Sheriff says online inmate visitation program could produce revenue for the county

Visiting an inmate in the county jail could soon be done over a home computer and also generate more revenue for the jail. Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe told the county commission last week he has been talking with Virginia-based HomeWAV about an Internet-based video system for jail visits. Bledsoe said the company is proposing to install and manage the system at no cost to the county, other than installation of electrical and Internet connections. The sheriff said he estimates the system could generate about $20,000 a year for the county. Visits to the jail are currently conducted by video monitor on site, but sheriff said due to staffing restrictions the visits are by appointment only and limited to one hour a week. Under the proposed system, inmates would pay about 60 cents a minute for a video connection to family members and could even video conference with attorneys and clergy. While there would still be time limitations, the sheriff said the online visitation would not involve any commitment of personnel. On-site visits still would be allowed. The sheriff said the system would reduce the liability of civilians being present in the jail, provide more visitation opportunities for inmates and generate revenue. Bledsoe said the video chats also would be subject to review by jail staff for security reasons except for privileged conversations with attorneys and clergy. The commission unanimously forwarded the proposal to its regular meeting on Feb. 19.