WITH THE CORONAVIRUS NOW DECLARED A PANDEMIC, WHY HASN'T IDAHO MADE AVAILABLE VIDEO VISITATION IN THE STATE'S LARGEST PRISON?
[Editor's Note: Since the writing of this article, the Director of the IDOC has implemented a number of program cancellations and security contingencies. See IDOC DIRECTOR SUSPENDS PROGRAMS, VISITING, ETC. IN RESPONSE TO IDAHO'S FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS on this site.]
With coronavirus headed for Idaho, why is it that the IDOC has failed to have their contractor JPay get the video visitation at ISCC up and running? While video visitation at some facilities has been in service for several months, the feature so prevalent on the streets has yet to make its way to Idaho's largest prison as well as several other prisons across the state.
ISCC and other facilities have the capability of hosting video visitation via JPay kiosks at any time according to 2 CenturyLink technicians who service the units at ISCC, but JPay and the IDOC cannot agree on a price-per-visit that is reasonable. According to the technicians, the infrastructure is already in place, but it's a matter of administrators wanting to get it started.
Facetime, Skype and other such services are used for free every day on the streets, and would allow family and friends to maintain better contact with prisoners without the cost of having to travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles to do so. Elderly, sick and those with mobility problems would benefit most, while others who simply do not have the time to drive to the prison, endure long lines and humiliating searches would enjoy the service as well. Encouraging these healthy relationships between prisoners, families and friends strengthens the community, and helps prisoners keep a positive prospective while inside and on the future in preparation for release.
Prison officials, now denying visitor applications based on the smallest of issues (see article ISCC WARDEN CLAMPS DOWN ON VISITOR APPROVALS on this site), complain about contraband entering the prison through visiting as well as a lack of visiting area staff and space, so one would think that video visitation would be a priority. Maybe the whole mantra "visitation is an important aspect of rehabilitation and that the IDOC has an interest in supporting safe, healthy family relationships and contact with positive influences outside of prison by allowing visits between inmates, family and established friends" is nothing more than for public show.
While nobody wants to infringe on the ability to have physical visitation (indeed, contact visitation is preferred), video visitation, in conjunction with contact visits will not only reduce the numbers of visitors by more than half - thus lowering the possibility of transmission of disease or contraband - it will allow for longer visits, provide more room and comfort for those who choose contact visits over virtual, and reduce the number of staff necessary to oversee the visitation process. Some prisoners and visitors will choose to have only contact visits, others only video visits, while others a combination of contact AND virtual visits for the sake of time, cost, distance and convenience.
Making video visitation available to all IDOC prisoners now should be of the utmost priority for IDOC. Some county jails in Idaho have provided video visitation opportunities to prisoners for years - and almost all allow at least 2 free visits per week. The reduction of stress amongst prisoners, the reduction of staff hours necessary to oversee visitation and - in all cases of video over contact visiting - the prevention of the spread of any viral or bacterial contagion are powerful reasons for implementation. There is no justification - penological or otherwise - not to make video visitation immediately available.
To support video visitation efforts in all IDOC facilities, contact the IDOC Central Office at (208) 658-2000 or via their webpage at www.idoc.idaho.gov and tell them why they need to implement video visitation immediately.
With coronavirus headed for Idaho, why is it that the IDOC has failed to have their contractor JPay get the video visitation at ISCC up and running? While video visitation at some facilities has been in service for several months, the feature so prevalent on the streets has yet to make its way to Idaho's largest prison as well as several other prisons across the state.
ISCC and other facilities have the capability of hosting video visitation via JPay kiosks at any time according to 2 CenturyLink technicians who service the units at ISCC, but JPay and the IDOC cannot agree on a price-per-visit that is reasonable. According to the technicians, the infrastructure is already in place, but it's a matter of administrators wanting to get it started.
Facetime, Skype and other such services are used for free every day on the streets, and would allow family and friends to maintain better contact with prisoners without the cost of having to travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles to do so. Elderly, sick and those with mobility problems would benefit most, while others who simply do not have the time to drive to the prison, endure long lines and humiliating searches would enjoy the service as well. Encouraging these healthy relationships between prisoners, families and friends strengthens the community, and helps prisoners keep a positive prospective while inside and on the future in preparation for release.
Prison officials, now denying visitor applications based on the smallest of issues (see article ISCC WARDEN CLAMPS DOWN ON VISITOR APPROVALS on this site), complain about contraband entering the prison through visiting as well as a lack of visiting area staff and space, so one would think that video visitation would be a priority. Maybe the whole mantra "visitation is an important aspect of rehabilitation and that the IDOC has an interest in supporting safe, healthy family relationships and contact with positive influences outside of prison by allowing visits between inmates, family and established friends" is nothing more than for public show.
While nobody wants to infringe on the ability to have physical visitation (indeed, contact visitation is preferred), video visitation, in conjunction with contact visits will not only reduce the numbers of visitors by more than half - thus lowering the possibility of transmission of disease or contraband - it will allow for longer visits, provide more room and comfort for those who choose contact visits over virtual, and reduce the number of staff necessary to oversee the visitation process. Some prisoners and visitors will choose to have only contact visits, others only video visits, while others a combination of contact AND virtual visits for the sake of time, cost, distance and convenience.
Making video visitation available to all IDOC prisoners now should be of the utmost priority for IDOC. Some county jails in Idaho have provided video visitation opportunities to prisoners for years - and almost all allow at least 2 free visits per week. The reduction of stress amongst prisoners, the reduction of staff hours necessary to oversee visitation and - in all cases of video over contact visiting - the prevention of the spread of any viral or bacterial contagion are powerful reasons for implementation. There is no justification - penological or otherwise - not to make video visitation immediately available.
To support video visitation efforts in all IDOC facilities, contact the IDOC Central Office at (208) 658-2000 or via their webpage at www.idoc.idaho.gov and tell them why they need to implement video visitation immediately.