Written by Allyson Walker
Picture by WTVY
Dothan, AL - Inmates at the Houston County Jail now have a lot more ways to stay connected with loved ones on the outside. In addition to traditional phone calls, they are also able to have video chats and even receive emails, video messages and voicemails.
“We
are really looking forward to seeing the effect these new options have on the
inmate population,” said a representative from the Houston County Sheriff’s
Office. “Inmates who communicate a lot with their families during their
incarceration are much
less likely
to end up back here. Now that they have access to things like email, video messaging and
voicemail—and this access is affordable—there’s
nothing stopping them from maintaining those crucial relationships. They rely a
lot on their families after they are released. If they’ve been able to have face-to-face
contact with them through video chats on a regular basis during their
incarceration, they will have a much stronger support system once they are
released. Plus, there is something about seeing their spouses and kids and
parents with their own eyes in their own home that really motivates them to get
out—and stay out—of jail. This ultimately reduces the burden on the system and
saves a lot of taxpayer dollars.”
Speaking
of taxpayers—most will be pleased to learn that the new services won’t cost them
a dime. The Houston County Commission approved a contract with Legacy
Inmate Communications,
a national provider of communication and investigative technology services for
the corrections industry, last month. Under the agreement, Legacy will provide
the Jail with inmate telephone, video visitation, email, video messaging, and voicemail services
all at no cost. In fact, they will share a significant portion of the revenue
generated with the facility, providing a much
needed boost
to the budget. Basically, everybody wins.
Even
those using the services will benefit from reduced call costs. For example, a 15-minute
collect call placed by an inmate to a number in Birmingham will cost $2.25 less than it did with the jail’s last
inmate phone provider. Friends and family can send voicemails to inmates for $1.00
each, and emails will cost $1.00 for each exchange (the cost covers both the
initial email and the reply).
President
and CEO of Legacy, Curtis Brown, says, “We’re confident that these types of
services are the future of inmate communications, and we understand how
important it is to keep them affordable. We’re proud to be at the forefront of
the industry in our technology development—not only providing new
ways for incarcerated
individuals to stay connected with their support system on the outside, but
also providing increased security and investigative capabilities for law
enforcement to apply to those communications. We are looking forward to working
with Houston County to bring these new services to the Jail for the benefit of
everyone involved.”
About
Legacy Inmate Communications
Legacy
is a nationwide provider and has been a leader in the inmate communications
industry for nearly two decades, with headquarters in Cypress, California. The
company has developed a number of state-of-the-art inmate communications
platforms, such as iCON, WatchWord+, and iCON Tracker. Legacy is unique in that
it is a single-source provider, researching, developing, building integration,
and implementing every aspect of its inmate telephone and video visitation
systems. For more information, please visit www.legacyinmate.com.
For
more information, visit the following links:
Houston County Jail Inmate Telephone Service Information
Informational
Video: How to Schedule a Home Video Visit
WXOW News - Jackson County
Jail Launches New Video Visitation Service
Frequent
Communication with Friends and Family Proven to Lower the Rate of Recidivism
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