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Visiting an Inmate: Answers to common Questions & Things you should know

For many people, the fist time you plan on visiting an inmate can be a frustrating, confusing and a nerve-wracking experience.  First time visitors are never sure what the process will be like and many questions will enter your mind like, what can I wear? What Can I bring? Can my kids come? What Identification do I need to present to the guards?  This is a quick reference guide for the important things you will need to know when going to visit your inmate, and answers to many of the frequently asked questions you may have.

Types of Visitation

Their a several different types of visitation for inmates.  Video visitation is becoming more common and in some instances can be done from the comfort of your own home.  Video visitation works similar to the way you would use Skype.  Non-contact or telephone visitation is when you are behind a glass partition, the inmate and you have a phone which you can talk to one another on, but the glass separates you.  Contact visitation is the most common and generally the most desired form of visiting an inmate.  You are able to sit, usually at a small table and be with the inmate for a short period of time.  Although contact can occur between you and the inmate, you are limited in how much touching can take place.  Usually a brief hug hello and goodbye are all that are allowed, holding hands is usually restricted, the guards will yell at you if you cross the line.

Before Your Visit

Prior to your visit at the institution you will need to be in contact with your inmate.  Almost all inmates have something called a visitors list.  At some facilities the inmate will fill out a list of 10 or so visitors that can visit.  The inmate needs to know the visitors full name, address, phone number and sometimes more information.  If you think your inmate may not know all this information, you should mail them a letter, or be sure to tell them the next time they call.  Some facilities will require all prospective visitors to fill out a visiting application, and certain correctional institutions only make the form available if the inmate requests it.

The Visiting Application

Not all institutions will require you fill out a visitors application, but most do.  This is just a questionnaire you must fill out that has your name, address, and asks questions such as are you a convicted felon, have you been incarcerated or worked in the department of corrections.  Answer all of these questions truthfully, as they will be using the information to do a background check on you, and then make a decision if you will be approved or denied visitation.

We have compiled all of the visitor applications that are available for jails and prisons in the United States.  If you need to fill out a visiting application, or you are just curious as to what the form looks like you can view the inmate visiting application on our site here .  Please note, that some of these applications may not be used at select institutions, and the inmate must send a signed application for you to fill out.

Some reasons why your visiting application may be denied are as follows:

• You provided false information on your application
• You are a convicted felon
• You have served time in a correctional institution, or have worked in the department of corrections
• You have outstanding warrants
• You have a protective order out against you or the inmate
• You are deemed a security risk by the facility
• You are on PTI, probation, or parole (some exceptions can be made to this)
• You are on another inmate's visitation list at the same institution already

Most facilities will not inform you of your applications status, usually they leave it entirely up to the inmate to let you know if you were approved or denied so you must be in constant contact with them.  If you are denied visitation most states have a process of appealing the decision, however the appeal must be filed within a certain time frame.

Preparing For Your Visit

After your approval you will want to check a schedule of the visitation hours.  We provide the visiting hours for many of the institutions on our site, just search for the facilities name, or select the state the inmate is located in from our homepage.  You may still want to call and double check the hours, and make sure visitation has not been canceled for any reason, as visiting hours can change or be canceled at anytime and without notice.  A correctional facility may cancel visiting if the facility goes on lockdown, if an inmate has escaped, or for any other reason the facility deems necessary.  Also if an inmate is in solitary, or 'the hole', their visiting privilege becomes suspended.  

Once you know the visiting hours, and have planned which day you will be going on you will need to make sure you have the proper identification with you.  All department of corrections vary slightly in what kinds of identification they will accept, but in general a valid state issued photo ID or photo drivers license will suffice (for the exact requirements navigate to the specific facilities page on our site).

Visiting with Minors

When visiting with minors or children you may have to fill out a special visiting with minors authorization form.  Usually if they are over a certain age (around 14) they need to have a school issued photo ID or birth certificate to accompany you to visitation.  Minors are never allowed to go alone to visitation, and must always be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Also, some inmates cannot have any minors visit if they are incarcerated for a crime against a child.  Small children or babies may still need to have their birth certificate to gain entry but usually they are more relaxed in the requirements, they are NOT however, lax about the behavior of children, and if you fail to control your child or keep their behavior in line you can be removed from the visiting area altogether.

If you are visiting an institution you should be aware that all facilities have a dress code.  Staff will reject you from visiting if you violate the dress code, here are the general rules:

• Do not wear any clothing that resembles the inmates clothes, or staffs clothes.  This means if the inmates where denim you cannot, if they wear white, you cannot, if they where khaki, well...you guessed it you cannot.
• Do not wear medical scrubs or any sort of uniform, as this presents a security risk
• Shirts and shoes are mandatory
• Any clothing that exposes chest, back, thighs, midsection or any other large amount of flesh is prohibited
• See through fabric is restricted from being worn
• Sleeveless shirts are prohibited
• No shorts or skirts that are above the knee should be worn (no slits above the knee either)
• Offensive pictures or language on clothing is prohibited
• Tight clothing, including spandex, tak tops, leggings, tights etc are prohibited
• Jewelry is restricted so it is a good idea to not wear any

Some of these rules are obviously up to the interpretation of the guard on duty, and they make the final decision on what is allowed to be worn.  We recommend you always bring a change of clothing and leave it in your car, this way in the event something you are wearing is deemed in violation of the dress code you can just change.

Arrival at the Facility and Search

You should arrive to visitation a few minutes early, sometimes as early as 15-20 minutes so that you can fill out more paperwork.  Do not arrive any earlier as you will get into trouble.  Upon your arrival to the facility parking lot, you can expect to be searched.  This means your car and everything in it can be searched by staff, and sometimes even canine units (dogs).  Most facilities are now tobacco free, meaning you cannot even bring cigarettes with you to visitation (you can however leave them in your car).  Once you enter the facility expect you and your belongings to be searched again, usually by pat down, metal detector and also possibly by dogs.  If you refuse to be searched you will be banned from visiting.  Please note that in some instances people must consent to a strip search as a condition of visiting, a person can refuse but they will not be refused visitation.  Strip searches are rarely required though, so do not let this deter you from visiting.  Some institutions have used ion scanners, which actually pick up on small particles of drugs being present.  The scanners often gave false positives and people had to be strip searched because of it which is why they are not used so much anymore, dogs are much more reliable at finding contraband.

What Items Can You Bring to Visitation?

This really differs from one facility to another, as some facilities will have lockers you can rent for about a quarter that you can store your belongings in, others do not.  In general, you can only bring your ID, single car key, eyeglasses (for medical), small bills or change for the vending machines that are in the visitation room (highly recommend this because you can buy your inmate some snacks for while you visit).  If you have a small child or baby you may be allowed to bring a single bottle and diaper to visiting.  You should never bring medications, cigarettes, or any illegal substances to visitation as this can be cause for immediate revocation of visiting privilege and possible criminal charges. 

Have a visiting question not answered here?

If you have other questions about visiting an inmate be sure you check the specific facilities page on our site, as it may already be answered there. You can post a question about a that particular prison there or if you have a general inmate visitation question feel free to post it below and we will do our best to answer it for you.

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Visitation for Inmates: What You Need to Know

June 09, 2016

Visitation for inmates is often the most widely discussed inmate right when a family member or loved one has entered a correctional facility.

For a first time visitor, gaining access to see your loved one can be a confusing and anxious experience. With the right preparation and resources, difficulties can be avoided and both you and your loved one can get the most out of the visitation experience.

Let’s review what types of visitation could occur, and the steps you’ll need to take to schedule a visit.

Types of Visitation for Inmates

Depending on the facility in which your loved one is incarcerated, the actual visit may occur in one of three ways:

1. Video Visitation

Video visitation for inmates is becoming increasingly common. There are also two types of video visitation offered in the industry—but not all facilities offer each type.

Internet Video Visitation – This option allows you to complete a video visitation from your own home. Similar to Skype or FaceTime, video visitation allows you to connect with your loved one via your computer, tablet or smartphone versus physically going to a facility.

Onsite Video Visitation – This option requires you to go to the facility and visit your loved one via a video terminal in the visitation lobby.

2. Non-Contact or Telephone Visitation

Non-contact or telephone visitation for inmates includes glass partition visits. This is when you and your loved one are separated by a glass partition and can communicate via a telephone while physically seated across from one another.

3. Contact Visitation

You are able to visit your loved one and sit at a table for a period of time. Physical contact is limited and varies by facility.

Gaining Visitation Access

Visitation allowances vary by facility, and gaining access will require completing steps specifically outlined by that facility. The fastest way to determine the visitation steps of a given location is to contact the facility directly or visit their website.

The following steps are an example of what may be required of you when you are ready to visit your loved one:

Step 1: Locating the Inmate

Many times, visitation and communication with your loved one begins with properly identifying an inmate number or ID number. If you are unsure of your loved one’s identification within the facility, request it from your loved one directly.

Step 2: Pre-approval Process

When planning a visit, you may need to be pre-approved.

The pre-approval process may include being added to your loved one’s visitor list, being cleared by the facility, and completing forms either online or by mail. Depending on the facility and the type of visitation you are seeking, you may have to do more in preparation for your visit.

Once approved, you may be able to schedule a specific visitation date and time either online through the facility visitation scheduling website or by speaking with facility staff. Not all facilities offer scheduled visits, some only allow for visitation on a first come first served basis on specific days and time. Each facility is different, be sure to check the facility website to understand your options.

Step 3: Prepare Yourself

The third step regarding visitation for inmates is to be highly prepared.

When planning an in-person visit, you want to make yourself familiar with all correctional facility visitation rules prior to arriving.

Consult the visiting policy for the specific facility so that you may locate the important things to familiarize yourself with.

These rules may include (and are not limited to):

• visitation hours
• duration (length) of visitation
• expected behavior while in the facility
• physical contact restrictions.

Rules vary between facilities, so be aware of what will, and will not be allowed—so you do not risk being denied visitation after arriving at the facility. Dress code is especially important and can cause you to be denied entry if your clothing is deemed provocative, provoking or inappropriate in any way.

Step 4: Planning Your Inmate Visit

The final step regarding visitation for inmates centers on planning your trip, if you are required to go to the facility for your visit. If the facility allows for scheduling visits in advance, be sure to show up early for your visit. Scheduled visits start at the scheduled time and visitors must account for extra time to get checked in at the facility, showing up late will typically result in a shortened visit time to allow for the remaining scheduled visits to start on time after your scheduled visit ends. Again, most facilities outline the expectations on their website so you will understand if you should show up 10 minutes early or 30 minutes early, etc.

Onsite Visitation

In most cases, facilities offer some visiting hours on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). Many facilities will also offer visitation for inmates at other times throughout the week.

Because weekends are the most popular time to visit, some facilities that rely on first come first served visitation reserve the right to limit length of visits, times of visits and overall availability in an effort to keep order in the facility.

Additional factors can play a role in the days and times when you can visit. Things like location, security, inmate needs, space and other restrictions may apply.

Be sure to coordinate with the correctional facility should you need directions (by car or by public transportation). There is no Government reimbursement for transportation. It is your responsibility to arrange your visits as they will not be arranged for you by the facility in any way.

Internet Video Visitation

With the advancements in technology and added convenience, Internet video visitation has become a widely-used alternative to in-person visits.

If your loved one is able to utilize video visitation, many of the difficulties related to onsite visitation listed above are no longer a factor.

When planning an Internet video visitation, you can consider the following benefits:

• Register and schedule a video visit online.
• Visit from the comfort of your own home.
• Eliminate transportation costs and time spent commuting.
• Visit with the whole family without having to bring young children to the facility.
• Eliminate lines and wait times; make the most of your scheduled visit.
• Confirmation of your visit is automated and you will receive all the necessary information by email
• Should your loved one need to reschedule, the automated system will inform you of any changes.
• You may be able to visit more frequently with your loved one on video than you are able to do in person.

Should you have additional questions regarding visiting an inmate, contact your loved one or the facility directly.

You can also use online resources for those particular facilities (like Frequently Asked Questions on the facility website), where you may find answers.

Additionally, you can join our Facebook Group to post questions and we will do our best to help you find answers. Join us here

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Captives Behind Plexiglass: How COVID Destroyed Prison Visits

Every Saturday morning, private buses drop off groups of people at prisons across New York State.

Women and children, mostly, leave the city in the dead hours of night and travel on these buses for six hours or longer only to wait sometimes for three or more hours to get inside the facility to see their loved ones.

The waiting area usually consists of a dreary small room or trailer encircled with uncomfortable plastic chairs where a few officers approve who will enter the facility.

Often, women are turned away for outfits deemed “too tight” and forced to change.

Most of the time, the outfits they wear are perfectly appropriate. Yet, in these instances, the need to display such power destroys the ability to extend any fairness. Those who have been visiting for a long time come prepared, stashing extra shirts and pants in the duffel bags they shove into lockers that line the back wall.

However, some women do not know yet to plan ahead and must find a nearby store to buy new clothes they hope the officers will find acceptable. Once they pass this “test,” they then sit with the others until they hear their number called, very similar to the dreadful wait at the DMV.

When they are finally called inside, they have to fill out a form, have their picture taken, and walk through a metal detector, another opportunity when they can get turned away. The experienced visitors will wear a bra without underwire and pass through the metal detector with ease. Others will have to enter a changing room, remove their bra, and walk through again.

If the metal detector remains silent, they can then head over to the visiting room.

In a room that resembles a school cafeteria, a few officers sit behind a desk and monitor the interactions. “Stop kissing, stop holding hands, stop hugging” are all common commands during a contact visit that can range anywhere from one hour to six, depending on the facility.

