JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Hinds County is switching a video system for inmates to visit with friends, family and attorneys.
The Clarion-Ledger reports (https://on.thec-l.com/1mrMYUk ) that the board of supervisors signed a contract Tuesday with Mobile, Ala.-based Global Tel Link Corp. to install the system in the county’s three jails.
Global Tek has placed similar systems in Mississippi’s 15 regional jails and the three state prisons.
A typical videoconference visit lasting about 20 minutes would cost $12.
Presently, inmates can call someone outside the jail for a flat $3.50 in-state fee or visitors can come to see them at either the Adult Detention Center in Raymond, the women’s facility in downtown Jackson, or the Penal Farm located adjacent to the main Raymond jail. Inmates do not have to pay for visits at the jail. The inmate and the visitor are separated by a clear screen and talk to each other through a telephone hookup.
“When I have full-fledged visitation going on at the Raymond jail, it’s exhausting to the staff,” said Chief Deputy Chris Picou.
Inmates must be moved to designated visiting areas, and their guests often come unannounced and unscheduled, he said.
The new system allows visits to be scheduled online. Those wanting to visit inmates can use their own computer or cellphone to videoconference with them, and attorneys can save time and money by conferring with inmates from their offices instead of driving to Raymond.
“Where I would now use 10-12 people to staff visitation, I wouldn’t have to use any,” Picou said. “The technology is something we have badly needed.”
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Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, https://www.clarionledger.com
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