Someone you love is inside. Here are the answers.
When will they get out? Can they get a tag? Why haven't they rung? Free tools and plain answers for families, with no judgement.
Work things out
Someone on remand?
What it means, the extra visits they get, and whether the time counts.
What happens at court?
From charge to sentence, and all the jargon, explained simply.
How long could they get?
Waiting for court? See the likely range for the offence.
When will they get out?
Put in the sentence, get the likely release date. Includes the new 2026 rules.
Can they still get out on a tag?
HDC ended for adults on 2 September 2026. See who it still applies to, and what replaces it.
How do I contact them?
Why they have not rung, and the fastest ways to get through.
When can they get parole?
Life, IPP and extended sentences. The timeline in plain words.
When does probation end?
When supervision stops, and when the recall risk is over for good.
When is it all behind them?
When a conviction is spent and stops showing on most checks.
Sort the money
What do calls cost?
Work out the weekly bill, and see how to get the same calls for half.
Cheaper calls, compared
Apps, call services and landlines. What works and what to avoid.
How much can they spend?
The weekly cap by behaviour level, and how much is worth sending.
What happens to the benefits?
Universal Credit, council tax, rent and Child Benefit. Get a checklist.
Get your visit travel paid
A little-known scheme pays travel for families on a low income.
What will it all cost you?
Add up what the sentence really costs the family outside.
Understand what is happening
Expecting prison? Get ready
What to take to court, and how to sort the house, money and pets first.
Just happened? Start here
The first 48 hours: what is going on, and what you can do today.
Which prison are they in?
How to find someone, free, and what to do after a sudden move.
Their prison's page
Every UK prison: visits, calls, money and the official links.
When can they come home for a day?
Day release and home leave, and the road to open prison.
Cat B, C and D explained
How categories work and when open prison becomes realistic.
Children and prison
Telling the kids, the school, visits, and who helps.
What can you send in?
Letters, photos, clothes and books. What gets sent back.
Recall explained
Sent back from licence. The 56 day rule and what happens next.
What do the words mean?
Canteen, nicking, VO, enhanced. The words explained simply.
The first thing everyone wants to know
Almost nobody serves the whole sentence in prison. Most people get out at 40% of the sentence right now. From 1 October 2026 that drops to one third for most people, in stages by sentence length, under a new law. Days spent inside waiting for court count too. So "4 years" rarely means 4 years.
Our release date tool does the maths for you in under a minute.
Why trust this site?
Every page shows the date we last checked it, and we follow the rule changes so you do not have to. The tools are free, there is no sign-up wall, and we do not judge. We built this from years of helping families through the system.
Want to know when the rules change?
The release rules change in stages from 1 October 2026. We will email you as each stage lands. Otherwise just a short update every few months. No spam, ever. Stop any time.
Thanks, you are on the list. We will only email when the rules change, plus a short update now and then. You can stop any time.
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