how to video visit an inmate

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Securus Video Connect ®

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Discover interactive communication unlike any other.

Securus Video Connect ®  system is a fully web-based visual communication tool that allows friends, family members, attorneys and public officials to schedule and participate in video sessions with an incarcerated individual from anywhere with internet access using a smartphone, tablet or PC. This digital tool provides family and friends limitless opportunities to connect with a loved one by sharing special moments. No other form of communication allows incarcerated individuals to experience family life inside their homes. With the power of video, they can participate in birthdays, homework, watching cartoons with their kids and opening presents on Christmas. Studies reveal a link between individuals maintaining relationships with their loved ones while incarcerated reduces recidivism. Securus Video Connect SM  gives incarcerated individuals another opportunity to bond with their families to compliment traditional in-person visits.

Explore the Most Robust Scheduling Software Available to Corrections

Securus Video Connect ®  offers you an easy-to-use interface, which allows contacts to easily schedule sessions from any mobile device or PC connected to the internet. Before being able to schedule a session, the user must first electronically submit user information and a photo ID. Now, your staff will have full control over who is allowed to schedule a session giving you the ability to restrict users based on behavioral issues. In addition, the scheduling platform is completely integrated with your Jail Management System ensuring that a session is only scheduled during available timeslots.

Get the Power to Increase Security and Improve Lives

• Ability to live monitor and record visits for investigation and reducing violence within the facility
• Flag visits for later investigative review and lock down recordings from being purged after the standard retention window expires.
• Provides ability to have more video sessions at times that are more convenient
• Allows more family members to be involved in the video session
• Monthly subscription plans available for affordability and accessibility (at participating sites)

Latest News

Giving Incarcerated Individuals Access to Second-Chance Job Opportunities, Securus Technologies Partners with Honest Jobs February 15, 2023

New Securus Originals’ Podcast Inspires Incarcerated Individuals to Focus on Building a Second Chance Beginning Day One of Incarceration December 1, 2022

Securus Technologies and Grammy-Award Winning Artist Lecrae Release Song in First-Ever Hip-Hop Track Contest for Incarcerated Individuals August 31, 2022

Aventiv Technologies Launches New Website Dedicated to Providing Information, Resources, and Support to Families and Friends of Incarcerated Individuals August 23, 2022

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How to Schedule a Visit Using Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA)

VSA allows Friends and Family to schedule visits from a variety of web enabled devices including computer, smartphone and tablet. Get familiar with our visiting guidelines and make sure you are approved to visit before using VSA. If it’s your first time using VSA, you’ll need to claim your account before you can schedule a visit.

Schedule visits at the time designated for the institution listed below.

Northern Region VSA request period will open from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for the following institutions in the Northern region:

• California Correctional Center
• Central California Women’s Facility
• California Health Care Facility
• California Medical Facility
• California State Prison – Sacramento
• California State Prison – Solano
• Folsom State Prison
• High Desert State Prison
• Mule Creek State Prison
• Pelican Bay State Prison
• Sierra Conservation Center
• San Quentin State Prison
• Valley State Prison

Central Region VSA request period will open from 6:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for the following institutions in the Central region:

• Avenal State Prison
• California Correctional Institution
• California Men’s Colony
• California State Prison – Corcoran
• Correctional Training Facility
• Kern Valley State Prison
• North Kern State Prison
• Pleasant Valley State Prison
• Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison – Corcoran
• Salinas Valley State Prison
• Wasco State Prison

Southern Region VSA request period will open from 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for the following institutions in the Central region:

• California City Correctional Facility
• Calipatria State Prison
• Centinela State Prison
• California Institution for Men
• California Institution for Women
• California Rehabilitation Center
• California State Prison – Los Angeles County
• Chuckawalla Valley State Prison
• Ironwood State Prison
• Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility

The request period begins eight days prior to the visitation day and closes five days prior to the visitation day. See the table below for examples.

• Friends and Family (also referred to as visitor) go to the visitor website and click Claim Account .

• Type your First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth.    

• Add and confirm your Email Address . Select Next.

• Complete the remaining fields with all Personal Information . Click on the checkbox to run the robot test. Review the information and when you are ready, select the checkbox to verify that all information is correct, and then click the Finish button.

• Once your account is created, you will receive your Visitor ID . It is very important to write down the number, print the summary page, or take a screenshot of the following screen for your records.

• Look for an email from [email protected] with your temporary password .

• Starting from the visitor website, sign into your account with your temporary password. You will then be required to change your password. Enter and confirm a new password, and then click Update .

• Once your password has been successfully reset, the Home page of the visitor website will be displayed with any upcoming visits, a list of associated (approved) inmate names, and any canceled visits. 

Claiming Your Account – Mobile Device

• Friends and Family (also referred to as visitor) go to the Visitation Scheduling website and click Claim Account .

