From next year judges will be able to impose extra prison sanctions, the Government has announced. The Prison Reform Trust has questioned the evidence behind the plan.
Security staff grew suspicious when the man arrived for a social visit wearing two pairs of trousers. He has received eight months in prison.
New Ministry of Justice figures suggest around one in 50 school-age children has a parent in prison, and most of them do not appear on prison visitor lists.
An inquest jury found that the death of a life-sentence prisoner at HMP Frankland was drug-related, and the coroner has urged the prison to apply its visits policy more consistently.
From 2 September governors can stop or restrict visits from family and friends, and the maximum loss of privileges and added days will double to 84 days.
A review by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found high phone costs, long booking waits and disproportionate security checks deterring family contact, which it says supports safety and reduces reoffending.
Monthly visits in England and Wales fell by a quarter between 2019 and 2024, while phone calls doubled, according to a study of all forms of prisoner contact.
