Prison Video Link Booking Procedures and Contact Numbers
for the Legal Profession/Probation Officers/Parole Board members
All prisons with video links have at least one court room, and 2 briefing rooms or 'booths' where the defendant can conference with their solicitor before and, if required, after their court hearing.
Any unused capacity, when Court hearings are not taking place, presents an opportunity for the Legal Profession and for Probation Officers to have interviews with the defendant via video link to save having to visit the prison in person.
The facility is also available to assist the Parole Board in dealing with the rise in the number of Oral hearings as a result of a House of Lords Judgment.
It should be noted however that Court hearings take priority on the video links system. At other times, operational reasons may mean bookings are refused or cancelled at short notice.
Arrangements for booking a video link with the Prison
Please contact the relevant prison to make a booking for using the video link system. The 'Quick Links' on this page provide contact details for prison video link departments. Permission from an Officer of the Court is required if you wish to use the Court prison video link conference booths to connect to the Prison, free of charge. Courts will have local arrangements in place to facilitate the use of the equipment. A list of the Crown Courts and Magistrates’ courts with the prison video link facility is also available under the 'Quick Links' section of this page.
If you are using your own video conferencing equipment, you will need to make arrangements with the relevant prison and contact Martin Dawes Ltd to book the conference call on 01305 752104. Capacity is limited and bookings are accepted on a first come first serve basis.
Although Martin Dawes PLC is contracted for the service provision and maintenance of the prison video links, the administration and management of the system is the responsibility of Prisoner Escort & Custody Services (PECS), which is a unit within the Ministry of Justice. For general enquiries and advice about prison video links, please contact the Video Link Desk on 01536 27401. Lines are open between 9.00 am and 5pm Monday-Friday.