• Type your First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth.  Click Next .

• Add and confirm your Email Address . Select Next .

• The Address Information screen will display (showing California).  Click Next.

• You will then be required to set your password. Enter and confirm a new password, and then click Next .

A confirmation email with login information is sent from [email protected] .  

• Review policies and then click Accept Policies and Submit.   

• From the Registration Successful screen, select New Visit to go directly to scheduling a visit. Or select Main Menu to schedule a new visit, display upcoming visits, view history, and manage account settings. 

You can organize your account by going to the My Account menu where you can manage your email address, password, inmates, and visitor groups.   

You can organize your account by going to the Main Menu and selecting Account Settings . From here you can manage your password, personal information (email address), visitors, and inmates.  

• Login to the Friends and Family visitor website with your visitor ID or email and password.

• The Visitation Scheduling Home page displays:
• Upcoming visits
• Canceled Visits
• My Inmates (approved list)

• Click on the Visit link next to the inmate’s name from the My Inmates list to schedule a visit with them. 

• Choose Visitor (select yourself) or select multiple Visitors (additional visitors must be approved to visit). A visitor can send another approved visitor a friend request via the Manage Visitor Groups option under the My Account Menu. This means both visitors would be able to visit the same inmate together.  Both visitors must be approved to visit the inmate.
• Click Next .
• Select available Date from calendar.

• Select the Visitation Location (Facility and Video Station location) and the Time of Day.  Click Search.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because institutions are currently offering a variety of video visit options, it is recommended to select No Preference to show all available visits for all visitation centers at an institution.   

For example, institutions may be providing In Person Only visits, Internet Only visits, or a hybrid of In Person and Internet visits.  The available days for in person visits may also vary per institution.  

• Select the desired time slot from the displayed options.  Only available times will display.

• Review visit information and click Confirm .
• Type of Visit – Internet Video Visit or Face to Face Visit
• Date, Time, Location (map will display for Face-to-Face Visit)
• Inmate name
• Visitor name, Relationship
• Visitation Policies
• Once the visit is confirmed, a unique confirmation number is added and a confirmation email will be sent to you with visit information.  

• Schedule another visit
• Return Home
• Print Summary
• Cancel Visit

Schedule A New Visit

• Click English or Spanish

• Login to the Visitation Scheduling website with your visitor ID or email address and password.

• The Visitation Scheduling Home page displays.

• To see a list of previously scheduled visits, click on the Upcoming Visits link.  From this screen you can schedule a new visit.  Click on the New Visit button to add a new visit.

• You can also schedule a new visit from the Main Menu by selecting Schedule a New Visit . 

• A list of all approved visitors will display (or select the button on the bottom left to request a visitor be added).  Select a Visitor(s) from the Available column by using the green arrow to move them to the Attending column .  Click Confirm Visitors .

• Select the applicable inmate name and then click the Confirm Inmate button.

• Use the drop-down menu to select the applicable inmate/visitor relationship. Click Confirm Relations .

• Select the Visitation Center. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Because institutions are currently offering a variety of video visit options, it is recommended to select No Preference to show all available visits for all visitation centers at an institution.

For example,  institutions may be providing In Person only visits, Internet Only visits, or a hybrid of In Person and Internet visits.  The available days for in person and internet visits may vary by institution.

• Select an available visit date from the Calendar (displayed in white). Click Confirm Date .

NOTE: Depending on which day you select will determine whether In Person or Internet visit time slots will be displayed on the next screen after clicking Confirm Date .

• Select the desired Time from the list.  Only available time slots will display.  Click the Confirm Time button

• Review the details of your reserved visit.

• Click Edit to change a visit. Select the field to be changed (Inmate, Visitor, Date, Time, or Location) and click Edit .  You will be re-directed back to the applicable area to make the change.  It is important to note, if you need to change an inmate name, visitor name, date or time while making a visitation appointment, it must be done before selecting the Agree and Reserve button .   Otherwise, you will need to cancel the visit and reschedule the visit.

14. Click on the Review Policies button to see the Terms of Use, Privacy Policies, and Facility Policies.

• Click Agree & Reserve to confirm the visit.  A unique confirmation number is added and a confirmation email will be sent to you with visit information.  

Once a visit has been scheduled, the Upcoming Visits screen allows you to:

• Edit a visit
• Cancel a visit
• Add a New Visit

Once a visit is confirmed, you can only add/remove visitors.   If you need to change an inmate name, visitor name, date, or time, you must first cancel the visit and then reschedule it.  

• To add or remove a visitor from an already confirmed visit, click View Upcoming from either the Visit Summary screen or the Main Menu screen.    

2. Select the visit that needs to be changed.  Click Edit . You will be re-directed back to the Visit Summary screen. 

• Click Edit Visitors. Use the green and red arrows in the center of the screen to add or remove approved visitors to your existing visit. Click Confirm Visitors .   