In the case of a no-contact visit, a metal gated partition like a fence will separate visitors from their loved ones.

Despite the strict rules, rigid officers, and long commute, most women find all of these hassles worth the trouble in order to sit face-to-face with their loved ones, to touch them, to share vending machine snacks, to play board games or cards together, and to briefly hug and kiss in the beginning and end of the visit.

These few hours of PG-13 intimacy breathe life and love into relationships that otherwise exist through email, video, or the phone.

However, in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused prison visiting rooms across the country to shut down, creating a stressful disconnect that would last for the next 14 months, and in some states, even longer.

In an interview with The Crime Report, Cecilia Conley, CEO of the social media enterprise Designed Conviction and wife of an inmate serving a life sentence in Washington State lamented that the last time she saw her husband in-person was on March 6, 2020.

Although Washington has begun to allow in-person visits, they are heavily restricted. Visitors and their incarcerated loved ones must sit behind a plexiglass partition to prevent them from kissing, hugging, and even holding hands. The visits must also be scheduled and approved in advance and only last for one hour.

“They opened visitation, but they have a plexiglass, and you have to be seated in front of them with a mask,” Conley explains. “So, for me, if you go there and they cannot even touch you, that’s torture for me; so we prefer to just stick with the video visits because at least we can be wearing no mask, and it will be almost the same thing.

“They’re very strict there, so we don’t like that.”

While Washington allowed video visits prior to the pandemic, New York has yet to have that option, which forced incarcerated people and their loved ones to rely on only letters, emails, and phone calls to stay connected.

Donna Sorge shared the experience she endured with her significant other while he was incarcerated in Green Correctional Facility, located in Coxsackie, N.Y.

“We were on the phone as much as possible and we would email a bunch of times during the day, so it wasn’t like we felt so out of connect, but a lot of people don’t have that luxury,” she said in an interview.

“They don’t email that much, or the guys don’t get on the kiosk that much, or they don’t get the phones as much. In some places like Attica, they might get a 15-minute phone call every other day.”

Prior to the pandemic, Sorge would visit her loved one every weekend; but for most of 2020, she had to rely on these other forms of communication, which she explains took a toll on her relationship.

“It’s a huge impact on us because one of the main ways we communicate is actually seeing them,” she continued. “I mean, we can talk on the phone, we can write, and email, but it’s not the same as going there and spending time with them.”

In Conley’s case, prior to the pandemic, not only would she get to see her husband face-to-face in the facility’s visiting room; but she was allowed to have overnight family visits with him.

“Last year, before the pandemic, I got to spend the night with him,” Conley recalled.

“He would cook for me, we would sleep together, take a shower, watch TV, like in privacy, which was really nice…Now they canceled it, which is stupid.”

Conley went on to express her frustration, stating, “I wish DOC would’ve managed this better. There’s enough science and tools that they could have used to allow us to see our loved ones earlier.”

She added: “I mean, my husband and I are fully vaccinated, and I’m sure there are a lot of guards that are not even vaccinated, so for me, it’s safer to go there than the guards. So, I don’t understand why I cannot see him.”

In New York, overnight family visits are also allowed―but were canceled during the pandemic.

However, since Sorge and her partner are not married, they never had the option to participate in these kinds of visits.

Instead, they would rely on spending time with each other in the visiting room. When facilities closed their doors to outsiders, she explained, “just not being able to see him is stressful because I can have better conversations and get more information from him when I see him in person as opposed to being on the phone.”

Since April 2021, New York has reopened their visiting rooms, but there are still many restrictions.

Sorge recalls her experience, stating, “We obviously weren’t able to kiss. We had to wear masks the whole time unless we were eating or drinking, and they do enforce it…we just made sure we were eating and drinking something, so we didn’t have to have the masks on the whole time.”

While Washington has been moving in the direction of allowing contact visits sometime this summer, Conley has chosen to continue to rely on video visits with her husband as frequently as possible, despite the many drawbacks.

Conley describes it this way:

Conley describes, “We utilize

visits more but there are some times that either the video visit does not work or there would be low quality. As soon as the pandemic started [they were also] more strict with them. So, it really is stressful.”

However, she remains hopeful that she will see her husband in person soon.

“Of course, I want to see him. I want to share a bag of chips and spend the night with him, and I know it’s gonna happen. The state’s opening today, so I hope that by next month, hopefully, I can go see him, so I’m very excited about that.”

Sorge also maintains a sense of optimism despite the heightened degree of separation from her loved one the pandemic caused.

“It’s either going to do one of two things. It’s either going to make you stronger or it’s going to make it harder.”

In her case, her relationship ended up stronger since she was able to welcome her significant other home only a few weeks ago after standing by his side for the last 17 years.

While Sorge has been reunited with her loved one and now has a new start, many people do not share that reality, and are still deeply impacted by the aftermath of the pandemic that continues to alter facility rules.

One concern many people have is the possibility of facilities phasing out in-person visits all together. With the over-use of video visits during this past year many fear that this will become the only option to see their loved ones.

“I fear that a lot. And I fear that now they want to keep that plexiglass,” Conley said. “Of course, it scares me…I think the only reason why it hasn’t been enforced is because the families are fighting for that not to happen, but of course, that sometimes makes me stay up at night because I don’t know what I would do.

“My relationship would be 100 percent impacted by that.”

Although prison staff and law enforcement officials often claim video visits prevent the spread of contraband within the facility and are easier to monitor, that cannot be further from the truth. According to a study conducted by Prison Policy Initiative in 2018 , nearly all reported cases involved jail workers, rather than visitors.

Specifically, “20 jail workers in 12 jails were arrested, indicted, or convicted of smuggling (or planning to smuggle) goods into their cell blocks,” and most of the 12 jails involved had recently banned in-person visits and replaced them with video calls.

However, worst of all, relying only on video visits rob people of the opportunity to experience a true physical connection that cannot be replicated through a screen.

“They’re human and they need human contact,” Conley emphasized.

When incarcerated people have in-person interactions with their loved ones, even briefly, they are provided with a sense of normalcy and a renewal of hope that would be lost otherwise. Such a loss would only negatively impact their rehabilitation process.

Despite the unnecessary cruelty that goes along with banning in-person visits, many jails across the United States have executed this change. According to a 2015 study from the Prison Policy Initiative, 13 percent of local jails – about 500 in 43 states – have implemented video calling, with 74 percent also prohibiting in-person visitation.

Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida even tries to make video calls sound more appealing than having the opportunity to hug and kiss loved ones by exclaiming on their website:

Avoid long lines, scheduling conflicts, and provide a better environment for children to interact with a family member. Video visitation is an easier way to spend time with a loved one in custody at one of our jails. 

However, when it comes to a child hugging his or her mother, a wife kissing her husband, or a mother holding the hand of her son, do the prison officials mandating these rules truly believe long lines or scheduling conflicts matter? In fact, the emotional toll of physically separating loved ones for indefinite periods of time cancels out any convenience video visits may offer.

While the fear of facilities phasing out in-person visits for good will always linger in the background due to advancements in technology, as of now, many prisons have begun to open their doors to outsiders.

This in turn has brought new concerns regarding longer lines and wait times to enter once restrictions are completely lifted.

Conley expressed her mixed emotions of excitement and worry succinctly.

“There’s going to be a lot of people making a line to go see their loved ones because we haven’t gone in for a long time. But other than that, when I’m there, I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it. It’s going to be nice.”

Maria DiLorenzo, based in Brooklyn, NY, has written for various publications, including the Alaska Quarterly Review, the Flea, Real Crime, and VTPost.com. She is currently working on a true crime novel about the life and crimes of Maksim Gelman, and recently started a blog called Beyond the Crime, which shares stories of those incarcerated for murder to gain a deeper understanding of criminal behavior and the criminal justice system. 

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Glass Partitions Separate Visitors, Inmates : When Loved Ones Are the Untouchables

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Eight plastic chairs sit vacant in separate booths. Telephones next to them are idle. The room is empty. This is visiting day at the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion.

From Thursday through Sunday, seven hours each day, the prison is open to family visitors. But the time and money it takes to get to this remote corner of southern Illinois deters many.

Others have another reason: It is just too painful.

Marion is the only federal prison in the nation that prevents inmates from touching their loved ones when they visit. Families sit in small booths with glass partitions separating them from inmates. Telephones are on each side and conversations can be monitored.

“It’s very frustrating for families,” acknowledged Warden Gary Henman. “The ones who do (visit) probably don’t come back.”

One exception is Michelle Brooks-Bey, who has made four trips from her New Jersey home to visit her husband, Charles, serving 25 years for bank robbery. The experience, she said, is emotionally draining.

“Being there three years, not being able to hold his hand or sit next to him . . . it’s demeaning,” she said in a telephone interview from her home.

She copes by ignoring her surroundings. “I block out the partitions,” she said. “I block out the noise. I block it out because I’m happy to see him.”

But, she added: “I cry all the way home.”

The no-contact program was instituted after Marion was locked down in 1983 after three fatal stabbings. Prison officials say drugs and weapons are most commonly passed to inmates in visiting rooms.

Families are allowed five visits a month. Attorneys can sit in booths without partitions, but the video part of the visit is taped.

Because conditions are so restrictive, Lawrence Daniel Caldwell, 41, a convicted bank robber, says he has told his family to stay away.

“I (could) put a photograph in front of the cell bars and talk through the phone and it would be the same thing as visiting here,” he said.

Inmate Ronnie Bruscino, who was adopted as a young child, said he saw his natural mother for the first time in more than 20 years under these conditions when she tracked him to Marion in 1982.

“She said: ‘Whatever happened to my baby boy?’ ” said Bruscino, smiling behind his thick, droopy mustache. “I started laughing. I told her, “I don’t know.’ ”

Bruscino, who has tattoos of a gorilla, a dragon and a butterfly on his arms and neck, said his mother seemed bewildered by the visiting arrangement.

“She’s just looking at the guards and she’s telling them: ‘How come you can’t put me somewhere where I can be with him?’ They tell her, ‘That don’t go around here, lady.’ ”

Since Marion inmates come from across the nation, many families can’t afford the trip. A special program, Prison Family Support, eases some of those problems by providing free transportation from town, about 10 miles away, saving a $22 round-trip cab fare, and a room for two nights each month at a local motel.

“We feel they have enough trouble getting here financially,” said Jane Otte, coordinator of the program, which is run independently of Marion. “Our whole purpose is to maintain family ties.”

She said 124 family members visited the maximum-security prison last year.

But Brooks-Bey said she hasn’t been able to persuade friends and families of other Marion inmates to accompany her.

“No one wants to go out to Marion,” she said. “Every time I go there, I’m the only one in the room.”

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This is what it’s like to visit a prison to see a friend

Don Lehnhoff

August 24, 2020 5:59 am.

Stillwater Prison. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Stillwater Prison, built 1910-14 in Bayport, Minn., is on the National Register of Historic Places. Picture the stereotype of any movie prison you’ve ever seen, from White Heat to S hawshank Redemption, and that’s Stillwater State Prison. If you’re lucky, you’ve never been in a place like this.

For the past three years I’ve been a regular visitor to Stillwater Prison as a volunteer with Amicus, a secular non-profit that has been offering friendship to incarcerated people for more than 50 years. The Amicus friendship program is called “Re-entry Mentoring” although in the case of me and my incarcerated friend there is no real mentoring, because there will be no re-entry. People my age in prison have usually been there a long time and will likely die there.

To visit someone in a Minnesota prison you must first get on their approved visitor list by submitting an application to the Department of Corrections (DOC). Once approved you just show up and sign in, show your ID and grab a $0.25 locker because nothing goes in with you except the dress-code-compliant clothes on your back.

The big-screen TV in the waiting room is usually running something like Finding Nemo for young visitors. I look at the children, and the sadness that emanates from their mothers, and it just about breaks you to think about it.

Next to the big TV is a small bookshelf holding mostly magazines, including back issues of Stillwater’s own The Prison Mirror . Founded in 1887, the Mirror is the oldest continuously published inmate newspaper in the country, and one recognized often for excellence.

The entire waiting room and visitor registration process is supervised by uniformed guards who draw the line on the rules for anyone in doubt. In my experience of some 30 visits, they draw it with courtesy and consideration.

The loud speaker announces, “Visit for Ture,” so it’s time to get locked up with him for an hour or two. 

Empty pockets, remove eyeglasses, negotiate metal detector, get a hand stamp a la the Cabooze on a Saturday night, and wait for the series of steel-barred doors to clank and grind open.

I was socialized through love and support; Joe through abuse and abandonment.

Entrance into the visiting room is like any other secure transfer operation, like an air lock on the Space Station. A barred door slides open, you walk through, it closes behind you and another in front of you opens. This too closes behind you as you step up to the one-way glass of the control booth, display your hand stamp under the ultraviolet light, and drop your driver’s license in the tray. There’s one more loud clank and a third door opens into the secure visiting room.

There’s a 3-by-5 floor mat immediately to the right as you enter, adjacent to one of the two guard observation platforms in the room. This is the one and only authorized spot for brief physical contact — a handshake, a quick hug or a peck on the cheek — allowed only first thing upon arrival and last thing when leaving.

Inmate artwork adorns the walls. There are clocks here and there to keep track of visiting time. Halfway along the far wall on a five foot raised level behind glass is a row of glass booths with telephone handsets hanging on the outside for restricted visits. Throughout the main room rows of fold-down stadium-type seats face each other about six feet apart. Inmates sit on the south side, visitors on the north. 

At our age neither Joe nor I hear as well as we once did, and my practiced technique of leaning in to hear better violates prison rules of separation. 

