HMP Millsike Phone Calls

Because Millsike is so new, there is very little reliable information available for families. Most people searching for guidance are dealing with a loved one who has been transferred recently, often from an older establishment with a completely different way of doing things. The digital-first approach at Millsike is genuinely better in some ways — your loved one controls more of their own communication, visit bookings happen quickly, and the prison is designed around resettlement rather than warehousing. But it is different enough that families who are used to how things worked elsewhere can find the first few weeks confusing.

What Makes HMP Millsike Different

HMP Millsike was designed from the ground up as part of the Ministry of Justice's New Prisons Programme, and it shows. Built on a 22-hectare site next to the existing HMP Full Sutton near York, it opened on 28 March 2025, making it the newest operational prison in the country at the time of writing. Construction was by Kier Group and the prison is operated under a 10-year contract by Mitie Care and Custody, the private sector provider that also runs HMP Five Wells. Unlike many privately run prisons, Mitie has brought in specialist rehabilitation partners: PeoplePlus handles employment, skills, and education, and Forward Trust manages substance misuse, mental health, and connections services.

The most immediately noticeable difference for families is that Millsike is a fully digital prison. There are no paper-based canteen sheets, no paper visit request forms, and no queuing for shared communal phones. Everything is done through a secure in-cell device a tablet-style handset installed in every room. Prisoners use this device to make calls, order from the canteen, submit requests to staff, book visits, and access educational content. This is not a new concept a handful of other prisons have piloted similar systems, but at Millsike it is the default from day one for every prisoner, at every stage of their sentence.

The second standout feature is the energy model. HMP Millsike is the first UK prison to run solely on electricity, with solar panels and heat pumps expected to save the Ministry of Justice around £1 million a year. The prison covers the equivalent of 39 football pitches and was built to house almost 1,500 Category C prisoners who are in the final two years or less of their sentences and are expected to be resettled in the surrounding Yorkshire area. This resettlement focus is fundamental to understanding the culture at Millsike — it is not a holding prison for long-term sentences, it is a preparation prison for release.

HMP Belmarsh Contact Details

How the Phone System Works at HMP Millsike

Millsike does not use the traditional shared wing phones that families of prisoners in older establishments are used to. Every cell has a secure in-cell device think of it as a locked-down tablet through which all communication is managed. When your loved one wants to make a call, they use this device rather than going to a communal handset on the wing. The system is fully digital and all calls are routed through the prison's secure telephony infrastructure.

The practical implication for families is significant. Because calls are made from in-cell devices rather than queued wing phones, your loved one has more flexibility over when they call. They are not competing for a shared handset during a fixed association window. Provided they have credit and the number is approved, they can call during any permitted hour. This makes regular contact easier to establish and maintain than at older prisons with more rigid communal phone regimes.

The security screening process for adding contacts is managed through the same in-cell system. When a prisoner arrives at HMP Millsike, they are asked to submit a list of family members and friends. These individuals are subject to security screening, which takes up to 72 hours. This is faster than some older prisons where manual processing can extend the wait. Once your number is approved, calls can begin immediately.As with all UK prisons, calls at Millsike are outgoing only. You cannot call a prisoner directly. All social calls are recorded and may be monitored. Legal calls to solicitors are handled through a separate secure channel and are not recorded. You are notified at the start of each social call that it may be listened to by staff.

Because security screening at Millsike takes up to 72 hours, your loved one cannot call you until three days after submitting your number. If possible, pass them a Prison Call virtual landline number to add rather than your mobile so that from the very first call, they are paying the cheaper landline rate automatically.

What the In-Cell Technology Changes for Families

Millsike's digital-first approach changes a few things that families used to older prisons may not expect. Understanding these differences early helps avoid frustration.

One thing that does not change is that you are not required to use any app to receive phone calls. When your loved one calls your Prison Call virtual landline from their in-cell device, the call forwards to your mobile exactly as any other call would. No app, no login, no account needed on your side.

The People Behind the Prison: Who Runs What at Millsike

Understanding who operates what at Millsike is useful when you need to contact the right team. Unlike publicly managed prisons where everything goes through HMPPS, Millsike has a consortium of providers each responsible for different aspects.

Mitie Care and Custody has overall responsibility for the security, safety, and day-to-day running of the prison. General welfare concerns and requests about visits, transfers, and discipline go through Mitie. PeoplePlus manages all education and vocational training, if your loved one is asking about courses or qualifications, PeoplePlus is the relevant team. Forward Trust handles the Connections service, which covers peer support, substance misuse recovery, family contact support, and mental health. If your loved one is struggling and you want to reach out to someone beyond the general switchboard, Forward Trust's Connections team is a useful route. Practice Plus Group provides healthcare, including mental and physical health services.

Forward Trust runs the Connections service across the whole prison, supported by staff, volunteers, and peer mentors, many of whom have lived experience of the issues they address. Families who want to engage with the prison beyond basic phone contact can reach the Connections team at hmpmillsike-vbooking@forwardtrust.org.uk.

Phone Call Costs at HMP Millsike in 2026

Although Millsike is privately operated by Mitie rather than directly by HMPPS, it follows the same national call rate tariff as publicly managed prisons in England and Wales. These rates were reduced by 20% in April 2025 and are confirmed fixed until 31 May 2027. All costs are charged to the prisoner's in-cell account, not to you as the recipient.

The 5.50p weekday mobile rate is the same at Millsike as at every other prison in England and Wales. A 20-minute daily call to a mobile number costs £1.10 each time — around £24 per month on weekdays. Phone credit at Millsike is purchased through the in-cell device from the prisoner's private cash balance, the same as at other prisons. The difference is the speed and convenience: digital canteen orders at Millsike typically process faster than paper-based canteen sheets at older establishments, meaning credit top-ups reflect in the account sooner.