• The updated Visit Summary screen will display with visitor changes. Click Agree & Reserve to reconfirm the visit with updated visitors. This example shows the visit was modified to reflect two visitors.

CDCR inmates are allowed one free video visit per month with Friends and Family.  Quotas (number of visits inmates get per day/week/month) are determined by CDCR and are configured into the visitation scheduling system. When a visit is canceled, the quota for that inmate is automatically reset.

• Friends and Family can go the visitor website to cancel a scheduled visit. 
• To cancel a visit from the visitor website, click on the Cancel Visit link on the Home page.

• Confirm the cancellation by clicking Yes or No.

• The visit status is updated to Canceled and is displayed on the Visitor Home Page. In addition, a cancellation email will be sent your email account confirming the cancellation.

CDCR inmates and visitors are allowed one free video visit per 30 days with Friends and Family.  Quotas (number of allowed per day/week/month) are determined by CDCR. When a visit is canceled, the quota for that inmate/visitor is automatically reset.

• Friends and Family can go the Visitation Scheduling website to cancel a scheduled visit. 
• From the Upcoming Visits screen, select the applicable visit to be canceled and click the Cancel button. 

• Confirm the cancellation by clicking Cancel Visit .

• The visit status is updated to Canceled . In addition, a cancellation email will be sent your email account confirming the cancellation.

Look for an email from WebEx with details for how to join your video visit.

For more information on “How to Use WebEx to Join a Video Visit”, you can also refer to CDCR’s Web Site:

Join your video visit from your computer, mobile device, phone, or a video conferencing system. You may pick the one that works best for you. All video visits are secure. The communication is encrypted and CDCR processes ensure that approved visitors are validated and only those approved visitors may join the visit. 

For technical assistance with VSA, contact the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant of the institution you wish to visit .

DO NOT contact GTL for technical assistance.

How Video Visitation Works

SmartInmate.com provides a two-way, real-time video visitation system which can be used to speak to your loved ones directly in their housing location within the jail, prison, or detention center. At some locations you may also use a lobby kiosk at the facility to visit for free when scheduling a local / on-site visit. Remote visits from home are billed per minutes scheduled or minutes used (actual cost and billing model varies by location) and are scheduled in 15 or 30 minute increments. To schedule a video visit you MUST open a SmartInmate.com account. This process is quick and easy, just follow these simple steps...

Creating an account is fast, simple, and completely free. We will ask you to choose a username and password to identify your account along with some basic contact information. We will send you an e-mail or text message to verify and activate your account. There is no cost to create an account and search for inmates, prisoners, or detainees to connect with. You may use the visitation kiosk in the lobby to sign up, but you will need your phone to receive the activation code through text message or e-mail to activate your account.

2. Make Connections

Once you have established an account, you may search for inmates, prisoners, or detainees to connect with. Once you have located an individual that you would like to connect with, you can send them a connection request. The inmate, prisoner, or detainee will need to approve the connection request before you can schedule a visit.

3. Schedule a Visit

Once you are connected with an inmate, prisoner, or detainee at a location where we provide visitation service, you may use the website to schedule a visit. Follow the steps below to schedule either a local / on-site visit, or a remote visit from home...

Local / On-Site Visits

Once you are connected with an inmate, prisoner, or detainee at a location where we provide visitation kiosks in the lobby, you may use the visitation section of the website to schedule a visit. Local / on-site visits are provided free of charge. To schedule a local / on-site visit:

• Log In to your account.
• Select "Visitation" from the services menu.
• Select the "Schedule a Video Visit" button.
• Select the inmate, prisoner, or detainee that you would like to visit with.
• Select the "Local Visit" option. There is no charge for a local visit.
• Select how long you would like to visit (options vary by facility, usually 15 or 30 minutes).
• Select the date that you would like to visit. Visits can be scheduled up to seven days in advance.
• Select the time that you would like to visit.
• Confirm the details of your visit and press the "Confirm and Schedule Visit" button.

Once scheduled you will see the details of the visit on your list of scheduled visits on the website. On the day of your visit, arrive at the local facility approximately ten minutes before your visit is scheduled to begin. About an hour before your visit we will send you a text message or e-mail reminder of your visit which will include a Visitation QuickCode. This QuickCode can be entered on the lobby kiosk to start your visit. You may also log in with your username and password if you do not receive a QuickCode or would like to use the lobby kiosk to schedule another visit.

After you begin your visit, the system will wait until the inmate, prisoner, or detainee is also logged into their kiosk. Once both parties are present, the visit will begin. The visit will end automatically when time runs out.