Joe likes to talk about two things: sports and his innocence. I represent myself to Joe as his friend and I take that seriously. I think when a friend tells you something, it’s to be believed. Otherwise, you’re not much of a friend. 

Reconciling the dichotomy between Joe’s “innocence” and his lifetime of convictions and incarceration is something I think about a lot. The cliché that every man in prison is innocent according to him weighs against my understanding that the criminal justice system does indeed get it wrong sometimes — if not intentionally, then carelessly. Joe offers support for his claims of innocence that — when viewed with an open mind and an understanding of how the real world works — is not entirely implausible.

Try to imagine yourself in prison for most of your adult life, and for crimes someone else committed. This is the big “what if” that I ponder. What if Joe’s truth is the truth? We know it happens. What if that’s what happened to Joe? What if it happened to you? 

Joe’s story is complicated. I was socialized through love and support; Joe through abuse and abandonment. Joe appeared as that quintessential suspect that everyone can accept — the stranger, drifter, itinerant mechanic living out of his car. A non-person. As his friend, treating Joe like a real person is really my only goal.

Joe had been in Amicus’ files for 20 years by the time I came along. There are never enough volunteers, and there are more sympathetic characters than Joe to choose from. I think he was looking for that tireless advocate and crusader on the outside who would finally get him a hearing on his claims of innocence. That’s not what Amicus does and I’m not that guy, and I told him that. “I don’t believe you and I don’t not believe you, I just don’t care.” I said he’d been judged enough in the past by the system, and I just cared about him as a person now and how he was getting along.

Joe loves baseball, and so do I. We talk about the Twins all season long. He told me when he was a kid he went to old Met Stadium for the Twins open tryouts. Anybody could show up with a glove and they’d put you on the field, hit fungos, play a little pepper, and if you showed up with some obvious untapped talent they might even offer you a minimum minor league contract. Joe went by himself. He knew he wasn’t any kind of ball player, but he just wanted to be there, to walk out on the outfield grass of a major league ballpark with a glove on.

So what is it like to live year after year after decade in prison? Mopping the cell hall for $0.50 an hour. Living in a cage under constant eyes and being escorted everywhere you go. Getting a flashlight in your face from a female guard while sitting on the commode for a midnight nature call. Necessary? A lot of it is. I don’t think the general public thinks much about prisoners as complete people … thoughtful, sensitive, human.

In prison a person is allowed an activity in their cell called “hobby craft”: beadwork, crochet, or in Joe’s case, hand-drawn greeting cards. I mail Joe pictures from the internet that he uses to make cards, mostly Disney characters or other cartoons, sports logos, stuff that is near impossible for him to acquire on his own. It’s a small thing for me to do but a big contribution to his quality of life. Occasionally he’ll send me a gift … a beaded Twins logo on a beaded chain, a crocheted bear, things he trades for with other inmates. Once upon a time cigarettes were the inside coin of the realm. These days, smoking isn’t allowed, so it’s coffee.

I never thought I’d be visiting someone capable of extreme violence, that being so far from who I am, and I was apprehensive the first visit, with no idea what to expect. Now some 60 hours of face-to-face conversation later, I stand as the one and only un-incarcerated friend of a convicted serial killer. Most people don’t ever expect to make the acquaintance of a Joe Ture, but it’s not unlike getting to know someone of an ethnic or religious background different from your own, where familiarity dispels prejudice. It’s like extreme diversity, building a personal relationship with someone whose entire life is contrary to your own experience. It frees you from pre-conception and stereotypes.

A guard lets us know when there’s 5 minutes left in our two-hour visit (the maximum allowed). We get up and walk to the official “mat of familiarity,” shake hands again and bid each other well until the next time. Leaving is the same series of barred doors in reverse, picking up my driver’s license on the way. Joseph Donald Ture Jr., OID#118968, exits through a similar setup on the other side of the room leading back into the cellblocks. The biggest difference in our departures, besides our distinct destinations, is that I won’t be strip-searched on the way out.

For more information about Amicus, go here .

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

Donald Lehnhoff is a semi-retired marketing professional and musician living in Minneapolis. He volunteers with AMICUS and We Are All Criminals in pursuit of social justice and criminal justice reform.

Related News

Visiting restrictions, the existence of a glass partition and the presence of a guard during family visits and the great distance of the prison facility from the relatives’ residence violate the prisoner’s right to his / her family life

• 03/01/2019 11:27

Resin v. Russia 18.12.2018 (no. 9348/14)

Rights of prisoners in family life. The limited number of relatives in the applicant’s visit, the existence of a glass partition in the visitor room, the constant supervision of his relatives ‘visits by the prison staff and the great distance of the prison (7,000 km) from the relatives’ residence violated the prisoner’s right in their family life, since these interventions  were not necessary in a democratic society.

PRINCIPAL FACTS 

The case concerned a convicted prisoner’s complaint about restrictions on family visits.

The applicant, Andrey Resin, is a Russian national who was born in 1974 and is serving a life sentence in the Sverdlovsk Region (Russia).

He served his sentence from 2012 to 2014 in penal colony IK-56 in the Sverdlovsk Region, which is 7,000 kilometres from his home town of Khabarovsk. During his time in this facility he was able to have six short visits from his family, with a glass partition separating them and supervised by a prison officer. He made a request to have visits without such restrictions, but it was rejected.

When transferred to a remand prison in Khabarovsk for two months in 2014 as part of an investigation, he requested to have both short and long visits with his family. The prison governor said it was up to the investigator to decide about the short visits, with the investigator and his supervisor later rejecting his request. The governor rejected his request for a long visit because the applicable law did not allow them for convicted prisoners taken to a remand prison from a correctional facility as part of an investigation.

All of his challenges before the courts were apparently dismissed as unfounded.

Relying in particular on Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life), Mr Resin complained that the restrictions on his family visits in the penal facility and remand prison had been excessive.

THE DECISION OF THE COURT 

As is well established in the Court’s case-law, on imprisonment a person forfeits the right to liberty but continues to enjoy all other fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to respect for family life, so that any restriction on those rights must be justified in each individual case. Detention entails inherent limitations on his family life, and some measure of control of the detainee’s contacts with the outside world is called for and is not of itself incompatible with the Convention. However, it is an essential part of a prisoner’s right to respect for family life that the authorities enable him or, if need be, assist him to maintain contact with his close family .

An interference with a prisoner’s right to respect for his or her family life does not need to amount to an outright ban on family visits, but can consist in various other measures taken by the prison authorities. The Court has thus found that limitations on the frequency and duration of family visits, supervision of those visits and the subjection of a detainee to special visiting arrangements constitute an interference with the applicants’ rights under Article 8 of the Convention.

The applicant complained that he had been denied both short and long-stay visits during his time in the Khabarovsk remand prison and that, in the IK-56 facility, the number of visiting family members had been limited to two adults and short visits were conducted in the presence of a prison officer through a glass partition. The Court has established that denial of visits, separation barriers and other restrictive arrangements amount to an interference with the right to respect for family life . It remains to be seen whether they were applied “in accordance with the law”, pursued one or more of the legitimate aims listed in paragraph 2 and, in addition, were “necessary in a democratic society”.

2. Justification for the interference

(a) Limitation on the number of visiting family members

The Rules of Internal Order in Penal Facilities, as in force at the material time, restricted the number of adult family members who could visit a prisoner to two people . That rule applied in a general manner, regardless of the duration of the visit, and admitted no exceptions. Unlike a newer version of the same Rules, that restriction was not based on the capacity or availability of premises for long-stay visits.

The Court is satisfied that the impugned two-visitor restriction is no longer part of regulations governing prison visits. However, this does not alter the fact that, as it was in force at the material time, it impinged on the applicant’s right to respect for his family life and prevented four members of his extended family from visiting him in prison . The Court considers that, in the absence of any grounds or the Government’s arguments to the contrary, such inflexible regulation, which was unrelated to the availability or capacity of long-stay visiting rooms, was not necessary in a democratic society.

(b) Separation with a glass partition and presence of an officer

During his time in the IK-56 facility ,  the applicant was separated from his visitors by a glass partition and supervised by a prison officer during short visits throughout the entire period of his detention. He pointed out that the separation had been maintained even after he had been transferred from the strict-security regime to the standard-security regime and later to the light-security regime. He could have unsupervised long-stay visits, living together with his family, but could not touch them or talk to them in private during short visits.

The Government submitted that the rooms for short visits in the IK‑56 facility were equipped with “standard-issue cabins with a glass partition”. The inventory of the equipment had been established by Order no. 512 of 27 July 2006 of the Federal Penal Service.

The Court reiterates that the prohibition of physical contact between the detainee and his visitors may be justified by security considerations in certain cases but cannot be considered necessary in the absence of any established security risk .

 The Government did not point to any security considerations which may have warranted physical separation of the applicant from his family or their constant supervision by a guard. The fact that the applicant was transferred to the light-security regime suggested that he was neither violent nor likely to cause injury to his visitors. In contrast to cases in which physical separation and supervision were needed to prevent the risk of collusion or passing information through family channels , the applicant had already been convicted and that risk was not present in the instant case. Nor has it been claimed that the barrier between the applicant and his visitors was necessary on account of any public-health concerns . It would therefore appear that the use of the security installation was a matter of routine rather than a reaction to any specific security risks or prison order issues.

Rule 78 of the Rules of Internal Order in Penal Facilities required that visitors arriving for long visits submit to a full search. If they refused, they could have a short supervised visit behind a physical barrier. The search requirement could have been deemed necessary to prevent prohibited objects or substances from being passed to detainees. The Government did not however explain why visitors on a short visit were not given any choice and were barred from having an unsupervised meeting without a physical barrier in all circumstances. Even if they could have agreed to being searched if requested to do so, Russian law did not offer them the option of uninhibited physical contact. Such an inflexible and automatic regulation of short-visit arrangements cannot be accepted as being “necessary in a democratic society” because the State does not have a free hand in introducing restrictions in a general manner without affording any degree of flexibility for determining whether the limitations are appropriate or indeed necessary in specific cases .

 It follows that the measure consisting in physically separating the applicant from his visitors and supervising their short visits has not been shown to have been “necessary in a democratic society”.

(c) Refusal of short visits in the remand prison

 During his stay in the Khabarovsk remand prison the applicant twice sought permission for his family to come on a short visit. Permission was withheld. Firstly the prison governor shifted the responsibility for authorising a visit onto the investigator. Later the investigator and his supervisor declined to authorise a visit.

Under Article 77.1 of the Code of Execution of Sentences, the matter of exercising visiting rights during a convicted prisoner’s stay at a remand prison was governed by section 18 of the Pre-trial Detention Act. The Court has previously found that this provision does not meet the “quality of law” requirement, in that it confers on the authority in charge of the case unrestricted discretion to grant or refuse prison visits. It does not limit the scope of the discretion and the manner of its exercise, and deprives the detainee of the minimum degree of protection against arbitrariness or abuse to which citizens are entitled under the rule of law in a democratic society.

 In these circumstances, the Court reiterates its earlier finding that the interference based on a provision which it has previously found to be insufficiently precise and foreseeable in its application, was not “prescribed by law”. There is accordingly no need to examine whether it was “necessary in a democratic society”.

(d) Refusal of long visits in the remand prison

The applicant pointed out that he had been sent to serve the sentence in a facility located in a remote and inaccessible area some 7,000 kilometres from his home town of Khabarovsk where his family lived. Arranging a long-stay visit during his temporary stay in a remand prison in Khabarovsk would have saved his elderly mother the effort and expense of travelling to the remote location. The refusal could not have been due to the lack of suitable premises because the prison was equipped with rooms for long-stay visits.

However, beyond a reference to the applicable legal provision, the Government did not explain the legitimate aim or give any justification for the impugned measure. Nor did they provide any information which could have explained the general policy choice made by the legislature in favour of denying long-stay family visits to the individuals in the applicant’s situation who have been moved to a remand centre. By contrast, “stationary” categories of convicted prisoners, including those who served their sentence in the same remand prison to which the applicant had been transferred, did not forfeit their right to long-stay visits. It also notes that the Khabarovsk remand prison was equipped with visiting facilities suitable for long-stay visits. It also appears that the measure affected the applicant in a particularly harsh way. He was serving his sentence far away from his home town. After he was brought back to the place where his family lived and even though suitable accommodation was available in the same remand prison, he was still unable to have a long-stay visit from his family because of a general policy, for which no explanation has been put forward. The Court finds therefore that the restriction did not pursue a legitimate aim and was not “necessary in a democratic society”.

(e) Conclusion

In the light of the above considerations, the Court finds that there has been a violation of Article 8 of the Convention on account of the limitation of the number of visiting adults in the IK-56 facility, the physical separation and constant supervision during short visits in that facility, and the refusal of short and long-stay visits in the Khabarovsk remand prison.

Violation of Article 8

Just satisfaction: EUR 7,500 (non-pecuniary damage) and EUR 1,500 (costs and expenses)( echrcaselaw.com editing). 

Subcategories

• Family life

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Jails around Wisconsin forgo in-person visits for video calls. How is this affecting those incarcerated?

HOBART – From her dining room table on an evening in February, Stacie Bryant logged onto her tablet to see her son for the first time in nearly four weeks.

Tyler Bryant, 23, is currently serving 90 days at Oconto County Jail for violating his probation.

Holding Tyler's 15-month-old son, Milo, Stacie Bryant gave her son a smile and asked how he was doing. Tyler filled her in on his schedule, recent happenings and when he would get clippers to shave his facial hair.

"I missed seeing him," Stacie Bryant said after the video call. "He was coming over here almost every day."