Prisoners at Millsike are, by definition, within two years of release and working towards resettlement. For many, staying in regular contact with family is a central part of their release preparation. The cost of maintaining that contact matters especially here — credit spent on phone calls is credit not available for other resettlement needs like contributing to savings, purchasing work-related items, or paying for educational materials.

How to Cut the Cost of Calls From HMP Millsike

The gap between the mobile rate and the landline rate is 3.02p per minute on weekdays, more than double. This exists because of how the HMPPS telephony contract categorises different number types, not because of anything specific to Millsike. Most families no longer have a traditional home landline, so prisoners default to calling mobile numbers without realising there is a cheaper alternative.

A Prison Call virtual landline gives your loved one a standard UK local number — for example a 01759 East Yorkshire number or whatever area code matches your location — that forwards calls to your mobile. When they dial it from their in-cell device, the system charges the landline rate. You answer on your mobile as normal. No app, no changes to your handset, nothing new to install.

On a daily 20-minute weekday call, switching to a Prison Call virtual landline saves 61p per call — over £13 per month and more than £160 per year. For someone serving the final 18 months at Millsike, that is over £240 in credit that stays available for calls rather than needing to be sent in. Prison Call plans start from £19.99 per month with same-day number activation and no setup fee.

How to Send Money to Someone at HMP Millsike

Phone credit at Millsike is purchased through the in-cell device from the prisoner's private cash balance. To add money to that balance, use the official free online service at gov.uk/send-prisoner-money. Pay by Mastercard, Visa, or Maestro debit card. You 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 not accepted.

Because Millsike's canteen ordering runs digitally, credit purchases are processed through the device as soon as the balance is available — typically faster than at older prisons where canteen orders are collected and processed once a week on a fixed day. This means topping up mid-week is more likely to result in credit being available quickly at Millsike than it might be elsewhere.

Sending Money to Someone at HMP Belmarsh

Phone credit at Belmarsh is purchased by the prisoner through the canteen system, funded from their private cash balance. To top up that balance you use the official free online 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. Cash, cheques, postal orders, and bank transfers are no longer accepted.

Because Belmarsh holds a high proportion of remand prisoners, some people arrive with very little cash in their prison account. Getting money in quickly after arrival is important so that phone credit is available from the moment the PIN list is approved. If your loved one has just arrived unexpectedly from court, prioritising a small top-up through the GOV.UK service is a practical first step.

The 10-minute call structure at Belmarsh means that even a modest amount of credit say £5 provides roughly nine calls to a virtual landline number at the 2.48p/min rate, compared to only four calls to a mobile at 5.50p/min. The virtual landline more than doubles what each pound of credit provides in terms of call time.

Other Ways to Stay in Touch With Someone at HMP Millsike

Millsike uses the Purple Visits platform for secure video calls, which is different from the Prison Video app used at most HMPPS-run prisons. To arrange a video visit, email hmpmillsike-vbooking@forwardtrust.org.uk or call 01759 488887. Your loved one is notified of scheduled video calls through the scheduling app on their in-cell device. Download the Purple Visits app on your phone or tablet before your first session to ensure setup is complete before the call time. Video calls at Millsike are a particularly valuable contact channel given the prison's resettlement focus — maintaining visible family relationships is specifically part of what Forward Trust's Connections service supports.

You can write to your loved one at HMP Millsike, Full Sutton, York, YO41 1PS at any time. Include the prisoner's full name and prison number on every envelope. All post except legal correspondence is opened and checked before delivery. There is no limit on how many letters you can send. Even at a digitally advanced prison like Millsike, physical letters carry a different kind of weight — they can be kept and re-read, and for many prisoners they are a more meaningful form of contact than a brief phone call.

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 a useful option for sharing longer updates that would take up significant call time, or for keeping in touch on days when a call does not happen.

If your loved one is struggling with substance misuse, mental health, or reintegration concerns, the Forward Trust Connections service at Millsike is specifically designed to support them. Family members can also contact Forward Trust directly to raise welfare concerns or get information about what support is available. The Connections team can be reached at hmpmillsike-vbooking@forwardtrust.org.uk — while this email is labelled for video bookings, it is the clearest public contact for Forward Trust at Millsike.

Visiting HMP Millsike

The visiting process at Millsike is managed digitally and is different from most other prisons. On arrival at HMP Millsike, prisoners are asked to submit a list of family members and friends who may wish to visit. These individuals are subject to security screening, which takes up to 72 hours. Once approved, prisoners can book their visitors via secure in-cell technology. All visits must be booked with at least 48 hours notice. If no visit has been booked, the prison cannot allow entry on the day. This is firm, there are no walk-in visits under any circumstances.

When you arrive for a visit, you must be on the approved visitor list and provide valid photo identification each time, such as a passport or driving licence. You must also bring two documents showing proof of your address a utility bill issued within the last three months, or a council tax bill for the current year. This two-document proof of address requirement is more demanding than at many other prisons and worth knowing about before your first visit. For queries on visits, call 01759 488885, 488886, or 488887.

Legal representatives and official visitors must book through the phone line separately. Legal rooms are available but must be booked in advance and cannot be allocated on the day. All official visitors are subject to security screening and must bring proof of accreditation and ID.HMP Millsike is located in Full Sutton in the East Riding of Yorkshire, adjacent to HMP Full Sutton, approximately 8 miles east of York city centre. The postcode for sat-nav is YO41 1PS. York is the nearest main railway station from York, a taxi to the prison takes approximately 20 minutes. There is no direct bus service from York to Full Sutton. The A166 is the main road approach from York. Car parking is available at the prison site.