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Last updated on Wednesday, August 23, 2017
(BEDFORD) - Six video visitation kiosk stations are now up and running at the Lawrence County Jail.
Families can visit with inmates between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.
The kiosks are located in the upper level in the former visitation booth.
Each inmate is permitted one free visit per day. After that charges will apply.
Jail officials say there are times when the inmate will not be available for a visit. If the inmate does not answer, family members will have to try to visit at another time. Lockdowns do happen at random times in which inmates will not be available to answer the kiosk call. Any visit that is in process during the initiation of a lockdown will be ended.
Jail staff will not relay message or tell an inmate to answer the Kiosk call.
Visitors are asked to keep the area clean and to dispose all trash in the appropriate receptacles.
Children are to be supervised at all times. They are not to be roaming the lobby while you conduct your visit. This will be strictly enforced.
Visits can also be held from wherever you have internet connection by visiting Inmatecanteen.com.
Face to face visits have been officially eliminated for all incarcerated individuals.
Lawrence County Sheriff Mike Branham says the new visitation process was needed to create additional meeting space at the jail for inmates and their attorneys, social workers and other criminal justice professionals in order to expedite the judicial process.
Unfortunately, this means that these booths are no longer available for standard visitation eliminating face-to-face visitation. The elimination of face-to-face visits will save staff the time required to conduct visitation, improve safety by reducing inmate movement within the facility, and reduce waiting periods for visitors by giving them the ability to schedule specific times at their convenience.
"While this decision may not be popular with some, I have an obligation to the taxpayers to expedite this process as effectively and efficiently as possible. Additionally, I have an obligation to those who are incarcerated to ensure they have adequate means of connecting with those people who can help expedite the process for them," Sheriff Branham says. "This change will create much needed storage and meeting spaces and will also increase safety and security within the facility by eliminating the need to move inmates from cell blocks to visitation booths."
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