The placement requires students to commit to volunteering for 6 months, which is a great opportunity to experience a part of society usually unseen. Once you have completed the 60 hours, you can reduce your hours to however you want, up to the 6 month period. Visiting days are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all morning and afternoon sessions. Volunteer's arrive at 8am and leave at 12pm if doing a morning shift, and 1pm to 4pm if doing an afternoon shift. Personally, I just did a full day on a Friday which gained me 8 hours each time. My vetting and key training took a while as I only applied in December, but to make my hours up I created a notice board for adults and children. This allowed me to gain hours whilst I wasn't allowed in the prison. The centre is very flexible in allowing you to gather information you need for placement, and to do any activities you want. Just ask and they are more than happy to help.
Tasks include booking in visitors and going to the visits hall morning and afternoon. The biggest opportunity for placement is going to the visit hall on the last Friday of the month as it is Family Day. This is where prisoners are able to play and interact with their children, giving them much more freedom and interaction. There are two ladies that come from NCN collage to initiate this and to guide the prisoners, so talking to them is a great help with gathering information.
Also, when then the visitors are waiting in the visitors centre before they go up to the prison, lunch time is a great opportunity to interact with the children. Usually Sure Start visit the centre, however they haven't been going recently, so it is a good idea to take over what they were doing. I decided to create an activity of drawing and decorating Easter eggs, which encouraged a lot of children to play.
Finally, the prison also operates a creche in the visits hall where you can join the ladies who run it. However please note that they are not in every day, mostly on a Saturday.
You will have to book families in to the visits and also go to the canteen in the visits hall as part of volunteering. However it is a great opportunity to observe families and interactions between them.
http://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/our-services/supporting-prisoners-children-and-families/visitors-centres/hmp-nottingham-visitors
Student accommodation is the easiest if you are able to still stay there, as all you need to do is get a bus from the city centre.
If you need to stay in a hotel, there are Travelodge's, Premier Inn's and many other hotels in the city centre, which allows you easy access.
You can get there buy bus, train, car or taxi.
TRAIN/TAXI/BUS
If you are travelling to Nottingham by train, a taxi takes around 15minutes and will cost approximately £8.
Alternatively, go to the Broadmarsh bus station where you can catch the numbers; 3a, 3b, 3c, 3 to the Victoria Centre bus station, where you catch a number 15, 16 or 17 to the Nottingham Prison. Get off the bus at Perry Road, walk up Hucknall Road and turn right onto Perry road.
CAR
Leave the M1 at Junction 26 and take the A610 to Nottingham for 3 miles. Upon reaching ring road A6514, turn left towards Mansfield (A60) along the Western Boulevard and Valley Road. Continue over the railway bridge and through two sets of traffic lights to an island at A611 Hucknall Road (City Hospital should be clearly visible on the left); turn right at the island towards Nottingham City centre and go up the hill to the traffic lights; turn left onto Perry Road. Turn left after approximately 50m into the prison.
Car parking for visitors is available and signposted about half way up the hill on the left.
The prison is located very close to Nottingham city centre, so you will find many restaurants, bars, clubs and shops.
Things to do, things not to do
Research how to get there. You don't go to the main prison, it's the bungalow down the road. When following the transport directions for a car, go to Hucknall Road coming up from the island, then go past the coop and it is the second left turning half way up the hill. Do not go up to the traffic lights and turn left as this will take you to the actual prison. The car park for the visitors centre is very small, so if you are struggling, either go to the barrier and they will let you go up to a bigger car park, or when you are on Hucknall Road go up to the traffic lights, turn left to Perry Road and then park on Perry Road.
Please apply to volunteer in a lot of advance. I would suggest applying in September due to you having to get new DBS forms approved, vetting, key training, and an induction. The process takes around two months to get everything completed, as each stage requires the previous stages passed documents.
Make sure you have the correct and valid identification, such as a passport, driving licence, bank statements (3 months in date), utility bill etc.
Also, plan your dates in advance so you can make sure you gain the full 60 hours in plenty of time, and try to get in on the last Friday of the month.
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