Jails are embracing video-only visits, but some experts say screens aren't enough

The holidays are all about trying to spend time with family—a hard thing to do when a family member is behind bars. And it's even harder if that person is held in a local jail, where there's been a growing trend away from in-person visits. "There's no more eye-to-eye, face-to-face visitation," says Maj. David McFadyen, the head of administrative operations for the sheriff's office in North Carolina's Craven County. Since the pandemic, the county jail has switched to a remote video system for family visits. It's not free; families pay the video service contractor $8 per 20 minutes. But Maj. McFadyen says it's easier for everyone involved. Prisons across the U.S. have mostly returned to allowing in-person visits since COVID. But in jails—which house people for shorter periods, usually before trial—there's been less interest in reopening doors to family, according to Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative. Jails that have done this say video allows inmates more time to visit with family—even outside traditional jail visiting hours. But is video time the same as in-person time? Nneka Jones Tapia says no.