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Hi-Tech Jail Visits Now Available for Inmates

Tulsa Jail
KWGS News File Photo
Tulsa Jail

The Tulsa Country Sheriff’s Office launched a new inmate visitation system. Inmates, with granted visits, have access to video for visitation with friends, family members, attorney, and clergy.

Major Shannon Clark says the reason for the new system is to relieve the stress of the visitors, staff, and facility.

“We don’t want people having to wait three or four hours just to go have a 20 minute visit with someone. So this is going to give them the opportunity to go online at their convenience and visit with the person inside the facility that they want to visit with,” Clark said. “Now that’s not going to stop the actual in-person visits they conduct at the facility now.”

Clark says that having both in-person and video visitation options will be more efficient in getting inmates their granted visits. He also adds that convenience will play a large part in it because there is a cost associated with the system as well.

“It’s only a 20 minute visit, and it’s at 50 cents a minutes, and they have to set up an account online. They have to have the funds to be able to pay for that, or they have to have the credit associated where they have a credit card or a PayPal account or something where they can establish this process where they can actually do their visitation,” Clark said. “So some people are going to elect just to come down to the facility because they don’t have the financial resources to do that.”

Clarks says this will also benefit visitors from out of state or during bad weather.

The system known as HomeWAV includes a telephone handset, keypad, webcam, PC, and a video monitor.

Access to the system is during general hours from 8:00am-10:00pm, seven days a week.