Video Visiting in Corrections-National Institute of Corrections

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This is radio show 245.

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See the transcript at http://media.csosa.gov/podcast/transcripts/2016/04/video-visitation-in-corrections/

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Research confirms that incarcerated individuals, corrections, families, and communities all benefit when incarcerated individuals can communicate with and receive visits from family and supportive community members. Video visiting is an additional form of communication that can build and strengthen social support systems of the incarcerated. This relatively new form of communication builds upon the success of video conferencing used for court appearances, and attorney-client communication. It’s also being used to bring professionals together with those incarcerated to address pressing legal and medical issues. Video visiting and conferencing may also offer added benefits in planning for reentry, supplementing healthcare delivery, and facilitating cross-systems collaborations.

Those interviewed include Maureen Buell, Correctional Program Specialist for the National Institute of Corrections and Allison Hollihan, a licensed mental health counselor and Program Manager for the New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated parents at the Osborne Association. The Osborne Association wrote, “Video Visiting in Corrections: Benefits, Limitations, and Implementation Considerations,” for the National Institute of Corrections.

The purpose of this guide is to inform the development of video visiting programs within a correctional setting. “Video visiting” is real-time interactive video communication which uses video conferencing technology or virtual software programs, such as Skype. It is an increasingly popular form of communication between separated family members in settings outside of corrections. The rapid expansion of video visiting in jails and prisons over the past few years suggests that video visiting may become very common in corrections in the near future.

“Video Visiting in Corrections: Benefits, Limitations, and Implementation Considerations,” is available from the National Institute of Corrections at http://nicic.gov/library/029609.

The website for the National Institute of Corrections is http://nicic.gov .

The website for the Osborne Association is http://www.osborneny.org.

The program was produced by Donna Ledbetter, Director’s Office, National Institute of Corrections.

Special Announcements:

A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

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The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

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