MAY 9, 2017 GREENE COUNTY (SPRINGFIELD), MO – Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott announced the Greene County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with inmate communications leader Telmate to launch its new inmate video visit solution. Video visits make it more convenient for friends and family to connect, while helping facilities increase operational efficiencies and eliminate security issues associated with inmate transport. Telmate installs and maintains their advanced visitation solution at no cost to the facility or taxpayer.
“We’ve seen an immediate, positive shift in the facility with video visits,” said Greene County Sheriff, Jim Arnott. “Our inmates are able to self-manage their visits plus have access to a wide range of communication tools and content. And now our staff can use the time they would have spent on scheduling and moving inmates on more critical activities.”
Telmate video visits are video phone calls, like FaceTime or Skype, between inmates and their friends and family. Inmates use a Telmate Tablet mounted on a charging station within their housing area, and friends and family use either their personal computer or smartphone, or the lobby video visitation station at the facility.
Video visits offer many benefits to friends, family and inmates. Studies repeatedly show that inmates with frequent connections to the outside world are more likely to refrain from conduct that would cause them to jeopardize early release. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, inmates who maintain strong relationships with friends and family greatly reduce their risk of recidivism. Also, many friends and family don’t live near facilities, so onsite visits can be expensive, inconvenient and uncomfortable. With Telmate’s remote video visits, friends and family can have more personal contact from the comfort of their own homes.
“We are excited to be partnering with Greene County Sheriff’s Office for the launch of video visitation,” said National Sales Director of Telmate, Ian Dunnington. “The Greene County Justice Center now joins an innovative group of facilities across the country helping inmates connect with positive influences on the outside, while implementing a service that helps the facility run safely and efficiently.”
For more information about Telmate’s Video Visitation solution visit www.telmate.com//inmatevideovisits.
About Greene County Jail:
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office is a full service law enforcement agency that provides: twenty-four hour road patrol, Criminal Investigations Division, Warrants and Records Division, Civil Process Division, Administrative Services Division, and a jail that houses six hundred inmates.
About Telmate:
Telmate is a leading provider of secure corrections and community corrections solutions including phone, tablet, visitation, messaging, education and entertainment content, corrections applications, investigator tools and GPS monitoring. Telmate’s cutting-edge platforms are deployed in over 300 correctional facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Telmate is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an employee presence nationwide. To find out more about Telmate, visit www.telmate.com.