Please be on time for your visit. Visits may not run past the scheduled end time, so if your visit starts late you may not be able to use your fully scheduled amount of time! It is the visitor and inmate/prisoner/detainee's responsibility to be on time for visits. We are not responsible if the inmate/prisoner/detainee does not join the visit on time and you are not able to use the fully scheduled amount of time.

Remote Visits From Home

Once you are connected with an inmate, prisoner, or detainee at a location where we provide remote visitation service, you may use the visitation section of the website to schedule a visit. Remote visits from home are billed on a credits-per-minute model and the credit cost/minute varies per location, and are scheduled in 15 or 30 minute blocks. To schedule a remote visit from home:

• If you do not have any credits, purchase credits prior to scheduling your remote visit (credit cost/minute varies per location).
• Select the "Remote Visit" option. You will need to purchase service credits before scheduling a remote visit.

Once scheduled you will see the details of the visit on your list of scheduled visits on the website. On the day of your visit, log in to the website using your home computer or laptop. The 'Status' of the visit will change to 'READY - BEGIN VISIT' about ten minutes prior to your scheduled start time. Click the 'BEGIN VISIT' option when it appears to begin your visit.

Please note that for remote visits from home, you will use your computer laptop or a compatible mobile device. We suggest using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari for your visit. On a mobile device, you will need a strong and reliable internet connection or your visit may not work.

Visitation Scheduling

It’s now easier and more convenient than ever to schedule a visit with your loved one at a facility.

With our Visitation Scheduling service, you can choose the date and time for a visit, and get registered as an approved visitor—all in advance through our website.

Visitation Scheduling services are FREE and can be used to schedule:

• traditional visits in face-to-face booths at the facility
• video visits from home on your mobile phone or computer
• video visits from stations at the facility

Please note: These services can vary by facility and are not available at all locations.

How It Works

• Check to see if your inmate’s facility offers visitation scheduling.
• If scheduling is offered at the facility, go to www.gtlvisitme.com . Register yourself and all visitors participating in the visitations.
• Select the facility where your loved one is located.
• Search for your inmate, and add them.
• Click “Schedule” to begin the scheduling process.

What it Costs

Visitation scheduling services are free!

Please note that there may be fees for conducting select visit types such as video visitations . Any visitation fees will be outlined during the scheduling process and if required, your payment information will be requested to complete the scheduling process.

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Video Visitation

Provide the Opportunity for On-Premise or Remote Video Visitation

The GTL VisitMe video visitation solution allows federal, state, county, municipal, and private facilities to supplement traditional in-person visitation service offerings with secure on-premise or remote alternatives. This highly scalable solution can help facilities of any size improve security while allowing staff time to be reallocated to more critical tasks. In addition, friends, family, and professional visitors are given a convenient, accessible way to stay connected with inmates.

With the on-premise solution available through VisitMe, visitation services can be conducted at predetermined locations within the immediate facility or at an established annex location. Inmate visitation stations can be installed at specific locations throughout each housing unit so that inmates do not need to be moved. A visitation station can also be set up on a cart as a mobile solution for restricted classification offenders.

Utilizing the At-Home video visitation solution through VisitMe allows visitors to conduct their regular visitation sessions through most PCs, laptops, and tablets (Android or Apple iOS devices) without stepping onto facility property. As these visitation sessions are conducted in an outside environment, correctional staff members are provided with several monitoring tools to prohibit any illicit activity.

Minimize Inmate Movements

With the implementation of the GTL VisitMe solution, visitation units are installed in strategic locations throughout each housing unit, reducing the need to coordinate inmate movements throughout the facility. With the reduction of inmate movements, the threat of a safety and security breach will be drastically reduced so that staff can be reassigned to other duties.

Securely Monitor and Record Visits

With the security features built into the GTL VisitMe system, correctional officers monitoring the visitation sessions have the capability to record, interrupt, or terminate any visitation for lewd or inappropriate conduct as determined by the facility. For visitation sessions that are classified as professional visits, the system will automatically disable the recording feature, keeping the facility within legal compliance.

Eliminate Contraband Introduction Opportunities

As individuals pass through the lobby of the correctional facility on a daily basis, the threat of contraband being introduced remains a reality. Even without the availability of contact visits, contraband can be placed in an area often visited by inmates or employees. With the introduction of on-premise or at-home visitation, visitors will conduct each session from a secure area, removed from any point that may allow the introduction of contraband.

Related Products

Video Scheduling

VisitMe Scheduler can eliminate long queues in the visitation area by avoiding the chaos of having a high volume of concurrent visitors at the facility. In so doing, the system also minimizes staffing requirements.

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schedule a visit

Three Types of Video Visits

At Facility

These visits are when you go to your facility and sit at a video visit station in the lobby. Your loved one or friend will be on a video visit station in their pod.

