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| Video visitation Reentry initiative at county jail |
| By Mary Linehan , shorenewstoday.com |
| Published: 05/11/2011 |
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CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE -- The county's top law enforcement officer went online with his latest gadget last week, instituting a video visitation program at the jail. “There are so many benefits, from our perspective and for inmates. The video system addresses so many security concerns, and is both cost effective and revenue producing,” said Sheriff Gary Schaffer. “And, people will be able to have increased access to visits with their family members and friends in the facility.” The $67,145 system was approved by the Freeholders in February, setting the stage for Cape May to be on the cutting edge of the new technology application. “We will be among the first correctional facilities in the country to use this type of system for visitation and conferencing,” said Schaffer. The first $50,000 came from funds in the sheriff's budget and the remaining $17,145 was appropriated from the county's Inmate Welfare Account. The sheriff met with Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno last week to discuss the benefits of the program and to suggest it going statewide. “There are 36,000 state inmates. This could produce revenue for the state at a small cost to the inmates' families, who often travel great distances for visits. I think it's going to work here and would work statewide,” he said. Inmate advocacy groups point to data that suggest regular contact with family members is good for them, and for the community. “Even with extended periods of parent-child separation and the complex feelings that come with it, most parents naturally want to continue to support their children, and children continue to need the love and guidance of their parents,” according to the Reentry Policy Council of the Council of State Governments Justice Center. “Administrators should therefore look beyond expanding parenting programs to visitation and related policies. Visitation policies and environments should support positive interactions for all family members…[and] when appropriate, children should have regular contact with their parents during the period of incarceration.” In Cape May County, iWebVisit.com will supply the system, which will provide 27 stations for inmates housed at the correctional facility. The Reno, Nev.-based company pitches its product to jails by focusing on lower costs and higher revenues. The system is web-browser based; so once registered in the system, families and friends can schedule a visit with an inmate online and conduct the visit without having to enter a correctional center. iWebVisit.com lists the Washoe, Nev. county sheriff's department as its only active user at present. Schaffer had planned to have his facility online with the system by March, but is pleased with the May roll out. He planned to host a press conference and demonstration of the system on Thursday, May 12. According to the sheriff, the video visitation will carry a $10 price tag for each 20 minute visit. Once the system is up and running, the sheriff's department will split the fee with the contractor. “We could expand hours with this system. We had 8,000 visits last year, so the system will pay for itself in terms of reduced officer hours and actual fees,” said Schaffer. “That cost is minimal, considering the time and effort that people have to commit to visit a family member or friend here. And, visitation at the jail is not for everyone. Elderly people often are worn out by the procedures,” said Schaffer. “Many inmates choose not to visit their children, because they don't want their kids brought into the jail. This system will allow them to maintain contact with their whole family.” People can schedule visitation by going to the sheriff's department website, www.cmcsheriff.net, following the prompts to create an account and to schedule and conduct a visit. While all video visits are monitored and recorded by the agency, attorneys have the option to arrange for confidential video visits to meet with their clients remotely. Clergy are also permitted to schedule confidential video visits. And, as of last Sunday, inmate visitation at the jail also went remote. “Face-to-face visiting will no longer be conducted at the Cape May County Correctional Center. Visitation will be done by video terminals at the Correctional Center. Use of the video stations is by appointment only and subject to availability. Participation in the onsite visitation program is based on availability directly influenced by the remote terminal activity for that day. There is no guarantee that on site visit will be given and space is limited,” according to the sheriff's announcement. Since June 2009, inmate visitation was by appointment only. Visiting hours were cut up by inmate's last name, with "A" through "I" claiming Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m., as well as Saturday mornings from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Inmates "J" through "Z" can be visited on Thursdays and Fridays, 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 2:30 to 6 p.m. Because visitation slots were scarce, each inmate was allowed only one visit per day. The visits, conducted in booths where the prisoner is separated from his visitors by safety glass, are limited to 20 minutes; each booth can accommodate three outside guests who speak to the inmate via a telephone. “People [would] call a day ahead of time to reserve space. The slots [were] limited…and would fill up very quickly. It is frustrating for people from out of the area or with work schedules that limit their ability to schedule during the assigned times,” said Schaffer. “Manpower is a huge issue with visitation. It takes a lot of time to move inmates around within the jail and ties up officers from other responsibilities. One we get this system up and running, we will likely be able to increase the hours available for visiting,” Schaffer predicted in February. Accordingly, the system went online with greatly expanded hours. Online visitation hours will be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week -- with the exception of 6 to 7 p.m. daily. Each inmate in general population is allowed up to three visits per day, according to the department. There are 27 stations for inmates scattered throughout common areas within the jail for the visits. Inmates will have access to secure visitation cabinets - essentially a television screen and a telephone handset. The public will be able to access the website, and register to schedule a visit. The system is web-based, so families can use webcams preinstalled on computers, or purchase a low cost webcam from a retailer. Schaffer anticipates that families without computers at home will be able to gain access to the internet at public locations, such as libraries or internet cafes. The video system is just the latest gadgetry put in place by Schaffer. In January 2010, the department unveiled a $10,000 iris recognition system that relied on biometric technology to determine the identity of individuals by comparing unique features contained in each person's iris against a database. During the summer of 2009, Schaffer automated the jail's commissary accounts, allowing people to make deposits into an inmate's commissary account electronically. Schaffer said that by automating the commissary transactions officers were freed up for other duties and allowed the jail to track depositors, “…cutting down on potential money laundering and gang connections.” The Correctional Center was built in 1977 and, because of renovations, is licensed to hold 181 inmates, including 30 female committees. The jail is staffed by 83 sworn officers and civilian personnel, according to the Sheriff's Department. Click here to read more: |
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