Hydebank Wood YOC
Hospital Road
BELFAST
BT8 8NA
TELEPHONE: 020 8844 5000
FAX: 020 8844 5001
The Centre accommodates all young male offenders aged between 17 and 21 years on conviction, serving a period of 4 years or less in custody.
Under the terms of the Treatment of Offender's Act, an inmate can remain at the YOC to the day before his twenty fourth birthday.
Arrangements can be made to accommodate younger people at the Young Offenders Centre. Legislation also permits inmates of 15 years old to be held in the YOC if their crime is deemed to be of a very serious
Booking visits
SENTENCED
All sentenced prisoners are allowed one statutory and three privilege
visits in 4 weeks, one of which may be on a Saturday. Essentially this
means that they may receive one visit per week. Privilege visits can be
withdrawn if the prisoner breaks prison rules.
REMAND
Prisoners on remand are permitted 3 half hour visits per week. During
the first week, visits do not have to be arranged in advance and passes
are not required.
COMMITTAL
When a prisoner is transferred to a prison after sentencing he/she may
have some visits without a visiting permit. A visit is allowed on the
day after the prisoner arrives and one other day during that week. During
the following week, one visit is allowed without a permit. After this
time the normal procedure of visiting permits should operate.
JOINT
If more than one family member is in prison, joint visits between immediate
family members may be approved on request to the Governor. There are certain
set intervals for visits.
APPEAL
Prisoners who are appealing their conviction or their sentence may have
an appeal visit in addition to their weekly entitlement. This must be
arranged in advance by the solicitor representing the visitor. Family
members must present the solicitor with the names of any individuals who
may take the appeal visit. The names must be forwarded, by the solicitor,
to the prison for clearance for the first three visits. Subsequent appeal
visits should be arranged by the visitors who should contact the prison
directly.
Please note:
-
Identification is required for an appeal visit
-
Children are not permitted on appeal visits.
-
If possible appeal visits should be arranged to take place between Tuesday and Friday and not on a Saturday or Sunday.
INTER-INSTITUTIONAL
ECCLESIASTICAL
Visits from the clergy are organised though the Prisons Chaplains. The
chaplain will inform the prison and the visit will be facilitated. Prisoners
are permitted one ecclesiastical visit every six weeks.
LEGAL
Legal visits between a solicitor and his/her client can be arranged with
each prison. The names of the people visiting should be given in advance
when the booking is made.
HOSPITAL
When necessary, a prisoner may be transferred for medical treatment to
an outside hospital. In such circumstances prisoners and family members
will be informed of visiting times which are in line with the visiting
schedule of the particular hospital concerned.