From Computer

At select facilities families and friends can have video visits from their own personal computers in the comfort of their own homes. You will need the following equipment to do a video visit from home:

• A computer.
• A webcam and a microphone, or a computer with these components built in (most laptops have these built in).
• An internet browser. Internet browsers Safari 4 and higher, or Firefox 7 and higher, are strongly recommended. Using other browsers may not load the page appropriately in order to begin your visit. We are not responsible for technical problems or issues that may arise from using an unsupported browser.
• For the best visit experience you should use headphones, but they are not required.
• High speed internet (DSL or Cable) connection (dial up and satellite are not supported).

From Android Device

Video visits go mobile with our Visit Now Android app. At select facilities families and friends can have video visits from their own Android devices.

How to Schedule a Visit

Free video visit policy.

Free visits are a benefit for the inmate and are credited to the  inmate’s account. Therefore the inmate is the only one who  can book a free visit . This allows the inmate at your facility full control of whom they want to use their free visit with. There are also advanced scheduling rules that control the timeframe that a free visit can be booked. These rules vary by facility. If an inmate books a visit outside this timeframe, they will not be allowed to use a free visit.

• Book the visit with their Friends & Family.
• Suggest a visit with their Friends & Family. The Friends & Family must have no prepaid funds on their account at the time they confirm the suggested time. The inmate’s free visit will then be deducted.
• Confirm a suggested visit from their friends and family. The Friends & Family must have no prepaid funds on their account at the time the inmate confirms the visit. The inmate’s free visit will then be deducted from their free visit allowance.

The only way Friends & Family can use a free visit is by suggesting a visit with the inmate. If the inmate has a free visit available and there are no prepaid funds on the Friends & Family account at the time the inmate confirms, the free visit will be deducted from inmate’s account.

What Services Are Available At My Facility?

Select your facility below, available services:.

• Phone & Voicemail
• Video Visit at Facility
• Video Visit from Home

• Photo Sharing
• Tablets Your inmate has access to tablets. Make a deposit to their account so they have more ways to be productive, and you have more ways to stay connected.
• Verification Required

What is Telmate Verified?

If you are asked to be Telmate Verified it means your facility requires verification of your identity prior to acceptance of inmates' calls. The purpose of verification is to ensure inmates are not connecting with inappropriate people on the outside. The verification process is simple and can be completed before or after creating an account.

To be verified, you can make a deposit , schedule a visit or download and complete the Telmate Verified form .

Did you know…

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, inmates who

maintain strong relationships

with friends and family, greatly reduce their risk of recidivism.

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Video Visits

The Department of Corrections (DOC) recognizes the need to engage families and friends in the reentry process, and visits help incarcerated individuals preserve healthy relationships. However, sometimes physical visits are impossible or inconvenient. Video visitation is a virtual way to talk face-to-face with an incarcerated friend or relative from the comfort of your own home, and it is available at all prison facilities .

Eligibility & Requirements

Conduct & monitoring, fees & scheduling.

Video visits are subject to the same policy and application processes as Prison Visits . To be eligible for a video visitation you must:

• Be on an incarcerated individual's approved visitor list
• You will need the individual's DOC Number to start an account.
• Ensure your first name, last name and date of birth match your legal identification.
• Do not include your middle name or middle initial.
• Have internet access*
• Have a personal computer that includes speakers, microphone, and a webcam*

*Per the video visit expectations (pdf) , visitors must provide their own equipment and the necessary internet connections to participate in video visiting.

If privacy screens are provided, they must be utilized and remain in place for the duration of the visit.

Regular visitation rules apply (see DOC 450.300 Visits for Incarcerated Individuals (pdf) , facility visitor guidelines , and video visit expectations (pdf) ).

A visitor who engages in prohibited conduct may be suspended or terminated from video visiting privileges. Regular visiting privileges may also be suspended/terminated. While a warning may be given as a courtesy for minor violations, warnings are not given to violations that are more significant than nuisance. Allowing an individual who is not an approved visitor to participate in video visiting is be grounds for suspension.

All video visits will be recorded, and designated employees will monitor video visits for compliance with policy and facility rules.

Video visits will be scheduled by the approved visitor through Securus at least 24 hours in advance. Visits will be scheduled in 30 minute increments. Video visits will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis.

Additionally, please keep in mind:

• Incarcerated individuals will not be excused from work or programming to participate in video visits.
• Incarcerated individuals are responsible for requesting visit times that will not conflict with their schedule.
• Video visit hours are determined by each prison facility. See a facility's visitor guidelines for video visiting hours.

See Video Visitation for fees.

Family & Visitors

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Video Visitation

The michigan department of corrections offers video visitation as an avenue for those incarcerated and their families to connect. .

Visitors on the Approved Visitor List of a prisoner will be able to request a video visit once the facility where the prisoner is housed has begun online scheduling. If you are not on an Approved Visitor List, please visit our Visiting a Prisoner Page  for information on the application process.  Video Visiting Standards can be found  here .