Virtual visitation, for many families of people in jail, is a helpful tool for its flexibility and accessibility. But as it is becoming commonplace, more and more jails in Wisconsin are making video visits the only option, entirely eliminating traditional in-person visits.

The Post-Crescent contacted every jail in the state to gather information about their visitation policies. An analysis of the data found 46 out of the state's 72 jails — about 64% — have no option for people to do visits with friends and family in person, instead only offering contact through a video screen. And more jail administrators plan to follow this trend, with many stating that the pandemic expedited their decision to go all-virtual.

While video visitation has its benefits, formerly incarcerated people, experts and people who have visited friends and family in jail say the inability to be within physical proximity of loved ones takes a toll on mental health.

The American Bar Association's standards state that video visitation should not be a replacement for in-person visits with people confined for more than 30 days — around the average length of stay in a county jail.

But depending on court proceedings, people can be held in jail for years. In Brown County Jail, the longest stay of a recent prisoner was close to seven years — from May 2016 to February 2023, according to Brown County Jail Administrator Heidi Michel.

And unlike in prisons, most people in jail are there for a crime for which they have not been convicted.

Jennifer Verderami, a housing advocate with ESTHER , an interfaith social justice organization that is the Fox Valley affiliate of WISDOM , said it's more challenging to assess the emotions of a person through a video screen than when sitting across from them — even through a glass partition.

Her first experience with video visits was when the pandemic struck while she was incarcerated at Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center, a minimum-security women's prison in Racine County.

“There's a different quality even when there's a partition separating you, knowing there's only inches between you and your loved one," she said.

Video visits lack physical support, formerly incarcerated people say

Visitation is extremely important for the mental health of people who are incarcerated, particularly those serving lengthy sentences. According to the DOC's website , "research shows maintaining strong family ties can have a positive impact on an offender's success in completing treatment and other programs during incarceration, as well as their chances for success after they are released."

In-person contact visitation, where incarcerated people are allowed to talk to, play games with and hug their loved ones is offered in most of Wisconsin's prisons. But in county jails, where state statutes include fewer guidelines for how visitation should take place, non-contact visits are the norm, either behind a glass partition or by video.

Still, people who have been on both ends say there is a difference between a visit through a glass divider and a visit through a computer screen.

"You can sense the proximity. On a video screen, that does not exist," said Roy Rogers, who was incarcerated for 28 years until his parole in 2021.

Since his release, Rogers has become an advocate for jail and prison reform, working as a pre-entry liaison for The Community and serving on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Justice Initiative .

"With the divider behind a window thing, at least you can see the full human expression — you know, the nuances of emotion that you cannot catch through a video visit," he said.

Wanda Bertram, a communication strategist at the Prison Policy Initiative , a national nonprofit criminal justice think tank, said it's also harder for loved ones to assess the health and well-being of a prisoner through a video screen, as opposed to sitting a few feet away.

"Families have found that this really diminishes the quality of connection that they're able to get," she said.

A spokesperson for the company that owns Securus Technologies , the video visitation system used at Brown County Jail and a dozen other Wisconsin jails, said the video service "acts as a supplement for in person-visits" but is not intended to replace them.

Despite this, most jails in Wisconsin that have eliminated in-person visiting options have no plans to bring that option back, various county jail administrators said.

Meanwhile, some jails around the country have entirely eliminated the infrastructure needed for in-person jail visits after adding video visits. In Brown County, for example, Michel said the jail switched to all-virtual visits because there were no in-person visitation booths included in a jail renovation project.

Video visits can be expensive and low quality

Wisconsin jails offer video visits free to people who use the jail's on-site video kiosks. But those who choose to visit through a remote device are charged a fee.

Prices differ based on what company the jail contracts with. For example, remote visits with jails that use Securus range from $5.95 to $12.95 for a 20-minute remote visit, according to the spokesperson for Aventiv, the parent company of Securus. In Brown County Jail, that's $7.50 a visit. Other telecommunications companies charge by the minute. In Outagamie County Jail, which uses ViaPath Technologies , a remote video visit costs 25 cents a minute.

Tyler Bryant served time at both Brown County Jail and Oconto County Jail. The Bryants said the two jails' visitation services were a night-and-day difference.

The first time Tyler's girlfriend used Brown County Jail's free on-site video kiosks to visit Tyler, she had issues logging on and could not find anyone around to help her.

When she came back to try again another day, she was able to get the video to work, but the quality on both ends was poor, Tyler Bryant said.

"That sucks. You can't even see the background — like, it's all pixelated," he said. "They completely blur everything out, unless you're two inches away, and then you can see like half of the face."

That was with Securus. Video visits at Oconto County Jail, which uses the company CIDNET , were much clearer, Stacie Bryant said.

Securus and CIDNET are the two most widely utilized video visitation systems in Wisconsin's jails. A handful of others systems are also common, including ViaPath, the system in place at Outagamie County Jail.

Autumn Cross, a Combined Locks resident who visited a friend in Outagamie County Jail about once a week for three months before he went to prison, said the remote video calls she did often had blurry video, delayed audio and unreliable connection.

"Video visits always have a lot of the connection issues where you can't hear them, or they can't hear you," Cross said. "It's not always guaranteed that you're going to have your video visit, because you can get disconnected and then sometimes you're not able to call back."

For Verderami, who served nearly five years in prison before her release last year, video visitation was free, due to the pandemic. But the visits were emotionally challenging, particularly those with her teenage son or her grandchildren.

"It actually got to the point where I didn't want to even do the video visits anymore because it made me so sad," she said.

Verderami said if video visits were not free and her only access to video visits was by paying, she would not have had any visits during that time.

Proponents say virtual jail visitation offers flexibility and savings for families

Many jails that only offer virtual visitation point to its benefits, like the flexibility to visit from home and increased opportunities for visits.

Outagamie County Jail switched to virtual visitation in 2020 and never went back. Jail Administrator Dave Kiesner said the jail had already been planning to transition to video visits only, but the pandemic expedited that process.

People in jail "have much more ability to see and talk to people now with this new system than they've had before," Kiesner said. "When we had in-house visits, it was just twice a week. ... It was like on a Tuesday at 10 o'clock and maybe a Saturday at 4 o'clock, and that was only time you could come visit. Now you can set up for whatever works for you at home."

Many county jails in the state also say video visits reduce the risk of contraband getting into the jail. However, it's not clear if there is data to back this up. Kiesner said Outagamie County Jail does not track contraband incidents specifically tied to visitation.

Michel, the administrator at Brown County Jail, said video visitation is beneficial for people who live too far to regularly visit with loved ones. By paying $7.50 for a 20-minute visit from home, they can save money on gas and time.

But for about a quarter of Wisconsin's jails, it doesn't need to be one or the other.

Lt. Brad McCoy of the Waushara County Sheriff's Office said that when Waushara County Jail added a video visit option in 2023, it did not eliminate its in-person option. McCoy said he does not think a video call has the same impact on a prisoner's mental health as actually seeing a loved one in-person — even behind a glass partition.

"I still see benefits in having in-person visits," he said.

And 16 other Wisconsin jails, including Madison's Dane County Jail, offer both types of visitation.

"We still like to do the in-person, because it’s in-person. It’s different than looking through a camera at someone," said Lt. Gary Vandivier of the Dane County Sheriff's Office.

Jails sometimes have incentives to eliminate in-person visiting options

The Prison Policy Initiative has published multiple studies about telecommunications-related issues in jails and prisons across the country. Betram said their research found that jails have financial motivations to eliminate in-person visitation.

For one, video visitation requires fewer staff members to supervise, a major benefit for jails with a shortage of staff.

Additionally, Bertram said that in many contracts between video providers and jails, the county receives either a lump sum payment or a percentage of the total revenue from video calls.

Both Brown County Jail and Outagamie County Jail receive a commission from telecommunications services. However, Michel said that in Brown County, none of the profit made off of video visitation goes to the county; it goes into an "inmate welfare account," which is used to fund items and programs for people in jail, like new mattresses or the county's canteen ministry program.

"This is not a product that jails and prisons have necessarily gone hunting for. It's something that the companies, which tend to already have relationships with jails and prisons by providing phone calls or other services like that, will advertise pretty aggressively," Bertram said.

Bertram said some of these contracts have in the past stipulated that county jails must eliminate or restrict the in-person visiting option. She said she has seen those stipulations less often in recent years. Neither Brown County Jail's nor Outagamie County Jail's most recent contracts give requirements for jails on in-person visits.

According to a 2015 report from the Prison Policy Initiative , Securus was the only company of those studied that explicitly required jails to stop offering an in-person visitation option. But the spokesperson for Aventiv, the parent company of Securus, told the Post-Crescent that Securus "never impose(s) any prohibition on in-person visits."

No other telecommunications companies in Wisconsin jails — including ViaPath, CIDNET, ICSolutions , Reliance Telephone or Turnkey Corrections — responded to questions about their contracts' visitation guidelines.

The transition to video visits as the norm is a fairly recent shift in Wisconsin; most county jails began implementing the new technology just in the last few years. Four in the state, however — including Milwaukee County Jail — stopped video visit services as early as 2003 and 2004.

Rogers said he believes the transition to video visitation in jails is another step of what he sees as decreasing outside contact in Wisconsin's jails and prisons in recent years.

As another example, he pointed to the Department of Correction's switch in 2021 to providing people in prison with photocopies of mail rather than the original papers — a move intended to decrease drugs sneaking into prisons.

"The smell and the scent of the envelope to come from moms or a girlfriend, they'll never be able to smell that anymore, you know? Just to see, your kid drew this picture, and you know, it's smelling like jelly, or those Jolly Ranchers that he likes, you know, and some of that got on the envelope or the letter. You'll never be able to experience that again in Wisconsin (prisons)," he said.

For people in jails and prisons, Rogers said, any connection to their support system is essential for rehabilitation and a future reintegration into society. He said he worries about a total shift to video visits in jails.

"When you're in a county jail, for the most part, if you turn out to not be found innocent of what you've been held for, the last memory you will have of touching and holding your loved one will be that moment before you were arrested," he said. "And, like, even though you're sitting in that county jail and you're innocent until you're proven guilty, you've already been deprived of your human relationship, and you have not been convicted of a crime."

Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Danielle DuClos contributed to this report.

Kelli Arseneau can be reached at 920-213-3721 or  [email protected] . Follow her on X at  @ArseneauKelli .

Inmate Search & General Jail Guide

Inmate Search | Inmate Mail | Inmate Phones | Orca Lookup & More

How To Visit An Inmate In Prison | All Your Questions Answered

Table of Contents

Visiting an inmate for the first time is one that is filled with mixed feelings of what to wear, what form of identification to present to the guards, what to bring along as a gift, if kids are allowed in, and other random thoughts like that.

With all these thoughts popping up in your head at the same time, you may end up more confused and frustrated. Not to worry!

This guide contains what you need to know when visiting an inmate for the first time, and perhaps will provide answers to all your confusions.

Types Of Prison Visitations

There are several types of visitation for inmates. Visitation ranges from video visitation, non-contact/telephone visitation, and contact visitation.

Prison Video Visitation

Video visitation is the one that’s mostly being used today. Just like the way you’d use Skye, video visitation can be done even from the comfort of your home.

No Contact Jail Visitation

Non-contact/ telephone visitation is one that involves sitting behind a glass barricade while talking with your inmate on the telephone.

Full Contact Prison Inmate Visitation

Contact visitation is the most common and often preferred by visitors. Here, you are able to sit with the inmate and talk for a short period of time. It even gives you the opportunity to even make contact with your ok inmate, however there’s a limitation to that.

Forms of contact usually allowed include a brief hug, hello, and goodbye. Holding of hands is often frowned at by prison officials.

What To Do Before You Visit A Prison

It is important that before you are granted access to visit your inmate, you must have previously been in contact with him/her. The prison has a visitors list that contains the friends and family members that are allowed to visit.

Some facilities provide inmates a list containing slots for 10 visitors that they wish to include. As such, the inmates must have all the details of the visitors he intends to include In the list, which include: the visitor’s full name, the visitor’s address, the phone number, and at times more other information about the visitor.

So if your inmate does not know all this information, you can send him a mail containing a letter that stipulates your information. 

Other facilities may request all prospective visitors of the inmate to fill out a visiting application (some only give out this form based on the wish of the inmate).

How To Apply For A Visitation At The Prison

The visiting application is given to visitors who intend to pay a visit to inmates, however not all facilities will request that you fill a visitors application (most facilities do anyway).

The visiting application is more like a questionnaire that contains a portion in which you are required to fill out your name, address, and questions that seeks to find out if you are a convicted felon, or if you’ve been incarcerated or worked in the department of corrections.

Proceed to answer, fill in your names and answer the questions as truthful as you can because the information provided will be used to perform a background check up on you.

The findings will determine if your visit will be approved or denied.

What Can Make You Denied From Visiting A Friend In Jail?

• If the information provided in the visiting application is false.
• If you’re a convicted felon.
• If you’ve previously served time in a correctional facility, or have worked in the department of corrections.
• If you have outstanding warrants.
• If there’s a protective order against you or the inmate.
• If you are seen as a threat to security at the facility.
• If you are on PTI, probation, or parole (although some exceptions can be made to this).
• If you’ve already filled a visiting application to another inmate at the facility.

You will only know if your visiting application is approved or denied when your inmate tells you, most institutions will not inform you. Therefore, you must ensure a constant communication with your inmate to ascertain the status of your application.

However, if you’re denied visiting privileges, you have a choice to appeal the decision. Only make sure you file for appeal within the stated time frame.

How To Prepare For A Prison Visitation

If your visiting application is approved by the facility, check the schedule of the visitation hours specified by the institution.

