Historically, visitation at the Hamilton County Jail has been an ordeal for everyone involved.
Friends and loved ones who want to see an inmate have to pay to park downtown, sign up at the jail, and, more often than not, wait a considerable time in the hopes that they will actually get to see the person they came for.
Correctional officers and the sheriff’s department fare little better since the safety and transportation of those hundreds of inmates falls squarely on their shoulders, a massive, daily task.
But now, thanks to the efforts of the sheriff’s department, there’s a new option on the table to eliminate some of those issues.
Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond officially announced the initiation of video visitation for inmates and family on Monday and it’s already starting to take off.
The visitation system, which was first tested in the county jail last week, is part of a four-year contract deal between the county and Securus, a company which has over 4,000 video terminals installed in 155 correctional facilities nationwide.
54 stations were installed overall, providing a readily accessible alternative to costly arrangements for face-to-face visitations. Now instead of coordinating the many complicated components of such a visit, approved visitors can pay a fee to do it from the comfort of wherever they choose.
Remote visits will cost $15 for 30 minutes with a promotional pricing option of $5 for 30 minutes for the first two months of the visitation system’s operation. Onsite visits are free under the current contract.
The visitation system is being funded by revenues from its web-based portion and any money generated by it will not directly benefit the jail nor the corrections division. Instead, that revenue will go into the county’s general treasury.
Sheriff Hammond said that he had personally seen the video visitation in action when an inmate’s girlfriend called from Atlanta to test it.
He said that a wide range of people stand to benefit, like that inmate’s girlfriend, from the relative ease of video visitation, including out-of-town relatives, the infirm, or even lawyers who can now contact their clients from their own office.
It also dramatically cuts the risks of altercations between inmates who would otherwise fight on sight of one another for any number of reasons—a far too frequent occurrence at the jail.
Deputy Chief Joseph Fowler said that anyone wishing to see an inmate can now go online, validate their identity with a photo ID, and, once approved, begin signing up for slots.
If one is interested in setting up an account, they can register at https://securustech.net/friends