Video Visitation Steps for Approved Visitors

• The Approved Visitor should navigate to the GTL Visitor website by clicking here .
• The Approved Visitor will need to create an account on the GTL Visitor website and request to visit the prisoner at their assigned facility.
• Once approved on the GTL site, the Approved Visitor will then be able to request a scheduled video visit for prisoners at that facility.
• Length of Video Visits: 20 minutes
• Cost of Video Visits: The cost of a scheduled twenty (20) minute video visit is $3.20.
• Payment:  The video visit must be paid for in advance by the person scheduled the visit.
• Scheduling Window:  Video visits may be scheduled no MORE THAN 7 DAYS in advance of the scheduled visit and not after 48 hours.

Updated: 10/11/23

• Visit a Person in Custody
• Visit Schedule
• Visit Transportation
• Visiting with Children
• Visitors' Dress Code
• Visitor Satisfaction Survey

Televisit Request Form

Notice: There is a known issue with the televisit software and iOS 15.1 on Apple iPhones. If you are running iOS 15.1, please upgrade to 15.2 or above prior to starting your visit.

Televisits are a new way for loved ones to connect to individuals in DOC custody.. To schedule a televisit, please complete the form below. Please be advised that although it is the Department's goal to provide a televisit to all those who request it, due to high demand and a limited number of devices, we expect that not every request will be initially satisfied.

Please note that a televisit is not scheduled until the visitor receives a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of the last selected visit date, please submit another visitation form with different selected dates and times.

All visitors 18 years of age and older must present valid current identification that contains a photograph and signature.

A 16-year-old or 17-year-old with valid identification (such as a birth certificate) may accompany a child under the age of 16 if that 16-or 17-year-old is the parent of the child and the inmate being visited is also the parent of the same child. In this case, the 16- or 17-year-old must produce a birth certificate for the child under the age of 16.

* Indicates required fields

Visitor Information

Additional visitors and/or minor visitors.

If additional visitors are minors, please fill in the name and address of a parent or guardian only if it differs from the information provided for visitor 1. An ID is only required for visitors 18 years of age and over.

Person in Custody Information

Video visit information.

Please note televisits are offered on Fridays only, which align with A-Z visit days.

Acknowledgement

A televisit will be terminated immediately if any of the below behavior is observed during the visit. If an officer observes such behavior, the incarcerated individual's televisiting privileges will be suspended according to current rules and regulations.

Please be advised that all video visits are recorded. Any statements made during your visit can be shared with law enforcement.

• Recording of the televisit by audio or video through any personal devices
• Taking of photos during the televisit on any personal device, including screen shots
• Violating the visitor dress code as listed on the Vistor's Dress Code page
• Sexual misconduct
• Including individuals in the visit (in person or by using a device i.e. FaceTime) who were not identified on the web form
• Appearing to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Download additional visit rules and associated restrictions

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Online Scheduling for Video Visitation/Scheduling for Face to Face Visitation

Effective Monday, January 9, 2023 , in-person visits at the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) and face-to-face visits at the Central Detention Facility (CDF) will resume for all residents and visitors according to scheduling services provided by DOC Operations Team. 

COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer required for DOC residents and visitors. 

The Video Visitation Center will be CLOSED on Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, 2022. 

The video visitation center will be open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on new year’s day, sunday, january 1, 2023. , beginning monday, july 19, 2021 video visitation will be resume at the following dcpl satellite locations: .

• Anacostia Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd SE, Washington, DC 20020 – Visits are conducted on Thursdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Capitol View Neighborhood Library, 5001 Central Ave SE, Washington, DC 20019 - Visits are conducted on Wednesday and Saturdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

UPDATE: Saturday, April 4, 2020 – Your health and safety is extremely important to us. Together, everyone needs to play their part in helping to flatten the curve. To mitigate the possible spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) through DC Department of Corrections (DC DOC) facilities, the Department will implement a medical stay-in-place, effective immediately , which will further limit movement of residents and help “flatten the curve”, as we anticipate the pandemic’s peak in the next several weeks. During the medical stay in place, DOC will cease all video visitations.

The VVC is located behind the Correctional Treatment Facility (1901 E Street, SE, Washington, DC 20009), on the ground level of The READY Center.

All visits will continue to be scheduled via the Internet or by calling 1 (888) 906-6394 or (202) 442-6155 (Tuesday through Saturday from 9 am-5 pm).

Social visits at the DC Jail are conducted at the Department’s Video Visitation Center, located at the DC General Hospital complex (adjacent to the jail), and in select community visitation locations. Visits may be scheduled via the Internet  or by calling 1 (888) 906-6394 or (202) 442-6155 (Tuesday through Saturday from 9 am-5 pm). Visits are conducted Wednesdays through Sundays starting at 11 am and ending at 10 pm. The last session begins at 9 pm. Visitation hours at the community locations differ. Please see below for visitation hours for each satellite location. DOC encourages all visitors to arrive at least fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled visit. Visits must start on time and are automatically cancelled if visitors arrive late.

