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Video-only visits here to stay at Denton County Jail

By Morteza SahebkarAugust 18, 2021
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Video-only visits here to stay at Denton County Jail

In-person visits at the Denton County Jail won’t be reinstated unless the county decides to build a new facility, a deputy chief says.

The Denton County Sheriff’s Office nixed in-person visitation in 2015, saying it would improve security and make jail visits more convenient. Since then, the county has contracted with two different companies to provide video and phone visitation.

A law protecting in-person visitation in Texas in 2015 grandfathered in about 30 counties that didn’t have to comply on ensuring incarcerated people get a minimum of two 20-minute in-person visits per week.

“We were grandfathered [in] back when this [change] occurred with the jail commission,” Assistant Chief Deputy Barry Caver said. “I’m told in any event we build a new jail or new sections, we’d have to provide in-person visitation in that particular section. But in 2014, when the newest part was built, which was the tower, and because they knew they were going to the video system, they didn’t build a place in the tower to accommodate [in-person visits].”

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Aug 17, 2021