New communication technology unveiled at Sedgwick County Jail

New communication technology unveiled at Sedgwick County Jail

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

The days of the old jail visitation rooms and conversations through a glass window will be no more.

The Sedgwick County Jail will transition the visitation rooms to newer video kiosk.

“More interaction for inmates, keep the ties of communication open between the family and inmate while they go through their time here,” said Maj. Glenn Kurtz, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

Kurtz says visitors can come in three times a week for 20 minutes at a scheduled time and enter their information into one of the 12 kiosks.

The inmates will than answer the call from a pod inside the jail, by using a pin number to access the call.

Kurtz says they are currently 24 deputies short, but the new system will allow one deputy that was assigned to duties, like escorting prisoners to visitation, to be utilized elsewhere.

The vendor for the upgrade, Securus Technologies took on all the costs.

iHLS Israel Homeland Security

“No tax dollars were used in this process at all, the vendor agreed to do the project, install all the equipment, supply all the technology, all the software, it’s a stand alone system,” said Kurtz.

Securus will provide a 20 percent commission to Sedgwick County.

That revenue will be put back in the county’s general fund to help off-set the cost of operating the jail.

To cut down on traffic through the lobby, the Sedgwick County Jail is also offering video visitation from home.

Kurtz says initially, it will cost five dollars for a 40 minute phone call.