Effective Wednesday, September 12, 2012, inmates are allowed two (2) 45-minute social visits per week--visits are free and by appointment only. However, One adult and up to two minor children (under the age of 18) may enter the video visitation room to visit, effective November 6, 2012. Additional minor children may be rotated in during the forty-five (45) minute visitation period as long as they are supervised by an adult while in the waiting area.

About Face to Face Visitation

The D.C. Department of Corrections offers visitation for the families and loved ones of those incarcerated in our facilities. Most social visits for inmates housed at the D.C. Jail are conducted through video visitation. However, as an incentive for positive behavior, face to face visitation is now available for eligible inmates. This program began on June 22, 2015.

Correctional Treatment Facility:

There will be no weekend or Sunday visitation on Sunday, December 25, 2022, or Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Christmas Day (Observed) Monday, December 26, 2022 - Female Population Only.         Holiday Schedule - 8AM,  9AM, 10AM, 11AM, and 12PM

New Year's Day (Observed) Monday, January 2, 2023 - Female Population Only .         Holiday Schedule - 8AM, 9AM, 10AM, 11AM, and 12PM

Note:  All Mondays are reserved for the female population at the CTF.

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More Resources

East Texas women receive governor's volunteer awards for serving inmates

Posted: April 29, 2024 | Last updated: April 29, 2024

Two women from East Texas were recognized by the state, awarded for their volunteer service for inmates. Visit this article to learn more: <a href="https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/winnsboro-woman-receives-governors-volunteer-award-for-inmate-counseling/">https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/winnsboro-woman-receives-governors-volunteer-award-for-inmate-counseling/</a> KETK/FOX51 News covers East Texas, bringing you the latest local stories, weather, sports and lifestyle coverage from the Piney Woods. Keep up with KETK/FOX51 News: <a href="https://www.ketk.com/">https://www.ketk.com/</a> Download the KETK/FOX51 app: <a href="https://www.ketk.com/apps/">https://www.ketk.com/apps/</a> Subscribe to KETK/FOX51 News: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@KETK">https://www.youtube.com/@KETK</a> Find us on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KETKnbc">https://www.facebook.com/KETKnbc</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kfxkfox51">https://www.facebook.com/kfxkfox51</a>

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Pope visits Venice to speak to artists and inmates and finds a city taxing day-trippers like him

Pope Francis is traveling to Venice to visit the Holy See’s pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale

VENICE, Italy -- Venice has always been a place of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to produce an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a place that prides itself on its culture of unusual encounters, Pope Francis ’ visit Sunday stands out.

Francis is traveling to Venice to check out the Holy See’s pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale. It’s a first for a pope, and has given the 60th edition of the world’s longest running international art exhibit reason for another round of headlines.

The Vatican chose to stage its pavilion inside Venice’s women’s prison, and through a deal with the Italian Justice Ministry, invited inmates to work alongside the artists. The result is a multimedia exhibit “With My Eyes,” that is open to the public by reservation only and under strict security conditions.

Francis will tour the exhibit, meet with the inmates and then address Venice’s artistic community at large inside the chapel of the prison, which was once a convent for reformed prostitutes.

The Vatican exhibit has turned the convent-prison into one of the must-see attractions of this year’s Biennale, an unusual art world darling that greets visitors at the entrance with Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet. The work, titled “Father,” recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

After that encounter, Francis heads by boat across the Giudecca Canal to Venice’s iconic Santa Maria della Salute basilica to meet with young people. Then he is driven by golf cart over a pontoon bridge laid across the Grand Canal for the occasion to Piazza San Marco, where he celebrates Mass in the shadow of the city’s spectacular Byzantine basilica.

Francis’ dizzying morning visit, which will end before lunchtime, represents an increasingly rare outing for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has been hobbled by health and mobility problems that have ruled out any foreign trips so far this year.

But it’s also unusual because it comes as Venice, sinking under rising sea levels and weighed down by the impact of overtourism, is in the opening days of an experiment to try to limit the sort of day trips that Francis is undertaking.

Venetian authorities last week launched a pilot program to charge day-trippers 5 euros ($5.35) apiece on peak travel days. The aim is to encourage them to stay longer or come at off-peak times to cut down on crowds and make the city more livable for its dwindling number of residents.

For Venice’s Catholic patriarch, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia, the new tax program is a worthwhile experiment, a potential necessary evil to try to preserve Venice as a livable city for visitors and residents alike.

