"I feel their overall demeanor is better, and no question the video system contributes to that."Įarly data indicated an average of seven paid visits per day with growing usage as more people became aware of the option. and overall, I believe inmate discipline problems in general are down, although I don't have exact statistics on that," said Weber County Sheriff Terry Thompson. "We absolutely have far less complaints from inmates on visitation issues.
VIDEO VISITS UTAH STATE PRISON SOFTWARE
Renovo provided the pay-to-visit software and training to jail employees at no extra cost, and the county receives a "commission" of approximately two-thirds of the revenue generated by the visitation fees – along the same business model as prison phone companies.
VIDEO VISITS UTAH STATE PRISON FREE
"The process to set up paid visits is the same as a free one – visitors must register and schedule visits as before, the only difference is that they use their credit, debit or Visa/AMEX gift card to pay for the extra visit," Peters stated. In November 2011 the jail began allowing additional video visits for $10 each. This means that some inmates are reaching their quotas while others are not." "With a jail population of about 700, Weber averages 500 free visits per week. "As a result of using our visitation management system, Weber's jail has become so efficient that they are able to generate revenue by offering extra personal visits for a fee – this is a common theme among our customers," said Brian Peters, Renovo's product and marketing director. In 2011, Renovo Software developed a pay-to-visit option, and approached jail officials with the idea of allowing additional visits for a fee. Prisoners participate in video visitation via terminals located throughout the jail. The jail allows one or two free 25-minute video visits per week depending on a prisoner's classification level, not including attorney visits, which are still in-person visits. The arrangement at the Weber County Jail requires visitors to access the Internet to register and schedule a visit. According to Renovo's website, the company "has provided over 100 correctional facilities with an innovative and comprehensive set of tools to manage, schedule, and automate their inmate visitation environments."
In 2009 the jail replaced in-person, no-contact visits with video visits, using visitation and scheduling programs provided by Renovo Software. The Weber County Jail in Ogden, Utah has joined a growing trend – moving to video visits for prisoners – and has also started charging prisoners' families for "extra" visitation time. Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on G+ Share with email
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