Inmates housed at a Miami County jail will soon visit friends and family only through a video screen, Miami Herald reports.
Keys Sheriff Rick Ramsay announced the installation of a digital system that will allow people to make virtual visits with inmates from their homes for 40 cents per minute.
The option of seeing an inmate at any of three county jails across the Florida Keys is still available, but as of Nov. 7, all visits will be conducted through video and must be scheduled at least eight hours in advance, Deputy Becky Herrin, a spokeswoman for the Monroe Sheriff’s Office said.
“Fewer visits to the jail means less contraband,” Herrin said. “It also means less inmate movement.”
During the 25-minute long visits, inmates will stay in their dorms. A home video visit costs $9.95. A percentage of the payments will go to the Monroe Sheriff’s Office for a fund that pays for inmate education programs.
Herrin said the video visitation will make staying in touch with inmates easier for many families who are unable to make the long drive down the Keys to see their loved ones.
“People don’t want to bring their kids to jail to visit Uncle Joe,” Herrin said. “This way, they’ll be able to visit Uncle Joe or daddy at home.”
