HMP Fosse Way Phone Calls

If your loved one has recently arrived at Fosse Way, there are a few things that will be different from older prisons you might have dealt with before. Visits are booked entirely by the prisoner through their in-cell terminal, you do not book from outside. The visiting schedule runs on unusual hours including evening sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And your first visit requires biometrics to be taken as well as photo ID. None of this is difficult once you know about it, but it catches families off guard who arrive expecting the same process as at an older HMPPS-managed prison.

About HMP Fosse Way

HMP Fosse Way sits on Tigers Road in Glen Parva, Wigston, approximately four miles south of Leicester city centre. It was built on the site of HMP Glen Parva, a Young Offender Institution that closed in 2017 after serving Leicestershire for several decades. Construction of the new prison cost £286 million and the facility received its first prisoners on 29 May 2023, making it one of the newest prisons in England and Wales alongside HMP Five Wells and HMP Millsike.

The name Fosse Way was chosen through a six-week community consultation run by HMPPS among residents and businesses in south Leicestershire. The Fosse Way is a Roman road, one of the most important in Roman Britain, that ran diagonally across the country linking Exeter in the south-west to Lincoln in the north-east, passing through Bath, Cirencester, and Leicester. The road runs through the area close to the prison site, and the name was already embedded in local business identities. The community vote made it the clear choice. It is a small detail, but one that grounds the prison in its local context in a way that most new prisons do not attempt.

HMP Fosse Way is operated by Serco Justice and Immigration under a 10-year contract with the Ministry of Justice. Serco is one of the UK's major private prison operators, also running HMP Doncaster, HMP Lowdham Grange, and several other establishments. Unlike publicly managed HMPPS prisons, day-to-day management, welfare concerns, and visiting arrangements all go through the Serco management team at Fosse Way rather than a regional HMPPS governor.

The prison was designed as a Category C resettlement prison, its purpose is to prepare men for return to the community. With a planned capacity of 1,930 once fully expanded, it is set to be one of the largest Category C establishments in the country. Currently operating at around 1,715 capacity, it holds men serving medium-length sentences who are closer to the end of their time and focused on developing the skills and connections that will support them on release. The 24 workshops at Fosse Way cover an unusually wide range of vocational areas, including manufacturing spectacle frames and operating construction vehicle simulators — reflecting Serco's partnerships with local employers and its focus on real employment outcomes.

The Ministry of Justice described HMP Fosse Way as the "greenest prison" at the time of its opening, citing its use of renewable energy sources, electric construction machinery during the build, and eco-friendly design throughout. While HMP Millsike claims the title of first all-electric prison, Fosse Way's sustainable credentials were a defining feature of its public launch and remain part of how Serco presents the prison.

HMP Fosse Way Contact Details

How Phone Calls Work at HMP Fosse Way

Like HMP Five Wells and HMP Millsike, Fosse Way uses a digital in-cell terminal system rather than traditional communal wing phones. Every prisoner has a terminal in their cell through which they manage phone calls, visit bookings, canteen orders, and requests to staff. Making a call involves entering a PIN linked to their phone account, selecting an approved number, and connecting, all from their room without having to queue for a shared handset on the wing.

The in-cell system at Fosse Way gives your loved one genuine flexibility about when they call. They are not restricted to short association periods when communal phones are available. Within whatever permitted hours the prison sets, they can call at a time that suits both of you, which makes maintaining regular contact more manageable than at older establishments where communication windows are narrow and unpredictable.

The approved contact list at Fosse Way works on the same basis as at other modern prisons. Your loved one submits your number for security vetting when they arrive. Once approved, they can call. Numbers not on the approved list cannot be called. Up to 20 personal contact numbers can be held on the list. Legal contacts are separate and do not count towards this limit.

All social calls at HMP Fosse Way are recorded and may be monitored. Legal calls to solicitors on the legal phone account are not recorded. You are notified at the start of each social call that it is being recorded. You cannot call a prisoner directly — all contact is outgoing, initiated from inside the prison.

If you give your loved one a Prison Call virtual landline number to add to their approved list instead of your mobile, every single call from the moment the number is approved costs 2.48p per minute on weekdays instead of 5.50p. The security approval takes the same amount of time either way. There is nothing to lose and over 55% to save on every call from day one.

Phone Call Costs at HMP Fosse Way in 2026

Although Fosse Way is privately operated by Serco, it follows the same national HMPPS call rate tariff as publicly managed prisons in England and Wales. These rates have been in force since 1 April 2025, following a 20% reduction negotiated by the Ministry of Justice, and are fixed until 31 May 2027. All costs are charged to the prisoner's phone credit account — not to you as the recipient.

A 20-minute weekday call to a mobile number costs £1.10 in phone credit. For a prisoner earning a typical prison wage of around £10 per week, that is more than 10% of their weekly income on a single call. Phone credit at Fosse Way is purchased through the in-cell canteen system from the prisoner's private cash balance, money sent in from family via the GOV.UK service, plus prison wages. The faster processing of digital canteen orders at Fosse Way means credit top-ups typically reflect in the account more quickly than at older paper-based prisons.

It is worth noting that the HMPPS weekend tariff (midday Friday to midnight Sunday) is considerably cheaper for mobile calls 3.60p per minute versus 5.50p on weekdays. Fosse Way's visiting schedule includes evening sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which suggests the prison is designed with flexible family contact hours in mind. The same flexibility likely applies to in-cell phone access, giving families the option to plan longer calls in the evenings or at weekends when the mobile rate is lower.

