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WEBVTT FAMILIES WILL HAVE TO CATCH UPWITH INMATES OVER VIDEOMONITORS.NEW ON 5: NEWSCENTER 5'S DAVIDBIENICK TONIGHT ON THE REASONSBEHIND THE CHANGE AND REACTIONTO IT.DAVID RIGHT NOW, VISITORS TO THE: BRISTOL COUNTY JAIL IN NORTHDARTMOUTH COME TO THIS ROOM ANDUSE AN INTERCOM TO SPEAK TOINMATES THROUGH A PLANE OFPLEXIGLASS.>> YOU CAN SEE THE PERSONTHROUGH THE GLASS.DAVID BUT STARTING NEXT MONTH,: ALL VISITORS, EXCEPT LAWYERS,WILL INSTEAD COME TO THISTRAILER IN THE JAIL PARKING LOT, THEN PICK UP A PHONE AND TALKTO INMATES ON VIDEO SCREENS.>> THIS WOULD COME UP LIKEFACETIME OR A SKYPE SESSION.DAVID THE SHERIFF SAYS HE: DECIDED TO SWITCH TO VIDEOVISITS PARTIALLY TO PREVENTCONTRABAND BUT MAINLY TO REDUCECOSTS.VISITORS ENTERING THE VIDEOCONFERENCE TRAILER WILL NOT HAVETO PASS THROUGH METAL DETECTORS.>> WE CERTAINLY KNOW IT WILL BEA SAVINGS OF PROBABLY SOMEWHEREBETWEEN, YOU KNOW, $30,000 TO$60,000 A YEAR.DAVID: EVENTUALLY, VISITORSWON'T HAVE TO COME TO THE JAILAT ALL.THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE THISVIDEO CONFERENCE CALLS FROM HOMEOR WHEREEVER THEY HAVE ACOMPUTER AND INTERNET. BUT WHILE USING THE ON-SITEVIDEO SCREENS WILL BE FREE USING, A REMOTE CONNECTION WILLREQUIRE A STILL-TO-BE-DETERMINEDFEE PAID TO THE COMPANY THAT, INSTALLED THE EQUIPMENT.>> THIS IS NOT ABOUT MONEY.THIS IS ABOUT HOW CAN WE RUN OUROPERATIONS MORE EFFICIENTLY?DAVID: AS THEY DO NOW, GUARDSWILL MONITOR AND RECORD THEVIDEO CHATS AND PULL THE PLUG ONANY CONVERSATIONS THEY FEEL AREINAPPROPRIATE.IN A STATEMENT, THE ACLU SAIDCUTTING OFF THE HUMAN CONTACT OFIN-PERSON VISITATION IS CRUEL TOPEOPLE IN JAIL, THEIR FAMILIES, AND LOVED ONES.>> IT'S MORE PERSONAL TO BE ABLETO SEE THEM IN THEIR OWNPHYSICAL, YOU KNOW, BEING.DAVID STATE LAWMAKERS ARE: CONSIDERING LEGISLATION TOREQUIRE JAILS WITH VIDEO VISITSTO OFFER IN-PERSON VISITS ASWELL.BUT UNLESS THAT PASSES, FORHUNDREDS OF FAMILIES HERE,INMATES WILL SOON BECOME IMAGESCONFINED TO A SCREEN.IN NORTH DARTMOUTH, DAVID

Advertisement Bristol County jail to ban most in-person visits Inmates will use video monitors to talk with outsiders

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The Bristol County jail in North Dartmouth is set to become the first in Massachusetts to ban most in-person visits for inmates.Starting next month, the jail will require all visitors, except lawyers, to use newly installed video-conferencing monitors.For more than 20 years, visitors have entered a room within the main jail where they use an intercom to speak to inmates through a plane of plexiglass.“You can see the person through the glass,” said Jonathan Darling, a spokesman for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department.The new system will use a mobile-home-style trailer in the parking lot equipped with more than a dozen video-conference monitors.Darling compared the experience to Apple’s FaceTime application or Skype.Sheriff Tom Hodgson said he decided to switch to video visits partially to prevent contraband, but mainly to reduce costs.Visitors entering the video conference trailer will not have to pass through metal detectors, which Hodgson said should cut down on the use of personnel hours.“We certainly know that it'll be a savings of probably somewhere between $30,000 to $60,000 a year,” Hodgson told WCVB.Eventually, Hodgson said, visitors will not have to come to the jail at all. They will be able to make this video conference calls from home or wherever they have a computer and an internet connection.Using the on-site video screens will be free, but using a remote connection will require a still-to-be-determined fee, paid to the company that installed the equipment.Securus Technologies, based in Texas, did not immediately respond to inquiries.According to the company’s website, it has contracts with more than 3,400 correctional facilities in North America and provides video-conferencing for 1.2 million inmates.Hodgson said his department would receive a portion of the proceeds from the proceeds and spend that money on inmate services.“This is not about money. This is about how can we run our operations more efficiently,” he said.As they do now with audio conversations, guards will monitor and record the video chats and pull the plug on any conversations they feel are inappropriate.In a statement, the ACLU of Massachusetts said, "Cutting off the human contact of in-person visitation is cruel to people in jail, their families and loved ones."While visiting his son at the jail on Friday, Stephen Dupont said he would likely use the remote connection but prefers in-person visits.“It's more personable to be able to see them in their own physical being,” Dupont said.Massachusetts lawmakers are considering legislation to require jails with video visits to offer in-person visits as well.Another bill would limit how much jail and contract companies can charge for phone calls and video visits.