Technology in Corrections - Video Visiting & Calling
Video Visiting in Corrections: Benefits, Limitations, and Implementation Considerations
"The purpose of this guide is to inform the development of video visiting programs within a correctional setting. “Video visiting” is real-time interactive video communication which uses video conferencing technology or virtual software programs, such as Skype. It is an increasingly popular form of communication between separated family members in settings outside of corrections. The rapid expansion of video visiting in jails and prisons over the past few years suggests that video visiting may become very common in corrections in...
Screening Out Family Time: The For-Profit Video Visitation Industry in Prisons and Jails
This is the most comprehensive website you will find about the for-profit video visitation industry. It is essential reading for anyone considering using a for-profit video visitation system in their correctional facility. "Video technology like Skype or FaceTime can be a great way to stay together for people who are far apart. It is not the same as being there in person, but it is better than a phone call or sending a letter. Given that there are 2.2 million...
Video Visitation: How Private Companies Push for Visits by Video and Families Pay the Price
This publication explains how video visitation negatively impacts the families of inmates. "While prison advocates have long anticipated the technology that would allow for video visits as a way to increase communication between incarcerated individuals, their family, and community members, it was always envisioned as a supplement to in-person visitation. The reality of incarceration is that many individuals are assigned to units in rural communities, far away from their loved ones, burdening mostly low-income families with travel and lodging expenses...
Evaluating Video Visitation Technology for Prisons (2014)
"In 2012, NIJ awarded the Vera Institute of Justice a multiyear grant to conduct the first-ever systemwide evaluation of video visitation technology for prisons. The study is using a mixed-methods design to better understand how to create policies about family-inmate contact, inform investment decisions and policies related to video visitation technology, and to understand video visitation’s role in reducing recidivism."
Face-to-Face Family Visits Return to Some Jails (2017)
"Jailhouse visits like this one between family members and inmates are starting to make a comeback, replacing a decades long trend of requiring families to use Skype-like video technology in which families dial in from a computer at home, a public library or inside the jail itself to talk to a loved one who is incarcerated."
There’s no cheap talk when it comes to prison calls (2017)
"A federal appeals court on Tuesday said regulators went too far in trying to rein in the high cost of phone calls for prison inmates. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with phone service companies in finding that the Federal Communications Commission had exceeded its authority. The ruling is a setback for prison reform advocates who have been fighting for years to reduce the prices imposed by a handful of private companies."
Alabama plans to supply prisoners with tablet computers, Wi-Fi for education, phone calls (2017)
"Inmates in prisons across Alabama would soon have access to tablet computers under a new plan by the state Department of Corrections aimed in part at reducing the high cost of calling home from behind bars."
Video Chat Price-Gouging Costs Inmates More Than Money (2017)
The more incarcerated people get to visit with their loved ones while they’re serving time, the less likely they are to reoffend later on. Research has repeatedly shown it. Just where video visitation rights fall into that, though, has become a serious point of contention.
Closing the Distance: The Impact of Video Visits in Washington State Prisons (2017)
"Of the many difficulties incarcerated people face, losing contact with loved ones may be among the most damaging. Research has shown that maintaining community ties can improve their health and well-being, decrease their sense of isolation, reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, and improve their feelings of control and involvement in family life. Furthermore, research suggests that receiving any visit at all during incarceration reduces the risk of someone committing a new offense or violating conditions of parole when they are released. Thus, visits with loved ones form a lifeline to the outside world for incarcerated people and help pave...