The Bella Centre became operational in 2022 and houses low supervision women and young people. Located in the Hilltown area of Dundee, the centre's accommodation consists of three 'shared houses' with capacity for 16 individuals.

 

The Community Custody Units (CCU) have been designed to provide safe and secure accommodation, which is trauma informed and gender specific. The CCUs will support the needs of women who would benefit from closer community contact and access to local services. Women will be supported to live independently in accommodation based on a ‘shared house’ principle to develop a range of independent living skills, which are reflective of real life.

Exterior of Bella Centre

Visiting the prison

Visits are accommodated in our hub area which will allow for a more relaxed, family friendly environment.

  • Virtual Visits can be booked through EmailAPrisoner, all information can be found on their website.

  • On arrival at the establishment, all visitors must book in at the front of house. You will be asked to place all belongings in a locker provided and walk through a metal detector before being allowed entry to the establishment.

    It is the person in custody’s responsibility to book any visits and inform visitors of the time and date of the visit taking place.

  • To gain access to the establishment for the purpose of visiting, you must have two forms of identification, one of which must be photographic ID, the other being proof of address.

    Entry to the establishment will not be permitted without acceptable identification.

    The following examples shall be accepted as suitable for photographic ID purposes:

    • Valid Passport
    • Photographic Driving Licence
    • Citizen/Validate UK Card
    • Senior Citizens Bus Pass
    • Workplace photo ID card
    • Photographic Bank Card
    • other official photo ID i.e. membership card

    The following examples shall be accepted as suitable for proof of address, provided it is less than 3 months old:

    • Utility bill
    • Council tax bill
    • Benefit book
    • other letter from official source

    Official visitors require Identification cards.

    Agents are required to carry their Law Society of Scotland ID Cards.

    A Photographic Driving Licence can be used as an acceptable form of ID for both photographic ID and proof of address.

  • All property and cash is posted at the sender’s own risk. You can post money for an individual in our care, however we would strongly recommend using the online banking service, or recorded/special delivery (costs incurred at the post office).

    When posting cash, please ensure that the package is clearly marked with the recipient's details.

    When sending a cheque or postal order, both of these should be made payable to the Scottish Prison Service; please note the recipient's details on the back of the order or cheque.

    You can post in property for an individual, but the they must have completed the pro-forma prior to the items arriving. Any items should be marked with the recipient’s name and prison number.

  • All property and money for the individual's PPC can be handed into the front of house at the Bella Centre, however, a valid form of ID must be shown, and a pro-forma must be completed and signed by a member of staff before property can be received.

    It is recommended that all monies are transferred to the recipient via our online banking service.

Visiting times

    • Monday - Friday
      • 09:30–12:00
      • 13:00–17:00
      • 18:00–20:30
    • Saturday - Sunday
      • 13:00–15:00
      • 15:00–18:00

Getting in touch

Family and Friends

If sending a letter to a prisoner, put their name, prison number and location, followed by the prison postal address.

Solicitors

If you are writing to your client, the Scottish Prison Service considers that it is necessary that you adopt the “double envelope” process as recommended by the Law Society. It is the experience of the Scottish Prison Service that adopting this process ensures that your client receives his or her correspondence unopened and assists in mitigating the abuse of the right to receive such correspondence in this way. If you require further information you can contact us as follows:

Each house in the Bella Centre is fitted with a shared kitchen and living area, as well as individual, en-suite bedrooms. We also have ground floor, accessible accommodation for women with disabilities, and studio-style rooms for young people who might find themselves suitable for transfer to a CCU.

The Bella Centre is an active part of the Dundee community, building strong and healthy relationships between our women and our neighbours. With the help of our officers and partners across the city, we are building positive support networks for the women in our care as they prepare to reintegrate into their communities.

How to get there

The Bella Centre is located on Ann Street, Hilltown, Dundee.

The Centre is a 20 minute walk from the train station, or a 10 minute walk from the bus station.