You check visiting hours for some facilities on their website, and be sure to double check if possible, as visiting hours may be changed at any time or even cancelled without notifying you.

A correctional facility may cancel visiting if the facility goes on a lockdown, if an inmate has escaped, or due to reasons known to the facility. An inmate may also be denied visiting privileges if they’re confined in solitary.

Once you are sure of the visiting hours, ensure to take along every needed form of identification on the day you intend visiting your inmate.

Although in most cases you only need your valid state issued identification card or drivers license, some facilities however vary in the type of identification they accept.

Visiting A Jail As A Minor Or With A Minor

If you’re visiting with a child or minor, the facility will require you to first fill out a special visiting with minors authorization form.

When such a minor is above 14, he/she would have to come along with a school issued photo ID or birth certificate before they’re allowed to visit.

Also, minors are not allowed to visit inmates alone, as it is required that they must be always accompanied by a parent or guardian. Inmates who were incarcerated for crimes against a child cannot have access to visits by minors.

Small children or babies may also need to come along with their birth certificate to be allowed to visit, but it is not a must in all cases. When visiting with children, try as much to control them because they’re found causing a nuisance, you can get kicked out from the visiting area.

How To Dress For A Prison Visitation

Every correctional facility has a dress code for visitors thus, if you’re visiting any, ensure to put on the specified dress code else you’ll be refused from visiting. 

Here are some things to keep in mind when selecting a dress for visiting inmates:

• Do not put on a dress that resembles the inmate’s clothes in design or color, and that of the staff.
• Do not visit in medical scrubs or any sort of uniform, as this may pose a threat to the facility’s security.
• You must dress in shirts and put on shoes.
• Clothes that expose sensitive parts of the body are prohibited.
• See through fabrics are not allowed.
• Sleeveless shirts are prohibited.
• Shorts and skirts that are above the knee or those with slits are prohibited.
• Offensive imprints or languages on clothing is prohibited.
• Tight clothing which include spandex, leggings, tights are prohibited.
• Jewelries are also prohibited, so keep that in mind when dressing.

Sometimes, it is up to the prison guard to scrutinize which kind of dressing is allowed into the prison. To avoid being sent back because of a violation in dress code, you can come with a change of clothing just in case.

Getting Searched At A Prison During Visitation

It is advisable to arrive a few minutes early to the facility when visiting, as you may be required to fill out more paperwork (you may get into trouble if you arrive too early though).

Keep in mind that you’ll be searched from your arrival at the parking lot, your car will also be searched by the prison guards or even security dogs for any incriminating item or one that violates the rules of the facility.

Even when you enter the facility, expect to be searched again usually by pat down or with a metal detector. And If you refuse to be searched, you’ll be banned from visiting.

There are even cases where visitors must consent to strip search before they’re allowed in, but if you’re not comfortable with this, it doesn’t mean you’ll be refused visitation. 

Strip searching was mainly done to detect drugs hidden in the body that scanners couldn’t pick. However, it is now a thing of the past as security dogs are used by facilities instead.

What To Take With You On A Prison Visitation

This varies from one facility to another. Some facilities may provide lockers that can be rented for about a quarter to store your belongings in, others do not.

You’re only allowed to bring in your ID, single car key, eyeglasses (if any), some change for use at the vending machine, as you may need it to buy snacks for your inmate while you talk.

If you’re visiting with a baby, you may be allowed to come with a feeding bottle and a change of diaper. Items such as medications, cigarettes are considered illegal, as you can be banned if found in possession of any of these, and possibly charged.

Questions About Visiting A Friend In Jail

If you have about visiting an inmate that was not answered in this article, you can post in the comment section below and we’ll do our best to provide answers to such questions.

Can you kiss on prison visits?

You can kiss during prison visitation at a low risk community prison, however, in many other centres, the case is different. Kissing on a prison visit depends on the type of prison facility where your loved one is incarcerated.

These days, most facilities do their best to prevent direct contact in order to avoid smuggling of drugs and other prohibited substances. If you intend to kiss your loved one, then make sure the rules in the facility permit you to do so.

How long does it take to get approved for prison visitation?

Most prison visitations are approved on a first-come first-served basis. Your request for a prison visit can be approved in less than a week, however the visitation date may vary.

You need to put in every prison visitation request on time so as to factor in the time it may take to process other requests submitted before you, and to give the prison operations director enough time to make adequate preparations for the security and safety of you and other visitors.

What is the process of visiting someone in prison?

For most prisons, you will need to fill out a visitation request online, and submit it for them to get started on processing your visitation request. FOr many others, you will need to schedule a visit through the visitation centre.

How do I visit someone in jail in Canada?

Most prisons in Canada accommodate visits through a visitation centre. You will need to schedule an appointment through the visitation centre for your request to be processed.

Can you wear jeans to visit an inmate?

Members of the public are allowed to wear jeans or any form of clothing to a prison visitation. Notwithstanding the type of clothe you put on, highly sophisticated infra-red sensors will always be at major entry points to scan you for prohibited items.

How many visits do prisoners get a week?

Prisoners are allowed to get as much visits as the prison can accommodate. Most prisons tailor their activities to only accept a number of visitors per day and once this number is reached, other visitation requests are pushed on to the next available day.

Are conjugal visits monitored?

Conjugal visits are usually monitored for the safety of both the inmate and the visitor. A highly trained staff will monitor the activities that happen during the visit to make sure that the visitation conforms with acceptable practices.

Conjugal visits were designed as a means to preserve families and give incarcerated people the opportunity to procreate even while in prison. These days, there are not many prison facilities around the world that still allow conjugal visits from an inmate’s registered spouse.

Can you swear in a letter to an inmate?

If a letter to an inmate contains a swear word, it will be given a second review to determine what to do with it. The level and context of the swearing in a letter will determine if it will be handed over to the inmate, or confiscated for vulgarity.

What happens to your clothes when you go to jail?

When you go to jail, your clothes are locked up in your property. This is a little lock box assigned to all inmates where clothes, keys, wallets, shoes and received books/letters are kept.

How should I dress for a prison visit?

While preparing for a prison visitation, wear something that you feel very comfortable in. Do not put on very oversized clothes that may put you on the spotlight and have the guards second-guessing if you;re hiding something underneath.

Do Death row inmates get visitors?

Yes. Death row inmates are allowed to receive visitors just like any other inmate. Friends and family, loved ones, lawyers, human rights organisations and other religious societies are allowed to visit inmates on death row.

Can you wear a bra in jail?

Inmates are given adequately sized bras in jail to put on. While these bras are issued, it is however the responsibility of the inmate to put them on.

Can you hug an inmate during visitation?

Hugging an inmate can be allowed in certain incarceration facilities, but in some others, a no contact law is usually enforced and must be adhered to.

Your ability to hug a loved one during a prison visitation will depend on the laws guiding that particular institution. Make sure you check in with the regulations before you attempt to hug an inmate.

Can you wear your wedding ring in jail?

A wedding ring is usually considered a sentimental item and thus, inmates are allowed to wear their wedding rings after they are vetted by the security department.

If an inmate poses some degree of threat, or is seen capable of inflicting bodily harm or injury through a ring, then they are denied the ability to wear their wedding ring while in prison.

Can you FaceTime inmates?

It is not possible to facetime with inmates. Electronic gadgets are prohibited in prisons and any inmate found with a mobile phone will face very serious charges which could increase their sentence.

What can you bring to a conjugal visit?

If you’re approved for a conjugal visit, you will be given a list of items that are permitted, and a list of items that are prohibited.

Breaking the law during a conjugal visit may lead to very serious consequences for both the visitor and the inmate.

What is a conjugal visit in jail?

A conjugal visit is a visitation that allows an inmate have some private time for intercourse with a listed spouse. This type of visitation is allowed to help families cope with their intimate desires.

Why are conjugal visits not allowed?

For most facilities, conjugal visits are denied because they pose a great risk to the operations of the prison facility. Most times, prisoners use conjugal visits as an opportunity to smuggle prohibited items like drugs and weapons into the prison facility.

Can you get sperm from an inmate for artificial insemination?

It is impossible to get a sperm from an inmate for artificial insemination. This is a practice that has not been approved in any prison facility. If you intend to conceive, you can request for a conjugal visit if it is allowed, or have intercourse with your partner if they are ever released to attend a funeral or family event.

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Written By:  Brad Campbell |  March 23, 2023

Correctional facilities, including prisons, juvenile detention centers, and other types of detention centers, have a unique set of security needs.

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Why Do Correctional Facilities Need Riot Glass® Detention Glazing?

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The end of American prison visits: jails end face-to-face contact – and families suffer

It’s been described as ‘Skype for the jailed’ and is being sold as safer and more convenient. But it begs the question: are in-person visits a human right?

One sunny day in October, at the Jefferson Parish correctional center just across the river from downtown New Orleans , Tiffany Burns, 34, was visiting her boyfriend.

The pair had been dating for almost two years and were still giggly in love when a late July knock on the door sent him away. Scooped up by the police after being accused of robbing a suburban bank at gunpoint, Chrishon Brown, 37, was sent to the correctional center while his case worked its way through the court.

A new, unwelcome chapter of their relationship began, with Brown using all his jail funds to call Tiffany, and Tiffany visiting as often as she could.

It was a long drive from her home in the Metairie suburb west of New Orleans, and could sometimes take about an hour each way with the traffic near downtown, but Burns was happy to do it. “When I visit, sometimes I forget about the glass and it feels like we are together again.”

She felt that way during her visit on 12 October, right up until the moment she walked out the jail door and was handed a pamphlet.

“Visit an inmate from anywhere!” exclaimed the heading. A photo of a smiling blond woman using a tablet with her daughter was featured on the next page.

“From now on, no more visits,” said the jail guard, as she shut the door behind Tiffany. “If you want to see him, read that.”

“I didn’t realize that would be my last visit,” Tiffany later said.

$12.99 per call. In-person visits used to be free

Under the new system, in-person visits are no longer allowed. Instead, all visits now must be done by video, either from a smartphone, computer, or at an offsite location.

The pamphlet, published by Securus Technology, makes using a video feed to talk to your loved one seem appealing. It says:

“Do you want to see your loved one more often? Stop missing out on: • Watching your favorite TV show. • Singing Happy Birthday. • Reading a bedtime story ... Never miss another moment.”

Under the new system, each video visit made from home costs $12.99 for 20 minutes. In-person visits used to be free.

This shift also raises a legal question: is in-person visitation an inmate’s legal right?

Video technology run by Securus and other companies is now used in hundreds of correctional facilities across the country.

Although data is hard to come by, Lucius Couloute, a research associate at the Prison Policy Initiative , might have the best guess. By scraping information from news articles, social media, and Google alerts, he estimates at least 600 US facilities now have video visitation programs in place. (Securus did not respond to repeated requests for that information.)

Gary York, a retired Florida prison inspector who writes about video visitation, says his experience supports those findings. He says that over the past five years, most jails in his state have turned to using only video visitation and stopped in-person visitation.

Indeed, according to the Prison Policy Initiative’s data, 74% of US correctional facilities that implement video calling end up either reducing in-person visits, or eliminating them altogether.

But why halt in-person visitation?

Security concerns, say the program’s supporters. They point to the conveniences of video, a kind of Skype for the jailed, as a way to combat a nagging security issue: contraband. York says that contraband – drugs, weapons, and more – can be introduced even in no-contact facilities where inmates are separated from visitors by glass. “I’m not going sugarcoat it and say it’s only the visitors that do it,” says York. “Inmate orderlies and officers might be picking up a bag of marijuana that a visitor leaves in the trashcan and getting paid off to deliver it to the inmate. I’ve seen it hundreds of times.”

Another reason is the reallocation of jail personnel. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe LoPinto was quoted in a Times-Picayune article as arguing that the new system allows his office to “allocate resources where we think they’re needed, on the streets”. In-person visitation, he said, requires twice as many officers, and York agrees. (LoPinto declined to comment for this story).

Critics, however, say that potential gains are far outweighed by the costs.

‘The impact is going to be so real’

Norris Henderson spent nearly 28 years in prison for murder in Louisiana . Today, he is the founder and executive director of Voice of the Ex-Offender, a not-for-profit group that advocates for inmates’ rights. He strongly believes that stopping in-person visitations is a move in the wrong direction.

“We should be moving toward more human contact and people connecting with other people, not less. When you move away from that,” warns Henderson, “it is easy to dehumanize.”

Léon Digard, from the Vera Institute of Justice , says that his research shows the opposite happening, with “in-person visits increasing outcomes both pre- and post-release”. Couloute additionally points to research published in the Criminal Justice Policy Review that show that in-person visits decrease recidivism.

Instead, both Digard and Couloute recommend this technology be used only as a supplement to traditional methods of visitation.

Behind the security issue lies an even more profound challenge: the emotional and psychological cost of taking away in-person visits. Advocates argue that seeing a person face-to-face, even if it’s through six inches of glass, is critical to the emotional health of prisoners.

Sister Alison McCrary is an attorney and executive director for the National Police Accountability Project. She runs the New Orleans Community-Police Mediation Program. She regularly spends her weekends offering spiritual guidance to those who have been incarcerated, particularly those on death row.

“Visitation is so important to maintaining a prisoner’s faith. So important. I can’t believe they would simply take that away,” she says, in a saddened voice. “The impact is going to be so real.”

Are visitations a human right?

Ultimately, the substitution of video visitation for in-person visits raises a legal question that applies to correctional facilities everywhere: is it a human right to receive in-person visitation?

Internationally, multiple legal instruments indicate that it is. UN rules call for the allowance of visitors, while the European Prison Rules emphasize that while all forms of visitation may be monitored, maximum contact is the underlying goal: “Prisoners shall be allowed to communicate as often as possible by letter, telephone or other forms of communication with their families, other persons and representatives of outside organisations and to receive visits from these persons.”

