was the safe maximum for such confinement. For the first few years of its life, the level of such problems was insufficient to cause the authorities serious concern. However, in 1848, the Pentonville Commissioners noted 'the great number of cases of death and of insanity, as compared with that of former years'.

Ironically, it was not only the convicts who appeared to suffer ill effects from the new prison buildings. In 1847, Whitworth Russell committed suicide at Millbank. William Crawford died in the same year after collapsing during a meeting at Pentonville.

Despite the problems experienced at Pentonville, it marked the start of a boom in prison construction. In the six years following its building, fifty-four new prisons were constructed, providing 11,000 separate cells. Pentonville's open gallery radial design became a model for many new local prison buildings and between 1842 and 1877, around twenty gaols or houses of correction were erected on similar lines.

In the 1860s, Pentonville was used to house military prisoners, who contributed labour for enlarging the buildings.

In 1885, the prison ceased operating as a convict prison and was taken over for use as a local prison. After Newgate prison closed in 1902, condemned prisoners were taken to Pentonville to be executed. The prison also provided training for those wanting to pursue a career as an executioner. The last hanging at the prison, in July 1961 was of Edwin Bush, convicted for the murder of a shop assistant.

The prison continues in operation until the present day.

Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.

• The National Archives , Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Holdings include: Prison registers (1842-85); index to registers of prisoners (1866-74, 1877-85); Photograph albums of prisoners (1876-85); Visitors' order books (1849-50); Minute books (1842-50).
• Find My Past has digitized many of the National Archives' prison records, including prisoner-of-war records, plus a variety of local records including Manchester, York and Plymouth . More information.

• The Genealogist also has a number of National Archives' prison records. More information.
• 1881 Census

Bibliography

• Higginbotham, Peter The Prison Cookbook: A History of the English Prison and its Food (2010, The History Press)
• Brodie, A. Behind Bars - The Hidden Architecture of England's Prisons (2000, English Heritage)
• Brodie, A., Croom, J. & Davies, J.O. English Prisons: An Architectural History (2002, English Heritage)
• Harding, C., Hines, B., Ireland, R., Rawlings, P. Imprisonment in England and Wales (1985, Croom Helm)
• McConville, Sean A History of English Prison Administration: Volume I 1750-1877 (1981, Routledge & Kegan Paul)
• Morris, N. and Rothman, D.G. (eds.) The Oxfod History of the Prison (1997, OUP)
• Pugh R.B. Imprisonment in Medieval England (1968, CUP)
• Prison Oracle - resources those involved in present-day UK prisons.
• GOV.UK - UK Government's information on sentencing, probation and support for families.

IRP Pentonville

Inspectors visted Pentonville in Febriary 2020 on an IRP inspection. In the subsequent press release the inspectors said:

“Inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), revisiting HMP Pentonville to assess progress after a troubling inspection in 2019, found little evidence of positive improvement in a prison where violence had once again risen.

In 2019, inspectors reported poor outcomes in the healthy prison test of safety, and not sufficiently good outcomes in respect, purposeful activity and rehabilitation and release planning. Violence had increased significantly since an inspection in 2017. The response to investigations into self-inflicted deaths was inadequate and support for prisoners in crisis was poor. In 2019, nearly one third of prisoners were locked up during the working day.

At the time of the 2019 inspection HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, seriously considered invoking the rarely-used Urgent Notification (UN) procedure, under which the Secretary of State for Justice must respond publicly to HMIP’s findings within 28 days with plans for improvement. Mr Clarke decided not to follow this path “based on us having some confidence in the plans proposed by an enthusiastic new senior management team.”

A follow-up independent review of progress (IRP) to assess key concerns and recommendations from the 2019 inspection took place in February 2020.

Unfortunately, Mr Clarke said, the IRP findings “were a cause for continued concern.” Prison inspectors found the poorest progress in any IRP since the new type of follow-up visit was introduced in April 2019.

Ofsted inspectors who accompanied prison inspectors to follow up progress on their concerns relating to education, skills and work findings in 2019 found Pentonville managers had made reasonable progress against one of the themes but insufficient progress against the other two.

Mr Clarke added: “In terms of safety, until very recently there had been a lack of clear accountability at every level. Action planning to deliver the safety strategies that were now in place had been neither swift nor effective. Indeed, overall levels of violence had once again increased.” The report noted an overall increase in violence of 10%, with a 30% rise in assaults on staff. There were few incentives to motivate good behaviour, and too many adjudications – internal discipline procedures – for serious breaches of the rules were written off. “This failure to grip and manage key processes created a culture where violence and poor behaviour could all too easily go unpunished,” Mr Clarke said.

Scrutiny of the increasing use of force had only begun in earnest a few weeks before the IRP, and managers could assure neither themselves nor inspectors that all uses of force were justified. Care processes for those in crisis were found, again, not to be managed effectively and, Mr Clarke commented, “the implementation of recommendations from previous self-inflicted deaths could only be described as lacklustre.”

In contrast, the prison had made good progress in tackling its significant drug problem. Inspectors also observed some very good interactions between staff and prisoners during our visit, though some prisoners reported that staff could be rude and unhelpful. Pentonville was also cleaner and cell repairs and refurbishment were under way. Managers understood that boredom and inactivity contributed to bad behaviour, violence and poor well-being. Despite this, prisoners still spent far too long locked in their cells during the working day.

Ofsted inspectors found that a high number of prisoners allocated to education never started their courses, and a third of prisoners who did start their course did not complete it. Work to reduce reoffending and prepare prisoners for release was slow to progress and had not been prioritised.

Overall, Mr Clarke said:

“I was so concerned by the findings of this IRP that I wrote to the Secretary of State expressing my serious concern at the lack of progress. I was particularly disappointed to see that in many areas little or nothing had been done until very shortly before the IRP took place. I acknowledged that a change of leadership at the prison since the inspection had been problematic. I also made the point that lasting improvement would not be achieved through the simple expedient of reducing the prisoner population and giving more resources to the prison. The solution to most issues was in the gift of the prison, but would need a truly collaborative effort from all staff, clear leadership and support from HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Inspectors will return to Pentonville for a full, announced inspection in November 2020″

To read the full report follow the link below:

HMP Pentonville (401.79 kB) Report on an independent review of progress at HMP Pentonville (4–6 February 2020)

Return to Pentonville

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