Under the new system, in-person visits are no longer allowed. Instead, all visits now must be done by video, either from a smartphone, computer, or at an offsite location.
The pamphlet, published by Securus Technology, makes using a video feed to talk to your loved one seem appealing. It says:
“Do you want to see your loved one more often? Stop missing out on:
• Watching your favorite TV show.
• Singing Happy Birthday.
• Reading a bedtime story ... Never miss another moment.”
Under the new system, each video visit made from home costs $12.99 for 20 minutes. In-person visits used to be free.
But why halt in-person visitation?
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Security concerns, say the program’s supporters. They point to the conveniences of video, a kind of Skype for the jailed, as a way to combat a nagging security issue: contraband. York says that contraband – drugs, weapons, and more – can be introduced even in no-contact facilities where inmates are separated from visitors by glass. “I’m not going sugarcoat it and say it’s only the visitors that do it,” says York. “Inmate orderlies and officers might be picking up a bag of marijuana that a visitor leaves in the trashcan and getting paid off to deliver it to the inmate. I’ve seen it hundreds of times.”
Another reason is the reallocation of jail personnel. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe LoPinto was quoted in a Times-Picayune article as arguing that the new system allows his office to “allocate resources where we think they’re needed, on the streets”. In-person visitation, he said, requires twice as many officers, and York agrees. (LoPinto declined to comment for this story).
I really hope you two aren't black.
