Physical visitation to video visitation
For the past few year’s there has been a buzz about prison(s) detention centers & jails in many state adopting a new way for visitation which is called video visitation.
Many communication corporations are pushing this new way of visitation. Stating that it help’s the security of some prisons from contraband. And that its more convenient for most families to visit in this manner due to the long transits’s that a family has to make to se a loved one. To me this is called trying to disconnect family ties and discourage. One from wanting to see their loved ones. Most people that visit loved ones in prison enjoy the intimacy that a contact visit brings. That at most times the main reason for one to visit a family, member partner or friend.
In some states where this system has been already set in place. The families of some individuals strongly disapprove of this method of communicating with a loved one. They have complained that at times it be comes pixelated or the screen freeze. while the visit is going on. And in some cases they can see inmates in the day room or pod while they are in the midst of video visit with a family member which becomes more of a problem because there is no privacy.
These corporations are benefitting off of our families for the mere fact that they want to see their loved ones. Let me explain this a little bit deeper.
There are two types of ways to visit a loved one under this new way of visitation one is called the on site visit where you go to the institution and is able to visit your loved one via screen for free. Now the issue with that is this you have to wait in line to wait to get to an computer to only see your loved one for that short period of time where now a physical or behind Glass visit may be 30 minutes or better.
The other route is the offsite video visit where you the family member has to pay a fee. Now you can do this from your state or town to see your loved one. And maybe charged any where from 50 cent to $1 per minute. In Racine County, Wisconsin. A 20 minute video visit cost’s you $29.95. Say that’s $30 for a 20 minute visit where most county or state institutions have a visiting period of 30 minutes or better.
The top corporation that wants this inhumane practice is a company by the name Sucurus.The contract that this company and others use is that in order for this to be effective they will have to do away with contact visits all together. See in this case the prison’s doesn’t pay anything the expense comes out of the pockets of the people who visit’s their loved ones through the offsite process. However the initial expense comes from the companies themselves for the installment of the terminals. The prisons make out because of the bundle deal that they are getting. They are in the bed with these communication companies it’s a sweet deal to them It’s’s a win win situation. Our jails are more safer because there is less contraband one prison however in Travis County Texas, they use this system for that very reason to bring the violence down and bring about lesser disciplinary cases due to contraband. That didn’t work after the visitation system was implemented the increase in contraband Rose to 54% So that goes to show that the so called security tactic’s is only a hoax to make the people and the politicians and prison administrators’ sign on to this.
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Now let’s do some number crunching, and logical thinking here. The majority of people who are incarcerated, which are 80% have and annual income of less than $25,000. That only goes to say that majority of the prison populations family are poor or just barely making if see these people can care incarcerated individuals.
A Minnesota Department of Corrections study show that a single visit can reduce the recidivism rate by 13% for new crimes and 25% for technical violations. If this whole with less visiting minutes. There maybe a sense of bitter in woman in these institutions rely on that hour or two once or twice a month or year of physical contact from above one to keep them going. If that one freedom is infringed on the way of the prison system will be most chaotic and in turmoil Currently this practice of visitation is being used in to visit a loved one under this new way of visitation one is called the on site visit where you go to the institution and is able to visit your loved one via screen for free. Now the issue with that is this you have to wait in line to see a person in this manner and only be allotted 2 to 10 minutes worth of a visit. Who wants to stand in line to wait to get to an computer to only see your loved one for that short period of time where now a physical or being glass visit may be 30 minutes or better.
Currently more than 500 facilities in 43 states and the district of Columbia. It started off as a way for Bail hearings any conferences between a lawyer and his/her client in the 1990’s now the corporation’s have found a way to push it on the tax paying citizen. 12% of the nation’s local jails have adopted it. Pretty soon the warmth of a family members hug or the smile of an incarcerated person’s child maybe no more.
These corporations: IC solutions/Vic Vox, Jpay, Renovo Securus. And Telmate want to suck the loved one’s of incarcerated individuals dry. The only reason the expansion hasn’t occurred just yet is due to a problem with the apple computer corporation. They want to disconnect the prisoner from the outside world all the way around the board in a physical sense.
