More jails replace in-person visits with awful video chat products

After April 15, inmates at the Adult Detention Center in Lowndes County (MS) will no longer be allowed to visit with family members face to face. Newton County (MO) implemented an in-person visitor ban in March. The Allen County Jail in IN phased out in-person visits earlier in 2019. All three changes are part of a nationwide trend toward "video visitation" services. Instead of seeing their loved ones face to face, inmates are increasingly limited to talking to them through video terminals. These services are ludicrously expensive. Video calls cost 40¢ per minute in Newton County, 50¢ per minute in Lowndes County, and $10 per call in Allen County. Outside of prison, of course, video calls on Skype or FaceTime are free.