Families wanting to visit a Tom Green County Jail inmate may be able to see their loved one from their home computer screen.Jail officials are shopping for a video visitation system, one they hope will make it easier for families connect, lower the amount of contraband brought into the jail and save the facility time and manpower."We're excited about it," Jail Lt. Beth Holland-Mull said. "A lot of the bigger jails are doing this now and we're trying to get more technology in our jail."
She said the service would be perfect for handicapped visitors, families with children, or adults with schedules that don't allow them the opportunity to visit during the jail's scheduled times.Tech companies would come out and survey the jail, assessing how many monitors would be needed for the jail's roughly 400 inmates.Tom Green County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy David Jones said his department expects it to start making money for the jail six months after the service is put in place.
The service, which likely will not be available until February, would have to be approved by Tom Green County commissioners."At first we won't make anything," Jones said. "The equipment cost and wiring the jail — our profits will be going into paying for our share of that."It would be an added expense for inmates who use the system.Money raised through the service will go into the commissary fund, which is used solely for the benefit of the inmates — mattresses, toiletries or clothing, Jones said.
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