Those rules, however, are legally non-binding for US purposes. In 2003, the US supreme court unanimously decided that visitation restrictions with a “rational relation” to prison management do not violate the constitutional right of association.

Michele Deitch, a scholar on prisons at the University of Texas, notes that across the country, some state and local governments have adopted legislation that addresses the question of the legality of video visitation in lieu of in-person visitation.

In Texas, for example, a recent state law requires that in-person visitation be maintained in jails, and California has passed similar legislation. Although the American Bar Association and the American Correctional Association have published guidelines that say video visitation should be a supplement and not a substitute for in-person visits, the supreme court has not yet weighed in on the video visitation question. Without a national legal framework, the decision belongs to local authorities, with their own rationale, be it contraband, security, or something else.

For Henderson, the former prisoner, the conversation “goes deeper than this issue of contraband. This is about money. I shouldn’t have to pay you to come see my child.”

The prison phone system is a $1.2bn-a-year industry, dominated by big players like Securus. Securus has stated that it serves over 1.2 million prisoners across North America, and the company employs at least 736 people, according to its Bloomberg listing.

Private companies point to their services as a potential new source of revenue for overburdened counties, with the facility receiving commissions per call. Although neither Securus nor the Jefferson Parish sheriff’s office would provide a breakdown of where the $12.99 per 20 minutes goes, Coulette says that “typically they receive only a 10 to 20% commission on the call”.

‘Companies shouldn’t be getting rich off inmates’ backs’

Almost everyone who has studied video visitation also mentions one other thing: video visitation is glitchy.

Often, in spite of the price, the technology doesn’t work; the sound or the image doesn’t come through, or the calls cut off in the middle. The glitches can make that $12.99 price tag seem even higher.

The counterargument to this criticism is the fact that in Jefferson Parish, for example, one 20-minute video call at an “offsite video visitation center” is free per week.

To find out more, I took that drive over the bridge across the Mississippi to Gretna, where the Jefferson Parish jail is located. Inside, the Securus logo is prominently displayed on posters. The guards tell me they think the new system will be an improvement – “it’s better because you can do a video visit from home now” – but since it is so new, they can’t say for sure.

They suggest I check out the new “Video Visitation Center”, located about a 10 minute drive down the freeway. For those without access to a smartphone or a computer, the new visitation center is their only option.

There, an old elementary school building has been converted into the center. Inside, three guards are gathered and laughing around a cellphone behind a glass wall, but outside the parking lot is empty. No one is visiting.

I stop by the Jefferson Parish public defenders office. Attorney Andrew Duffy, a public defender in Jefferson Parish, already has some concerns. I hand him the flyer and he types in the Securus video visitation web address. As the page pulls up, he rears back his head and raises his eyebrows. “Yeah, see look at this,” he says, gesturing to a page busy with menus and small-font options. “Grandma’s gone.”

He sees the introduction of technology not as a guaranteed convenience, but as a potential barrier. On top of the 20-minute price tag, the video calls require an updated tablet, computer or smartphone.

‘I couldn’t even hear what she was saying’

To understand the impact that all this is having on the loved ones of inmates, I drove out to Metairie, to the home of Tiffany Burns.

Two weeks after her last in-person visit, Burns sits on her bed in her mother’s apartment.

Inside, Burns’s mother has set the table for Thanksgiving dinner, decorating it with orange and yellow crepe fall leaves. It’s a much friendlier environment than the one at the jail or the video visitation center.

In the bedroom, Burns is sitting crosslegged on the bed, nervously fussing with the cheap earphones she just rushed out to buy.

“OK, so he is supposed to call in eight minutes I guess,” she says, staring at her phone, which blinks 6.52pm.

This is her third attempt to video chat with Brown. The first time, she did not know she needed to schedule the call far ahead of time, and the second time, all the slots were filled for the days she was off work. Now, with her slot scheduled and her earphones in, she’s wondering if it will all work out.

Finally, she sees a call coming through.

Her face lights up and then slowly fades as she realizes Brown can’t hear her. She fiddles with her headphones, waves, tries gesturing to him, but ultimately, he never can hear her voice. The two end up simply giggling at the screen image of each other for the remainder of the time.

Later, I speak with Brown by phone and he explains that he believes he was only the third inmate to try to use the video program at the Jefferson Parish jail, and that the other two also said it didn’t work properly.

“We had to pay money for something that didn’t work,” he complains. “I couldn’t even hear what she was saying, and I couldn’t really see her.”

Brown is particularly upset that the in-person visitations are being halted. “How you gonna stop people’s families from coming to see them? That’s messed up. I thought that was a privilege we got here.”

• New Orleans
• Human rights

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Prison visiting with glass wall/phone. Can say what they like?

In a lot of American films/tv series either set in or having an episode set in prison, they have the visiting set up so that the visitor is on one side of a glass wall whilst the inmate is on the other, and they talk via a phone. Much of the time the conversation talks about stuff that would get the visitor arrested for serious crimes and/or they plan another serious crime. but neither the visitor or the inmate seem worried that there may be someone listening in.

Is that a true representation of how it happens in some prisons? (Glass wall, phone, absolute secrecy.)

From what I’ve seen with the reality prison shows, some of the prisons have that phone and glass set- up but others allow visits in person, either in a visiting room or across a counter.

I’ve seen prison staff on the reality shows going through the phone records trying to get information on one thing or another but it was “real” phone calls, not calls through the prison visiting set up. However, I don’t know why they wouldn’t, when that’s where a lot of illegal activity occurs. It could be that they record all of the calls but don’t necessarily listen to the recordings unless they have reason to (because that would take a lot of time and it seems budget is always a big concern for the prisons). Sorry I don’t know for sure.

How about doing some basic research before answering then. You know, in the spirit of “fighting ignorance”.

Here’s a page explaining the legal base for intercepting prisoner communication, explaining that recording prisoner visitor conversations is legal. Intercepting Prisoner Communications

As for how extensive monitoring is I expect that not all conversations are recorded or monitored, but that the magnitude of monitoring is kept secret so prisoners don’t know the odds of being recorded.

I’ve had relatives in prison, IME the glass wall with phone is usually a local lockup thing, like a county jail. Low level security prisons generally have supervised visits at a table in a common room. Never been to maximum security prison (my relatives aren’t that bad), but I would imagine they would require the glass wall with phone. And talks with lawyers get special conditions since even in prison there conversations are confidential.

I have spent a lot of time on those phones. It’s a lot like the movies. A glass wall, a phone, and a small thin slot to slide papers though. I think non-attorneys don’t get the slot. Also, as an attorney, I assume I have complete privacy, as it would be a problem if anyone was listening in.

Don’t assume. There’s a scandal right now at the Leavenworth Detention Center (a privately-operated prison under contract to DOJ), where it turns out the contractor was routinely recording attorney-client visits and phone calls, at least occasionally turning over the recordings to prosecutors; the federal court here has appointed a special master to investigate, whose findings are Not Good.

Maximum security prisons, at least in Kansas, usually have the “tables in a common room” approach too, except for inmates in lockdown/segregation or with special security considerations (offenders with a child-sex case, for example, will never have contact visits with minors, assuming they have any visitation with minors in the first place).

You **“expect?” **Why don’t YOU do some basic research before answering, then? You know, in the spirit of “fighting ignorance.”

The reason I answered is because part of his question was if the glass/phone system was standard and I know that it’s used sometimes but not always. So please learn to read correctly, in the spirit of fighting ignorance.

Also, in the spirit of fighting ignorance, please learn to use basic punctuation correctly.

Also, FYI, with a little more lead time we could request a small conference room to meet with clients face to face.

Not without risks :

Also, naita, where in your link DOES it answer the question of whether or not those internal “phones” ARE actually recorded, rather than discussing what is private IF AND WHEN they are recorded? Please do some basic research before answering. In the name of fighting ignorance.

Yikes. It really is shocking when someone puts in all those years of education and has so much to lose and does something so crazy.

It does surprise me that they allow in person visits with the regular visitors (non-attorney) when it seems so much contraband is smuggled in that way.

Moderator Note

Let’s not be snippy. Stick to the facts in GQ. If you think something has been posted that is factually incorrect, just post what you believe to be the correct facts and save the snippy comments for a more appropriate forum.

IME in dealing with a nephew who went throught the county system and into a medium security facility, the county facility (a recently built one) didn’t have the phone hookup, but instead, had a video visitation system. The prison that he spent four years had the phone system, the oppositre sides of the table visits for his parents, wife and children and even individual secured rooms for conjugal visits.

I’ve visited an inmate in a women’s prison, about 10 years ago, in Louisiana. I don’t remember the details of going through security, but visitors were lead to what looked like a small gymnasium, with several tables and chairs. We took a seat, and after a little while the inmates filed in and could sit with us. There was a photographer and we could pay to take pictures. We could talk for an hour or so, IIRC. There were guards present but it was very laid back, from my memory. I think we were allowed to touch, but nothing too intimate.

I’d guess at least as much contraband comes in through guards and other prison staff and contractors.

You’re probably right. On the other hand, those people can’t really be eliminated but in-person visitors can.

naita , let’s keep unnecessary snark out of GQ.

Fruitbat2 , if someone is snarky to you, it’s better to report the post than to return it in kind.

No warnings issued, but dial it back.

Colibri General Questions Moderator

You quoted prison reality shows, I quoted a page using actual trial transcripts. There’s a difference. As to you question, it is answered here, among other places:

What would that accomplish, though?

On the one hand, maintaining strong family/community ties is thought to reduce recidivism, which is a good thing.

On the other hand, if you block one channel of contraband, that just gives incentive to develop other channels (and inmates have plenty of time on their hands to think of ways to do so). In other words, if you eliminate in-person visits from family and friends, the contraband currently brought in by those folks will instead arrive by staff, by drone , by work release / work call, or any of the various other new or tried and true methods.

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

Martin Kaste

A boy uses a video screen to talk with his mother, who was held at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn. David Goldman/AP hide caption

A boy uses a video screen to talk with his mother, who was held at the Campbell County Jail in Jacksboro, Tenn.

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 McFadyen says it's easier for everyone involved.

"The inmates themselves don't have to leave the cell block. So it takes less personnel to have to bring them to another area where there was the face-to-face visitation," he says. And because family members no longer come to the jail, they don't have to be screened for contraband.

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.

"In Michigan, for example, we recently obtained some data about the availability of in-person visits, and found that the vast majority have eliminated them," Bertram says.

There are no national statistics tracking the visiting rules for the thousands of locally run jails, but she says the trend seems clear.

"Not only are jails cutting back on in-person visits, they are building new facilities to exclude that possibility entirely," Bertram says.

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. She's a psychologist with the nonprofit Chicago Beyond who once ran the massive Cook County jail. When she was a little girl, her father was incarcerated.

"I recall back in the '80s visting my father and being able to bring food," Tapia says. "Just being able to have more normalized experiences with my dad helped us to maintain our bond."

That was a minimum-security prison; such personal contact is far less likely in jails, especially when they're short-staffed and security is a concern. But Tapia says it doesn't have to be that way. She has encouraged jails to set up visitation systems that welcome families — such as one she helped create at Cook County jail.

"They no longer see their incarcerated loved one in handcuffs," says Tapia. "They walk into a visitation space that is more colorful. It has bright lighting. It has games and activities so that the incarcerated parents, the care-takers who have brought the children and the children can engage in family play."

Every inmate at Cook County jail is entitled to one "contact visitation" per week. Tapia says this might involve extra effort, but that's made up for by the positive outcomes for everyone — including the corrections officers, who tend to volunteer for this more upbeat duty.

While child-oriented visiting programs have existed at prisons — especially women's prisons — Tapia says it's time for jails to welcome families, too, because their populations aren't as transient as they used to be.

"Jails were traditionally thought of as facilities that housed people for brief amounts of time," she says. "That is in fact not the case. Jails are holding people for sometimes years while they are awaiting trial."

According to federal estimates, the average stay in jail has risen slightly, to about 32 days per year in 2022 from about 24 days in 2015.

Julie Poehlmann at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studies families of incarcerated people. She says research has shown the value of in-person visits, both to the incarcerated person and family members . But she says a lot depends on the quality of the visit. In jails, she says, "in-person visit" often means the family is still separated by a glass partition or in-house video.

"Usually there's a row of video monitors, their special [incarcerated] person is on the screen, but only one [family member] can hear at a time because there's only one handheld [audio] device," Poehlmann says. "So in the observational work that my team has done, we found that children spend more than half the time watching other people's visits because it's hard to connect that way."

That's why she's not completely opposed to video visits. "They're not a bad supplement," Poehlmann says, "especially if they're done remotely, so a kid and a family can stay home or be in a comfortable place." This time of year, for instance, she says remote video might allow a child to show an incarcerated parent the Christmas tree.

"If [video] is offered for free, I think that that can help," she says. "But I don't think it should ever be a replacement" for in-person visits.

At least one state, Massachusetts, agrees: In 2018, it passed a law saying video visits are OK, as long inmates are still guaranteed the in-person option.

But nationally, the trend is the other way. In Craven County, Maj. McFadyen sees the shift to video as a reflection of what's going on outside the jail.

"Our whole society and socialization has changed now, where incredibly, many people do communicate when they're not incarcerated [by] Facetiming with their smartphones or their computers," he says.

And in a jail, McFadyen says video is just better — especially for kids. He thinks visiting a jail in person is just too traumatic for them.

"You certainly don't want a young child to be hugging a family member and their time expires and you have to pull them out of their arms," he says. "In a bad situation, [remote video] is as good of an option as we can have at this time."

