Cape May County Facility Offers Virtual Visits for Inmates
CAPE MAY, N.J. — Technology is reaching from the walls of Cape May County Correctional Center into the homes of inmates’ loved ones. The facility recently became the first in the nation to use the Nevada-based iWebVisit for inmates to virtually communicate with family members, lawyers and friends.
The Nevada-based system is among the latest of similar programs at other facilities. Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Prison Society operated the Family Virtual Visitation Service, which made possible about 180 55-minute visits a month, in a joint teleconferencing venture with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
The Camden County of Department Corrections is also planning to implement a program that provides virtual communications to inmates on a pilot basis, but has not yet installed the technology.
“We are interested in doing an ongoing and expanded program and are having conversations with various companies and with other counties as part of the exploration process, evaluating costs, privacy issues and other factors,” said county spokeswoman Joyce Gabriel.
Cape May’s system could serve as an example to others to start or continue virtual communication programs within facilities. Not only has the system reportedly been making inmates and families happy, it seems to have improved safety for corrections officers and generated money for the facility.
“This year alone, assaults on my officers are down 36 percent,” said Sheriff Gary Schaeffer. “We’ve gone through some different training, but it can really be attributed to less movement in the facility.”
Each inmate is escorted to day rooms in each cellblock to have their 20-minute virtual visit without leaving their housing units. Before the Web system, inmates were moved through lockup and needed three officers to run visitations. Now only one is needed.
The virtual visits are generating revenue for the facility by charging visitors for each 20-minute video session with an inmate. General visitors from somewhere other than the prison are charged $10 for the 20-minute virtual service, and attorneys pay $15. The county receives under $5, while the processing company takes the rest of the profits.
After six months of the video system in operation, Cape May County collected more than $9,000 and put it back into corrections facility operations.
If the system gains attention, it could bring the facility much more income. Currently there are 22,0000 guests who visit the State of New Jersey prison system. If each of them visited three times a day, the facility would make $660,000 every day, according to Cape May County officials.