South Carolina prison system to offer video visits COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s prison system will soon allow inmates to conduct video visits with family members in hopes of cutting down on repeat offenders. The pilot program will allow inmates at the Broad River and Graham correctional institutions in Columbia to visit with family members over a video link with the Coastal Pre-Release Center in Charleston, Corrections Department Director Bryan Stirling said. “We have a lot of offenders who come in, and never get a visit from a family member. And I think one of the keys to reducing recidivism is a connection with the family, so they’ll have a support network when they leave prison,” Stirling told The Post and Courier, of Charleston. Stirling said he got the idea from several counties that use video visitation as the only contact between families and inmates. But he said he won’t end in-person visits at the state’s prisons, instead using the chats to make it easier for families that live far away. Once the chat system is working, visitors will be allowed five free 45-minute chats until the pilot period ends on March 31. After that, each video chat will cost $10 and must be scheduled online. Stirling said that [...] geogianews/south-carolina-prison-system-to-offer-video-visits/
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:15:32 +0000