Video technology is giving Minnesota inmates a glimpse of the outside world — and often a window into their former homes — from behind bars.
All 11 state Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities now allow inmates to video chat with loved ones via tablet or computer in a program similar to FaceTime or Skype.
The department signed on with Florida video visitation company JPay Inc. this spring. That company was recently acquired by prison technology giant Securus Technologies.
Video visitation is expected to be up and running on all JPay kiosks in the facilities by the end of October — just in time for inmates to see their children's Halloween costumes or pumpkin-carving prowess.
"It's a convenient option for those who live far away from the facility, in addition to being another way to keep people connected," Jade Trombetta, JPay spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
At the Oak Park Heights prison, video visitation began Thursday. To use it, inmates and their loved ones schedule appointments online for a fee. Once added to the inmate's approved list, visitors pay $9.95 to speak to an inmate for 30 minutes. Inmates themselves cannot make or pay for calls.
The department receives $1 of the $9.95, said Sarah Latuseck, a DOC spokeswoman. "All commissions are held in a separate account that can only be used to fund offender programs and activities," she said in an e-mail.
Inmates and their visitors won't be the only ones looking at the screen. JPay and the department will monitor the video calls, and recordings of the chats will be archived for at least nine months.