Video calling is being rolled across prisons in England and Wales during the pandemic to ensure families can keep in touch with loved-ones in jails.
The virtual visits are a vital part of prisoner rehabilitation and have been shown to have a positive impact on prisoners’ rehabilitation and mental health.
The service is now being used in all public and private prisons and young offender institutions, with 97% of prisoners claiming a video call had a positive impact on their wellbeing.
Video calls are being used to help strengthen family ties and ensure vital contact while some social visits have been suspended as a necessary precaution during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Close bonds between prisoners and family members can significantly reduce reoffending risks and the secure video calls are being used where physical visits are not possible.
Video calls provide other opportunities to prisoners that wouldn’t be available on a social visit like seeing their family home digitally, and since March, over 90,000 calls have been made, aiding prisoner wellbeing and rehabilitation.
Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer said: "Video calls have been a huge success in our response to Covid-19 in the prison estate, with staff and offenders overwhelmingly positive about the impact of the technology.
"Prisoners have seen drastic changes to their daily routines to save lives and to protect local health services. Part of that has been the loss of social visits – something we know plays a huge role in prisoners’ wellbeing and rehabilitation and these calls are allowing them to keep this vital family contact."
Graham Barrett, Governor at HMP Wandsworth, said: Video calls have been an incredibly positive step forward in what has been a very difficult time.
"It has revolutionised the way that people can communicate with loved ones and having such a user- friendly service has ensured that the men in our care can keep in touch with family and friends all over the world."