“Venice has to be defended as a polis, as a city,” Moraglia said in an interview on the eve of Francis’ visit. “The city risks not being a city anymore; it risks being a cultural offering, an open-air museum.”

Moraglia said Francis’ visit was a welcome boost, especially for the women of the Giudecca prison who are participating in the exhibit as tour guides and as protagonists in some of the artworks.

“These are places of sadness, of suffering, and for these people to have someone of global importance like the pope come to Venice to see them, is a real and concrete encouragement,” he said. “And there’s a message also to the city and to civil society: that those who make a mistake must pay, but they cannot be forgotten.”

In fact, one of the exhibits in the prison is a neon sign on the inner courtyard, by the artistic collective Claire Fontaine, that reads: “Siamo con voi nella notte” (We are with you at night).

Moraglia acknowledged that Venice over the centuries has had a long, complicated, love-hate relationship with the papacy, despite its central importance to Christianity.

The relics of St. Mark — the top aide to St. Peter, the first pope — are held here in the basilica, which is one of the most important in all of Christendom. Several popes have hailed from Venice — in the past century alone three pontiffs were elected after being Venice patriarchs. Venice hosted the last conclave held outside the Vatican: the 1799-1800 vote that elected Pope Paul VII.

But for centuries before that, relations between the independent Venetian Republic and the Papal States were anything but cordial as the two sides dueled over control of the church. Popes in Rome issued interdicts against Venice that essentially excommunicated the entire territory. Venice flexed its muscles back by expelling entire religious orders, including Francis’ own Jesuits.

“It’s a history of contrasts because they were two competitors for so many centuries,” said Giovanni Maria Vian, a church historian and retired editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano whose family hails from Venice. “The papacy wanted to control everything, and Venice jealously guarded its independence.”

Moraglia said that troubled history is long past and that Venice was welcoming Francis with open arms and gratitude, in keeping with its history as a bridge between cultures, even opposing ones.

“The history of Venice, the DNA of Venice — beyond the language of beauty and culture that unifies — there's this historic character that says that Venice has always been a place of encounter," he said.

Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writer Colleen Barry contributed.

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Patriarch of Venice: Mercy at the heart of the Pope's visit

By Benedetta Capelli

The Lagoon City of Venice is ready to welcome Pope Francis on Sunday, April 28, for his one-day visit with the motto "Remaining united in the love of Christ."

The Pope will depart, by helicopter, from the Vatican at 6:30 am and is scheduled to land at about 8 am in the Square in front of the Giudecca Women’s Prison Facility which houses about 80 inmates. In the prison’s inner courtyard, he will meet with the inmates, deliver an address and listen to some of their stories.

As the Patriarch of Venice, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia notes in this interview by Vatican News, the Holy Father’s meeting with women who are suffering is characteristic of his style and sets the tone for a visit undertaken in the spirit of mercy.

What does Pope Francis' presence mean for your diocese and how do you interpret the choice of the Giudecca prison as the first stop of his visit?

Having the Pope in this place, and especially having chosen it as the first stop of his visit to the entire Church of Venice, is an important signal. It asks the city and those who may be “resistant” to setting their gaze on this place of expiation and pain, to strive to make it increasingly one of redemption, of human and spiritual growth for the guests who are present here. Being a prison and not a penitentiary, the guests have long stays and in a way makes things, on one hand, simpler because it leads to a certain familiarity, on the other more difficult because having to stay in a restricted perimeter for a long time can become problematic. I thank the Holy Father for his choice and for his intuition.  I believe that from now on this prison will always remain, not only for those who have had this experience of the Pope's visit, but also among prisons, a light, a way of understanding justice with mercy and wanting to bet on people who have certainly made mistakes.

The Giudecca is not only a place of confinement but, since the beginning of the 60th edition of the International Venice Biennale, it has been dedicated to the theme of “the stranger” and is a place that hosts works of art born from the encounter between the inmates and artists…

So, there is a significant presence of non-Italian guests in the prisons, and here too many foreigners find themselves living in this place of expiation and suffering. At the same time, the way we see things is our calling card, it’s how we present ourselves, usually to others but particularly to those who are strangers because we have not yet met them, and we meet them for the first time. Focusing on this theme – because the Gospel says that the eyes are the mirror of the soul – I believe it is the key that can truly help us to grow in a very difficult context for harmony between peoples and individuals, particularly thinking about war. So, we have art, justice, and mercy held together by how we look at them.

Is there a particular artwork that struck you in the Holy See Pavilion that is entitled "With My Eyes"?

Yes, the artwork at the entrance (created by the Brazilian artist Sonia Gomes). The clothes, the garments worn by the women hanging from above reach the ground but remain suspended. It seems to me a beautiful image of man and woman who are the custodians of humanity. These well-worn clothes, which bear the signs of daily struggle and are suspended between heaven and earth, are a beautiful image of humanity.

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