He says with video, kids can spend even more time connecting with a jailed parent, and in the same way they're increasingly connecting with the rest of their world — through a screen.

• jail visits
• incarceration

Parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley both sentenced to 10-15 years for involuntary manslaughter

PONTIAC, Mich. — The first parents to ever be charged , then convicted, in their child’s mass shooting at a U.S. school were both sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison after they faced the victims' families at a sentencing hearing in a Michigan courtroom.

James Crumbley, 47, and his wife, Jennifer, 46, were sentenced one after another by Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews as they appeared together for the first time since they attended joint hearings before their landmark trials were separated last fall. Their son, Ethan, now 17, pleaded guilty as an adult to the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit and was sentenced to life in prison.

Matthews' sentencing decision was in line with what Oakland County prosecutors had asked for after both parents were found guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of the students their son killed.

Matthews told the Crumbleys that the jury convictions were "not about poor parenting" but about how they repeatedly ignored warning signs that a "reasonable person" would have seen.

"These convictions confirm repeated acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train," she said.

The couple will get credit for time served in an Oakland County jail since their arrests in the wake of the shooting on Nov. 30, 2021. The pair sat apart at the defense table with their lawyers beside them as the families of the four students who were killed asked before sentencing for the maximum terms to be imposed.

"When you texted, 'Ethan don't do it,'  I was texting, 'Madisyn I love you, please call mom,'" Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of shooting victim Madisyn Baldwin, 17, told the Crumbleys. "When you found out about the lives your son took that day, I was still waiting for my daughter in the parking lot.

"The lack of compassion you've shown is outright disgusting," she added through tears.

Jill Soave, the mother of another slain student, Justin Shilling, 17, said the parents' inaction on the day of the shooting "failed their son and failed us all."

Justin's father, Craig Shilling, said he was troubled by Jennifer Crumbley's testimony during her trial in which she said she would not have done anything differently, even today.

"The blood of our children is on your hands, too," Craig Shilling said.

James Crumbley wore an orange jumpsuit and headphones to help with his hearing, and Jennifer Crumbley wore a gray-and-white jumpsuit. He did not look at his wife, while she glanced in his direction.

In Michigan, prosecutors said, felonies that rise out of the same event must run concurrently, so the most Matthews could have imposed is 15 years in total. And while prosecutors wanted the parents to receive sentences that exceeded the advisory guideline range, Matthews had the ultimate discretion, weighing factors such as past criminal behavior and the circumstances of their crimes.

Before she was sentenced, Jennifer Crumbley told the court that she felt "deep remorse, regret and grief" about the shooting, but she also deflected some of the blame onto school officials and took offense to the prosecution's strategy portraying her as a neglectful mother .

"We were good parents," Crumbley said. "We were the average family. We weren't perfect, but we loved our son and each other tremendously."

James Crumbley also addressed the court, explaining to the judge that he did not know beforehand about his son's planned attack on his school and telling the victims' families directly that he would have acted differently on the day of the shooting.

"Please note that I am truly sorry for your loss as a result of what my son did," he said. "I cannot express how much I wish I had known what was going on with him or what was going to happen."

Matthews said during Tuesday's sentencing that the family would not be housed together and that the state Corrections Department has indicated James and Ethan Crumbley specifically will not be in the same facility given their relationship. Ethan is being held in a state prison 17 miles from Oxford High School. Jennifer Crumbley would be sent to the state's only women's prison.

James and Jennifer Crumbley have not been able to communicate as part of a no contact order since their arrests.

In both parents' cases, prosecutors wrote that their "gross negligence changed an entire community forever."

They both could have prevented the shooting with "tragically simple actions," prosecutors wrote, adding that they "failed to take any action when presented with the gravest of dangers."

Legal experts had suggested James Crumbley could have faced a harsher sentence than his wife after prosecutors said he made threats in jail.

During his trial, Matthews restricted his communication to only his lawyer and clergy.

The sentencing memo for James Crumbley referred to allegations that he made threats against the prosecutor and said that "his jail calls show a total lack of remorse" and that "he blames everyone but himself."

The memo details the expletive-ridden threats he is alleged to have directly addressed to the prosecutor on multiple recorded jail calls. In one call before the trial, he said, "Karen McDonald, you're going down," according to prosecutors. In other calls, he threatened retribution, they said.

James Crumbley’s lawyer, Mariell Lehman, wrote in court documents that the calls did not include threats to physically harm the prosecutor but that he expressed his desire to ensure that McDonald is not able to continue practicing law as a result of her actions in the case.

"It is clear Mr. Crumbley is venting to loved ones about his frustrations related to the lack of investigation done by the prosecution prior to authorizing charges," Lehman wrote, saying her client is understandably angry at his situation.

The prosecution's memo also says James Crumbley asserted his innocence in a pre-sentence report, indicating a lack of remorse.

"I feel horrible for what happened and would do anything to be able to go back in time and change it! But I can't. And I had nothing to do with what happened," he wrote, according to the prosecution memo. "I don't know why my son did what he did. HE is the only one who knows."

Lehman has not said whether she plans to appeal James Crumbley's verdict, while a lawyer for Jennifer Crumbley, Shannon Smith, has written that she will.

Two separate trials

James Crumbley did not take the stand during his trial. His wife testified that she placed the responsibility of securing the 9 mm semiautomatic handgun used in the shooting on her husband.

Asked whether she would have done anything differently, Jennifer Crumbley told jurors, "I don't think I'm a failure as a parent."

Prosecutors argued that she knew of her son's deteriorating mental health and social isolation and that he had access to a gun but that she cared more about her hobbies and carrying on an extramarital affair than about being present at home.

Her defense lawyer attempted to portray her as a caring mother, albeit one who did not know her son was capable of such violence — suggesting instead that his school failed to fully inform her of his troubles and that her husband was responsible for the weapon.

Smith continued to defend her client in her sentencing memo.

"Criticizing Mrs. Crumbley for being 'rarely home' is a sexist and misogynistic attack on a mother," Smith wrote.

In a pre-sentence report, Jennifer Crumbley said she has the hindsight now to know she would have handled things differently.

"With the information I have now, of course my answer would be hugely different," she said. "There are so many things that I would change if I could go back in time."

Both her and her husband's trials centered on the day of the shooting.

A day after Thanksgiving, prosecutors said, James Crumbley bought their son the handgun, while Jennifer Crumbley took him to a gun range that weekend.

On Tuesday, a teacher said she had found a note on Ethan's desk with a drawing of a gun and a person who had been shot, along with messages including: "The thoughts won't stop. Help me."

That discovery prompted the school to summon the parents for a meeting, but school officials testified that they declined to bring him home because they had to go back to work.

The officials also said that if the parents had informed them that their son had access to a gun, they would have been more authoritative to ensure immediate safety.

Ethan would go on to commit the school shooting later that afternoon, killing Baldwin; Shilling; Tate Myre, 16; and Hana St. Juliana, 14.

Victims' families want accountability

In the aftermath of the trials, the victims' families have demanded further accountability. They are seeking changes to governmental immunity laws that protect schools from being sued and want to see a requirement for independent reviews after any mass shooting.

Oakland County prosecutors have said they do not plan to charge anyone else in connection with the massacre.

Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre, said during Tuesday's sentencing that families still want a government-led investigation.

"It's time to drive real change from this tragedy," he told the judge.

Later, James Crumbley stood and addressed Buck Myre directly when he was given the chance to speak.

"It is time that we all know the truth," he said. "I, too, want the truth, because you have not had it."

Selina Guevara and Maggie Vespa reported from Pontiac and Erik Ortiz from New York.

Selina Guevara is an NBC News associate producer, based in Chicago.

NBC News Correspondent

Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

Mexican Drug Lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Claims He Can't Get Calls or Visits in a US Prison

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán now claims he can’t get phone calls or visits in the maximum security U.S. prison where the once most powerful Mexican drug lord is serving a life sentence

Mexican Drug Lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Claims He Can't Get Calls or Visits in a US Prison

FILE - Authorities escort Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman from a plane to a waiting caravan of SUVs at Long Island MacArthur Airport, in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2017. Guzmán wrote a letter to District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in the Eastern District of New York in late March 2024, claiming he cannot get phone calls or visits in the maximum security U.S. prison where he is serving a life sentence. (U.S. law enforcement via AP, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s once most powerful drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is claiming he cannot get phone calls or visits in the maximum security U.S. prison where he is serving a life sentence .

Guzmán, who in the past was able to break out of Mexican prisons seemingly at will, wrote a letter to District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan in the Eastern District of New York in late March, complaining that he hadn’t been able to speak with his twin daughters.

He was convicted for running an industrial-scale drug smuggling operation and is serving his sentence at a maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado.

In May 2023, "the facility stopped giving me calls with my daughters. And I haven’t had calls with them for seven months,” Guzmán wrote. “I have asked when they are going to give me a call with my daughters and the staff here told me that the FBI agent who monitors the calls does not answer. That’s all they’ve told me.”

“It is unprecedented discrimination against me,” Guzmán complained. “They have decided to punish me by not letting me talk to my daughters.”

Guzmán also asked the judge to authorize a visit by his wife, Emma Coronel, but did not say when he was last allowed to see her. Coronel also pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2021 but was later released.

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“I ask that you please authorize her to visit me and to bring my daughters to visit me, since my daughters can only visit me when they are on school break, since they are studying in Mexico,” Guzmán wrote.

Cogan responded last week, saying that once Guzmán was convicted, all arrangements are in the hands of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and that he had no power to intervene.

In his reply, Cogan also said that after his conviction, “the Bureau of Prisons became solely responsible” for the conditions of Guzmán's confinement and that the judge cannot change them.

“Accordingly, his request must be denied,” the judge said.

The letters were filed by the court to the case file, which is accessible to the public.

In December, Guzmán's 95-year-old mother died in Mexico's northern state of Sinaloa. She apparently had not seen her son since he was sent to the prison in Colorado.

Lawyers for Guzmán's family did not respond to messages requesting comment..

Guzmán led the Sinaloa cartel in bloody drug turf battles that claimed the lives of thousands of Mexicans. He escaped twice from Mexican prisons , once through a mile-long tunnel dug running from his cell.

After he was extradited to New York, his three-month trial included tales of grisly killings, political payoffs, cocaine hidden in jalapeno cans and jewel-encrusted guns.

There is also a chance he may one day see his son in prison. In 2023, Mexico extradited one of his many sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, to the United States to face drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges.

The younger Guzmán is believed to have led the Sinaloa cartel’s push to produce and export fentanyl to the United States, where it has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths annually.

Copyright 2024 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The Most Beautiful Stations on the Moscow Metro

You might have heard that there are some beautiful metro stations in Moscow. Soviet decorations, chandeliers, mosaic painting and statues are common in many of the stations. The good news is that the Moscow Metro does not cost a lot of money and many of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro are on the same line, so you can almost get on and off at each station to visit these. Over the New Year holidays, I had a free afternoon and decided to visit some of these stations. Check out what I found below…..

The main stations that you will want to visit are on the Number 5 line, also known as the Circle Line. An advantage of this line is that you can get to it very easily and quickly no matter where you are in Moscow. The announcements on the metro are in Russian as well as English so you don’t need to worry if your Russian language skills are not good.

If, like me, you arrive in Moscow via train from Kyiv , then you will arrive at a metro station which many Muscovites believe to be the most beautiful of them all…..

Kievskaya metro station was opened in 1954 and features white marble walls which curve upwards and have with large mosaics surrounded by a gold trim in a very classical style. The mosaics depict life in Ukraine and was designed by a Ukrainian who wanted to display Ukraine’s influence and contribution to Soviet Russia.

Kievskaya, one of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro

Soviet era artwork between the arches

Mosaic with golden trim

People carrying flags is a common theme

Going into battle

Belorusskaya

If you look at a map of the metro , you will want to go in a clockwise direction on the circle line. So you will want to get on the train going in the Barrikadnaya direction and not Park Kultury. Stay on this line until you reach the 2nd station, Belorusskaya. This station was built in 1952 and like Kievskaya also features white marble pylons and a plaster ceiling.

The ceiling features 12 mosaics in an octagonal shape depicting Belarusian life, while the tiling on the floor is said to resemble a Belarusian quilt. One of the passageway exits of the station has a statue called ‘Belarusian Partisans’ of three men wearing long coats, holding guns and carrying a flag.”

Belorusskaya metro platform

Soviet artwork on the roof

The hammer and sickle features prominently in the metro artwork

Three men carrying guns, holding the flag…

Mayakovskaya

To get to the next station, we need to change onto the green line (line 2) and go just one stop to the station of Mayakovskaya. This station has an art deco theme and, for some, resembles an elaborate ballroom. The columns are faced with stainless steel and pink rhodonite while the marble walls and ceiling have 34 mosaics with the theme “24-hour Soviet Sky. Apparently, Stalin resided here during the 2nd World War as the station was used as a command post for Moscow’s anti-aircraft regiment.

Mayakovskaya metro

24-Hour Soviet Sky mosaic

Bomber planes

It looks like planes flying over Red Square

Novoslobodskaya

It’s time to get back on the metro and return to Belorusskaya. At Belorusskaya, change to the circle line again and continue clockwise to the next station, Novoslobodskaya. With its 32 stained glass panels, this station reminds me of a church. The panels were designed by Latvian artists and are surrounded by a brass border.

