Unwanted contact, and no-contact rules

Not everyone with a loved one in prison wants contact, and sometimes the courts have said there must be none. This page covers both: how to stop contact you do not want, and what a no-contact rule means if you are the victim.

Stopping contact you do not want

If a prisoner is contacting you and you want it to stop, there is a free official service. The Stop Prisoner Contact service on GOV.UK lets you fill in a short online form. The prison then acts to stop calls, letters and emails reaching you. You do not have to give a reason, and the person is not told you asked.

To take just your phone number off their list, you can also ask the prison directly to remove it from their approved numbers. The Stop Prisoner Contact service is simpler because it covers phone, post and email together.

If you are the named victim

Many people in this group are the victim in the case, and the court has set a rule that there must be no contact. This might be a bail condition, a restraining order, or a non-molestation order. It is really important to understand what that means:

• Contact can put the prisoner in breach of the order. That is a criminal offence on its own, and can mean more charges or a longer time inside.
• This is true even if you are the one making contact, or you both want it. You cannot simply agree between you to ignore the order.
• Only the court can change or lift the order.

We know that can feel harsh, especially in a relationship you want to keep. But having contact anyway can seriously harm the person you are trying to help. Please take the safe route below rather than informal advice from others in the same boat.

The proper way to change a no-contact order

If you genuinely believe the order should be changed, that has to go through the court that made it, usually with a solicitor. The solicitor can apply to vary or lift it. Do not rely on the person inside, or a friend, telling you it will be fine. Get it done properly, in writing, through the court.

If the contact frightens you

You are allowed to protect yourself, and support exists whatever your situation. The free National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) is there 24 hours a day to talk things through in confidence, whether or not you think of it as abuse. You can use the Stop Prisoner Contact service at any time, and in an emergency call 999.

Common questions