Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Corrections Officials to Open Video Visitation Center for DC Jail Inmates

WHAT/WHO:   Mayor Vincent C. Gray, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander (invited), and Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Thomas Faust will announce implementation of a new video-visitation system that will streamline the visitation process at the DC Jail.

WHEN:          Thursday, July 19, 2012
                      2:30 pm

WHERE:      Video Visitation Center
                   DC General Hospital Complex (adjacent to the DC Jail)
                  1900 Massachusetts Avenue SE

BACKGROUND:   To better manage visitation, improve security and increase accessibility for visitors, the Department of Corrections has implemented a remote video-visitation system, which will allow family members and friends to make live connections to DC jail inmates via video-conferencing technology. Video visitation, which has been successfully implemented in corrections facilities of multiple sizes throughout the country, streamlines the visitation process by eliminating the need for visitors to wait in long lines and undergo extensive security checks prior to being cleared to enter the facility.