As of May of this year, the total number of people in prisons across this country was estimated to be 218,171. That equates to more than 200,000 people who are incarcerated in this country, rightfully or otherwise. These people have families and friends that they ideally hope to continue to see while they are in prison, and thankfully today’s prison systems are beginning to more fully entertain the idea of adding a video visitation system to their own facilities. There are myriad advantages to a video visitation system, not the least of which is a technologically advanced answer to keeping in touch with these family members and these friends without inconveniencing them.
All too often, family members are embarrassed or ashamed to enter these facilities to visit their loved ones. This often leads to them never visiting. But with an inmate video visitation system, they have the unique chance to talk to their loved ones. They may not be seeing these people in person, but these family members, these friends, and these clergy members, attorneys, social workers, and marshals can avoid scheduling conflicts or making trips to these prisons and instead can save their costs for other endeavors. They can speak to these inmates via a prison video visitation system that puts them face to face so they can talk privately and they can avoid having to be checked at the door or be uncomfortable with their situations.
An inmate visitation system like this also has other benefits, including strengthening the support system that these inmates have. This happens because they are much more likely to experience communication with these people since they are doing it over the Internet. Talking to their loved ones and their professional providers can make the transition from freedom to incarceration easier for these prisoners, leading them to ideally having better experiences while they are incarcerated.
So how does a video visitation system work? Specifically, video visitation systems are implemented in the cells of inmates and are left off until someone reaches out to a prisoner. Virtual visitors, meanwhile, can use their own laptops or computers from remote locations to speak with these inmates. It really is as simple as that, and more and more prisons are realizing this. This of course places the burden of scheduling these visitations through a video visitation system on friends and family members, but it simultaneously alleviates the crowdedness that envelops today’s prisons.