Armley local: six wings and a first-night machine
HMP Leeds, 2 Gloucester Terrace, Stanningley Road, Leeds LS12 2TJ. GOV.UK (updated 1 July 2026) lists Governor Diane Lewis, switchboard 0113 203 2600 (weekdays 07:00–22:00, weekends 07:00–17:00), and nearly 700 cells on wings A–F holding over 1,100 men — residential wings, a first-night centre, an incentivised substance-free wing, a complex unit and a vulnerable-prisoner wing.
Arrival, per the official page: search, ID, hot drink, shower, change of clothes, hot meal, a welfare conversation. Induction about a week. That is the prison’s account of first days. Your account as a family is waiting for a call that can come late.
Leeds visiting times (GOV.UK)
Book online, on 0113 203 2570 (Monday–Friday 08:00–10:00 and 12:00–14:00), or face to face 08:00–16:00. Email socialvisits.leeds@justice.gov.uk is for enquiries, not a casual booking inbox. Book at least 48 hours ahead; GOV.UK also says visits can only be booked two weeks in advance. Ex-prisoners need written Operations clearance and a six-month gap — read that section on GOV.UK if it applies to you.
A–E wing slots: Monday–Wednesday afternoons and evenings (Wednesday evening reserved for new prisoners), Sunday morning and afternoon. F wing has its own thinner timetable including Saturday morning. Early-days (EDiC) visits for the first 14 days are arranged via the family engagement worker. Family visits: Friday morning every other week.
Jigsaw runs the centre — 0113 203 2771. Twenty open seats and three closed booths in the hall. Up to £40 per person in notes or change in a see-through bag. A positive passive-dog indication cancels that day’s visit for that visitor, not automatically a ban. Refreshments during the visit; children’s play at weekends and school holidays.
Leeds station, then a bus or a ten-minute taxi
GOV.UK: closest railway is Leeds; 30-minute walk or about ten minutes in a taxi to Armley. Parking at the prison is very limited; surrounding streets are the overflow. National Rail and Traveline are the official planners.
Safer custody and money
Emergency: 0113 203 2600, orderly officer. Non-emergency: 0113 203 2629. Complaints: complaintscorrespondenceleeds@justice.gov.uk. Money via the national send-money service. In-cell phones 07:00–22:00 except restricted regimes. Video calls are requested by the prisoner, not by you, according to GOV.UK.
Visiting times (from the official page)
Copied from the official HMP Leeds guidance. Re-check that page before you travel — slots move.
| When | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Wednesday (A–E wings) | 14:00–15:00, 15:30–16:30 and 18:00–19:00 (Wednesday evening for new prisoners) |
| Sunday (A–E) | 09:00–10:00, 10:30–11:30, 14:00–15:00 and 15:30–16:30 |
| F wing | Tue 14:00–15:00; Wed 15:30–16:30; Sat 09:00–10:00; Sun 15:30–16:30 |
Questions about HMP Leeds
- Why is it called Armley if GOV.UK says Leeds?
- Armley is the district. The establishment’s official name is HMP Leeds. Book it as Leeds prison.
- Can I visit on a Wednesday evening?
- GOV.UK listed Wednesday 18:00–19:00 for new prisoners on A–E. It also noted that Wednesday evenings for general visits were withdrawn. Check the live page.