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Project

Prisons started Zoom for video meetings of prisoners with family

Customers: Department of correctional facilities of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Garrisberg; Government and social institutions

Product: Zoom Meetings

Project date: 2020/04

At the end of April, 2020 it became known that in prisons of Pennsylvania Zoom for video meetings of prisoners with family started.

Prisons across all territory of the USA suspended meetings of prisoners with relatives during the outbreak of a coronavirus. Video chats and phone calls are available to some prisoners long ago, but such remote visits can be it is too expensive for most of the others: in the report of an initiative group it is established that the cost of 15-minute phone calls can exceed $20 in some states, including Arkansas, Michigan and Missouri. At the same time the salary of prisoners on average in the country is from $0.14 to $1.41 per hour.

Prisons of Pennsylvania started Zoom for video meetings of prisoners with family

Now, when prisoners should rely completely on remote communication, some states provide to prisoners free phone and video calls at a discount. According to the UWA-19 ULA Behind Bars project concluded through the whole country certain compensation for phone calls is provided, and 17 states provide compensation and for video calls.

So far only one staff, Pennsylvania, uses Zoom for video meetings of prisoners with relatives. According to Department of correctional facilities of Pennsylvania, from the middle of March until the end of April prisoners made more than 21,000 calls of Zoom. Concluded in Pennsylvania one free 45-minute call of Zoom to week is resolved all.

Nevertheless, only limited number of prison bureaus provide absolutely free remote visits by the prisoner. In some states these calls are limited for 15 minutes one or two times a week. After senators of the USA demanded to take measures, the Federal bureau of prisons made remote calls free for federal prisoners, but video calls are available only to the women taken into custody.[1]