Cut Down Your Call Costs By Over 50%

The gap between the mobile rate (5.50p per minute weekday) and the landline rate (2.48p per minute weekday) is the same at Fosse Way as at every other prison in England and Wales, because it is set nationally. A virtual landline from Prison Call gives your loved one a standard local UK phone number to call instead of your mobile. When they dial it from their in-cell terminal, the system charges the landline rate. The call forwards to your mobile. You answer as normal.

On a daily 20-minute weekday call, that is 61p saved per call, over £13 per month, and more than £160 per year. The same phone credit lasts more than twice as long. Prison Call plans start from £19.99 per month with same-day number activation, no setup fee, and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If your loved one is transferred from Fosse Way to another establishment, the number works at every UK prison — they just add it to the new PIN list.

Visiting HMP Fosse Way

The visiting process at Fosse Way has several features that differ from most other UK prisons, and knowing about them before your first visit saves a great deal of stress.

Prisoners book visits through the in-cell terminal
Unlike many older prisons where families book visits by calling a dedicated line, at Fosse Way the prisoner books the visit from their in-cell terminal. Once you are on the approved visitor list, your loved one arranges the visit from inside and then contacts you to let you know the confirmed day and time. You cannot initiate a visit booking from outside. The booking must come from the prisoner.

The visiting schedule is unusual
Fosse Way operates one of the most flexible visiting schedules of any UK prison. Rather than a single daily window, visits run on different hours across the week:

The extended Tuesday and Thursday sessions running to 8pm, and the Wednesday afternoon and evening slot, make Fosse Way considerably more accessible for working family members than prisons with a single afternoon window. If you work Monday to Friday, a Tuesday or Thursday evening visit or a weekend daytime visit are your most practical options.

Your first visit requires biometrics
On your very first visit to HMP Fosse Way, staff will take your photo, proof of address, and biometrics — specifically fingerprints. This is a one-time process that creates your visitor record in the prison's security system. Subsequent visits require only your photo ID. For your first visit, bring valid photo ID such as a passport, driving licence, or PASS-approved proof-of-age card, plus a utility bill, council tax bill, or satellite television bill issued within the last three months as proof of address. The biometric registration takes a few minutes at the beginning of the visit. After your first visit, checking in is faster because your biometrics are already on file.

The visiting hall has soft furnishings and no fixed furniture
Serco's official visitor information for Fosse Way specifically highlights that the visiting hall has soft furnishings with no fixed furniture, creating a more comfortable and relaxed environment than the rigid plastic chairs bolted to tables found in older prison visiting halls. This is a deliberate design choice reflecting the resettlement focus of the prison, visits are intended to feel more human, less institutional.

The POPS visitor centre
Partners of Prisoners (POPS) runs the visitor centre at HMP Fosse Way, open on all visiting days. POPS provides information and support to families on a range of practical issues including travel, housing, and debt, as well as one-to-one support around the visiting process itself. There is also a Family Forum where visitors can raise concerns and contribute ideas to improve the visitor experience. Themed Family Days take place throughout the year. The POPS visitor centre is at 0116 216 2656 ext 2083. The POPS Family Lead can be reached at ciyat@partnersofprisoners.co.uk.

How to Send Money to Someone at HMP Fosse Way

Phone credit at Fosse Way is purchased through the in-cell canteen system from the prisoner's private cash balance. To add money to that balance, use the official free service at gov.uk/send-prisoner-money. You pay by debit card and need the prisoner's full name, date of birth, and prison number. Funds typically arrive within one to three working days. Bank transfers, postal orders, cheques, and cash by post are no longer accepted.

If you do not have the prison number yet, call 0116 216 2656 and the reception team can help find it. The prison number also appears on letters, court paperwork, and any correspondence from the prison. Getting money in promptly after your loved one's arrival is important for ensuring phone credit is available from the first day that calls are permitted.

Other Ways to Stay in Touch With Someone at HMP Fosse Way

Letters
You can write at any time to 1 Tigers Road, Glen Parva, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 4WS. Always include the prisoner's full name and prison number on the envelope. All post except legal correspondence is opened and checked before delivery. Letters are particularly valuable in the first days after arrival while the phone list is being approved and before in-cell phone access is fully set up.

Email a Prisoner
The Email a Prisoner service at emailaprisoner.com allows you to send messages that are printed and delivered to the cell, usually the next working day. There is a small per-message fee. This is useful for longer updates and for staying in touch on days when a phone call does not happen.

Video calls
Secure video calls are available at HMP Fosse Way. Check with the prison directly for the current platform and booking process, as video call arrangements at newer Serco-managed prisons may differ from the standard Prison Video app used at HMPPS establishments. Contact the visits team through the main switchboard for the most up-to-date information.

Release on Temporary Licence
Like HMP Five Wells, Fosse Way runs an active ROTL programme in partnership with local employers. Prisoners who are eligible and have been thoroughly risk-assessed can work in the community each day as part of their resettlement preparation. If your loved one is on ROTL this creates opportunities for face-to-face contact outside a formal visit setting. Speak to the resettlement team at the prison for eligibility information.

Getting to HMP Fosse Way

HMP Fosse Way is located in Glen Parva, approximately four miles south of Leicester city centre, accessible from Leicester via the A426. Leicester railway station is the closest rail connection on the Midland Main Line, with direct services from London St Pancras (approximately 60 to 70 minutes), Birmingham New Street (about 50 minutes), and Nottingham (about 30 minutes). From Leicester station, buses run towards Wigston and Glen Parva, or a taxi takes approximately 15 minutes. Free car parking is available at the prison. The postcode for sat-nav is LE18 4WS.

For families eligible for support with travel costs, the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme covers travel, overnight accommodation, and meals for qualifying visitors. Details are at gov.uk/help-with-prison-visits. Leicester's central location and the prison's multiple evening visiting sessions make Fosse Way one of the more accessible new prisons for families travelling from across the Midlands.