Novoslobodskaya metro

The platform of Novoslobodskaya metro

Stained glass artwork

The golden trim around artwork is also very common

Prospekt Mira

Back on the metro and again just one stop until our next station, Prospekt Mira. This station was originally called Botanichesky Sad after the nearby Botanical Gardens of the Moscow State University. The pylons are covered in white marble and decorated with floral bas-relief friezes. The ceiling is decorated with casts and several cylindrical chandeliers.

Prospekt Mira metro station

Notice the floral decoration

Komsomolskaya

On the metro once more and once more we are going just one stop to the next station – Komsomolskaya. This station is famous for its its yellow ceiling. The chandeliers in this station are huge. The photos below do not do this station justice.  For me, this station resembles a presidential palace.  You hace to see it for yourself to truly appreciate it.

Because of it’s location, this is one of the busiest stations in the Moscow metro as it serves three of the main train stations in the city – Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky so be prepared for a lot of people.

Komsomolskaya metro

The yellow ceiling seems to go on forever

Yellow ceiling and artwork

One of the ceiling mosaics

Elektrozavodskaya

When you are ready to leave Komsomolskaya metro station behind, then get back on the circle line and go one stop to Kurskaya and change to the blue line (line 3) and go to two stops to the Elektrozavodskaya station. This station gets it’s name from a nearby electric light bulb factory and has a somewhat industrial but also futuristic style, with 6 rows of circular lamps (there are 318 lamps in total). I think this is one of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro for how unique it is. The station was opened in 1944 after a delay because of the 2nd World War and features 12 marble bas-reliefs of the struggle on the home front during the war.

The Komsomolskaya metro station

The struggles of war at home

Fixing machinery

Hard at work

Making weapons

Building a tank

Even the station sign is elaborate

Ploschad Revolyutsii

Back on the metro line 3 (but in the other direction), getting off at the 3rd stop – Ploschad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). This is located underneath the square in Moscow of the same name and is a short walk from Red Square in the city centre. It is the perfect place to end a visit around Moscow’s metro. The station features red and yellow marble arches with a total of 76 sculptures in between each arch. The sculptures are supposed to represent the people of the Soviet Union and include soldiers, farmers, industrial workers, children etc… I noticed a lot of people touching the golden chicken in the photo below as well as the show of the woman. I am assuming that this is for good luck.

Industrial worker

Touch the chicken for good luck

Sculpture of the people of the Soviet Union

Woman reading a book – touch the shoe for good luck

In education

Parent and child

These are some of what I think are the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro. Which ones are your favourite? Would you add any to this list?

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19 comments.

Kievskaya definitely caught me off guard. Didn’t know Moscow metro stations were THIS extravagant! Mayakovskaya is gorgeous too with the marble walls and mosaics. I might just need to book a flight over to admire all of these!

Do it! Kievskaya was my first introduction to the Moscow metro as I got an overnight train from Kyiv.

You know, in the States, all we ever hear is bad stuff about Russia. It’s nice to see other (and lovely!) dimensions of such a controversial place.

It’s the same in the UK which is why I prefer going to see somewhere and making up my own mind. It’s all ‘politics and bullshit’ as I say

I went to Moscow about 13years for Christmas and went to train stations, so I can see these amazing mosaics and chandeliers. I agree with you that are beautiful Stations for sure and I could of wandered around for days. I think Kievskaya is definitely my favourite out of them all and I even have some similar pictures as you.

I imagine Moscow would have been a little different 13 years ago but these stations have probably always looked beautiful

Food and Footprints

You chose some great stations for this write up! Beautiful details in these stations and would love to visit them sometime. Particularly like the Komsomolskaya station with that yellow ceiling!

Thank you very much. Komsomolskaya seems to be a lot of peoples favourite stations too

Sumit Surai

Wow! Without the text I would have thought them to be some museum or gallery.

I know exactly what you mean!

Rosie Fluskey

Wow, it is just stunning! How does anyone get to work with so much to look at. I’m surprised at the very bourgeois-looking Komsomolskaya station. I would have thought it was all too Tzarist looking, but then I haven’t been to Russia yet lol. This has just made me want to go more!

Wow, that’s a lot of artwork. I wonder how old some of these pieces are?

Generally most of the stations are from 1940-1960 approximately. The later stations are more functional than style.

My mother-in-law was in Moscow fifty years ago and still raves about the metro stations. So far, I could not imagine much. But now! The pictures are great and I think it’s almost a pity that this splendor is underground. But for every user of the Metro can enjoy a free trip to the world of art. Susanne

True. It is like having a free trip to an art museum/gallery. I hope that you can one day visit Moscow and see for yourself.

Oh wow, I would never have known that these were metro stations. The ceilings remind me of how you need to look up sometimes, even in the commuter rush!

It is true about life in general, we just go from A to B looking directly in front of us instead of around us

Wow, I would have never guessed that these were stations. The decor is so pretty and not one I’m used to seeing at metro stations. Love the ceiling at The Komsomolskaya metro station.

They certainly don’t look like metro stations. The ceiling there is one of my favourites too!

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Norilsk: The city built by gulag prisoners where Russia guards its Arctic secrets

Environmental activists are frustrated by how authorities handled a diesel spill which poured into two Arctic rivers in late May.

International correspondent @DiMagnaySky

Friday 3 July 2020 23:41, UK

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The drive from Norilsk airport to the city takes you past mile after mile of crumbling, Soviet-era factories.

It looks like an endless, rusting scrapyard - a jumble of pipes, industrial junk and frost-bitten brickwork. If you were looking for an industrial apocalypse film setting, this would be your place - but you're unlikely to get the permissions.

Norilsk was built in Stalin's times by gulag prisoners. This gritty industrial city is a testament to their endurance both of the cruelty of Stalin's regime and of the harsh polar climate. There were no thoughts then on how to build to protect the environment, just to survive it.

Vasily Ryabinin doesn't think much has changed, at least in ecological terms. He used to work for the local branch of the federal environmental watchdog, Rosprirodnadzor, but quit in June after exposing what he says was a failure to investigate properly the environmental impact of the gigantic diesel spill which poured into two Arctic rivers in late May.

At 21,000 tonnes, it was the largest industrial spill in the polar Arctic .

Despite the Kremlin declaring a federal emergency and sending a host of different agencies to participate in the clean-up, just last week Mr Ryabinin and activists from Greenpeace Russia found another area where technical water used in industrial processes was being pumped directly into the tundra from a nearby tailing pond. Russia's investigative committee has promised to investigate.

"The ecological situation here is so bad," Mr Ryabinin says.

"The latest constructions such as the tailing pond at the Talnack ore-processing plant were built exclusively by Nornickel chief executive Vladimir Potanin's team and supposedly in accordance with ecological standards, but on satellite images you can see that all the lakes in the vicinity have unnatural colours and obviously something has got into them."

Mining company Nornickel would disagree. It has admitted flagrant violations at the tailing pond and suspended staff it deems responsible at both the Talnack plant and at Norilsk Heat and Power plant no 3 where the diesel spill originated from.

On Thursday it appointed Andrey Bougrov, from its senior management board, to the newly-created role of senior vice president for environmental protection. It has a clear environmental strategy, provides regular updates on the status of the spill, and its Twitter feed is filled with climate-related alerts.

But what investors read is very different to the picture on the ground.

Norilsk used to be a closed city - one of dozens across the Soviet Union shut off to protect industrial secrets. Foreigners need special permissions approved by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to enter the region. It would take an invitation from Nornickel to make that happen and, for the past month since the spill, that has not been forthcoming.

Unlike in Soviet times, Russian citizens are now free to come and go. That's why our Sky News Moscow team were able to fly in and travel around the city, even if getting to the spill site was blocked. What they were able to film provides a snapshot of the immense challenge Russia faces in upgrading its Soviet-era industrial infrastructure, particularly at a time when climate change is melting the permafrost on which much of it was built.

Just downwind from one of the rusting factories on the city outskirts is a huge expanse of dead land. The skeletal remains of trees stand forlorn against the howling Arctic winds. Sulphur dioxide poisoning has snuffed the life out of all that lived here. Norilsk is the world's worst emitter of sulphur dioxide by a substantial margin.

"For 80km south of here everything is dead," Mr Ryabinin says, "and for at least 10km in that direction too. Everything here depends on the wind."

Immediately after the spill, Mr Ryabinin filmed and took samples from the Daldykan river just a few kilometres from the fuel tank which had leaked. By that point the river was a churning mix of diesel and red sludge dredged up from the riverbed by the force of the leak. Norilsk's rivers have turned red before and the chemical residues have sunk to the bottom, killing all life there. Nothing has lived in those rivers for decades.

In his capacity as deputy head of the local environmental watchdog, Mr Ryabinin says he insisted that he be allowed to fly further north to check the levels of contamination in Lake Pyasino and beyond.

Nornickel at the time claimed the lake was untouched by the spill. Mr Ryabinin says his boss encouraged him to let things be.

"I can't be sure I would have found anything, but this sort of confrontation - making sure I didn't go there with a camera, let alone with bottles for taking samples, it was all very clear to me. It was the final straw."

Rosprirodnadzor refused to comment to Sky News on Mr Ryabinin's allegations or suggestions that the agency was working hand in hand with Nornickel.

Georgy Kavanosyan is an environmental blogger with a healthy 37,000 following on YouTube. Shortly after the spill, he set out for Lake Pyasino and to the Pyasina River beyond to see how far the diesel had spread.

"We set out at night so that the Norilsk Nickel security wouldn't detect us. I say at night, but they've got polar nights there now, north of the Arctic Circle. So it's still light but it's quieter and we managed to go past all the cordons."

He is one of the few to have provided evidence that the diesel has in fact travelled far beyond where the company admits. Not just the 1,200km (745m) length of Lake Pyasino but into the river beyond.

He says his measurements indicated a volume of hydrocarbons dissolved in the water of between two and three times normal levels. He thinks after he published his findings on YouTube, the authorities' vigilance increased.

Greenpeace Russia have spent the last two weeks trying to obtain samples from Lake Pyasino and the surrounding area. They have faced difficulties getting around and flying their samples out for independent analysis.

They are now waiting for results from a laboratory in St Petersburg but say the samples remain valid technically for just four days after collection and that they weren't able to make that deadline due to the authorities' actively obstructing their work.

Elena Sakirko from Greenpeace Russia specialises in oil spills and says this has happened to her before. This time, a police helicopter flew to the hunter's hut where they were staying and confiscated the fuel for the boat they were using. Then a deputy for the Moscow city parliament tasked with bringing the samples back from Norilsk was forced to go back empty-handed.

"We were told at the airport we needed permission from the security department of Nornickel," Ms Sakirko says. "We asked them to show us some law or statement to prove that this was legal or what the basis for this was, but they haven't showed us anything and we still don't understand it."

Nornickel announced this week that the critical stage of the diesel spill is over. The company is now finalising dates for a press tour for foreign media and for other international environmentalists.

Mr Ryabinin thinks this should have happened weeks ago.

"If we don't let scientists come to the Arctic region to evaluate the impact of the accident, then in the future if anything similar happens, we won't know what to do."

A spokesperson for Nornickel said the company "is actively cooperating with the scientific community and will meticulously assess both the causes and effects of the accident."

Nornickel considers permafrost thawing to be the primary cause of the accident, but is waiting for the end of investigation before making a final statement, the spokesperson said.

They added that the company "accepts full responsibility for the incidents on its sites these past two months and holds itself accountable for any infrastructural deficits or poor decisions by personnel.

"The imperative is to do everything to clean up our sites, instil a stronger culture of transparency and safety in our workforce, and ensure that such situations do not occur in the future."

Mexico cartel kingpin El Chapo writes yet another letter from prison to federal judge

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Billionaire Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has written another letter to the federal judge who put him behind bars.

The I-Team obtained a copy of the letter, which reads like a sob story from a solitary man.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The kingpin and imprisoned ex-boss of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel hand addressed the envelope and affixed a pair of American Purple Heart stamps to ensure delivery from the supermax prison in Colorado to a federal court in New York.

By himself, in solitary confinement as he is required to spend most of every day, El Chapo has a lot of time to write letters including a recent one to Brian Cogan, University of Illinois graduate and senior judge now in the Eastern District of New York.

READ MORE: Emma Coronel, wife of drug lord El Chapo, faces exceptional new monitoring by feds

The ruthless and unforgiving narco-king begins the letter apologetically.

"Sorry to bother you again," he writes to the judge after having penned previous letters asking for the same perks: to see his wife, Emma Coronel, the former beauty queen, now residing in California.

"I ask that you please authorize her to visit me and to bring my daughters to visit me, since my daughters can only visit me when they are on school break, since they are studying in Mexico," he writes.

RELATED: El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzmán López, pleads not guilty to drug, money laundering charges in Chicago

"He certainly thinks he has a shot. That's why he's trying-the attitude is when you're in that kind of circumstances he's in what's the harm in trying so he's trying and trying and trying again and again," said chief ABC7 Legal Analyst Gil Soffer.

The 67-year-old also wants something else while he's locked up: better phone privileges.

"I also bother you to continue giving me the two 15-minute calls a month" that the druglord claims Judge Cogan previously afforded him. As in the past, the judge wasted no time reminding Chapo it's not a call for the court, it's a Bureau of Prisons decision.

"The court may say, as courts sometimes do with litigants who are constantly bringing lawsuits that are frivolous, may say I won't take any more letters. The Bureau of Prisons might also be able to say, you can't send any more letters. So the time will come when he simply can't," said Soffer.

Soffer added that federal prison officials and U.S. law enforcement will keep El Chapo under such extraordinary security measures until there is no longer a possibility that he will try to run the Sinaloa cartel from behind bars.

And there is another concern: escape. He's done it before, tunneling out of a Mexican prison and then escaping by motorcycles.

Nobody has escaped from the supermax.

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