The Genesee County Sheriff says the jail will begin in-person contact visits in July

After a decade, the Genesee County Jail is expected to resume in-person contact visits in July, starting with inmates and their children ages 12 and younger, Sheriff Chris Swanson told the Free Press on Friday.

Later, personal contact visits will be extended to older and adult children, he added, so that people in prison will be able to reconnect with their loved ones.

Swanson also told the Free Press that he intends to reduce the cost of phone calls from 21 cents a minute to 12 cents a minute and video visits from $10 to $8.

News of the in-person visits, which began July 6, comes months after two civil lawsuits were filed against two Michigan counties, their respective sheriffs and the companies responsible for telecommunications systems in their jails, which allowed in-person visits years ago.

Genesee County and Swanson itself were sued, as was St. County. Clair and his sheriff, as well as the various companies that operate the telecommunications systems at the jails in each of the two counties.

At the heart of the lawsuits, reported by the Free Press in March, are the plaintiffs accusing the defendants of conspiring to bar in-person contact with family as part of a scheme to make money for counties and companies, which the plaintiffs say violates Michigan law. They claim that St. County Clair allowed in-person visits until 2017, and Genesee County allowed until 2014.

Both lawsuits seek class-action status for all individuals with a parent or child incarcerated in St. County jails. Clair and Genesee anytime from March 15, 2021.

Once served, Swanson said Genesee County officials need to see what they can do.

“No matter what the court did, I didn’t need a judge to order me to do something that I knew in my heart was the right thing to do at the right time. That’s why I took advantage of this opportunity, this window. time, probably much sooner than the plaintiffs’ attorneys thought, but again, it’s the right decision and I think it will bring families back and ultimately reduce crime.”

News of in-person visits to returnees to the Genesee County Jail first broke Wednesday night during an “NBC Nightly News” story in which anchor Lester Holt interviewed Swanson for a report on the lawsuits.

“The plaintiff families claimed that prison prevented them from seeing each other because it was profitable. And now, after this interview, they have confirmation that they were right,” Cody Cutting, an attorney with the Civil Rights Corps in Washington, D.C., one of the groups representing the families in the lawsuits, told the Free Press on Thursday.

“And while it’s nice to hear the sheriff admit he’s wrong and that the jail shouldn’t separate families, we’ll be watching closely to see what he does next,” Cutting said.

Cutie said the Civil Rights Corps was aware the network was working on the piece in question during an interview with the group’s founder, and the network was aware of the lawsuits and the issue. But, he said, the group and the plaintiff families – who saw Swanson’s interview – “had no idea that Sheriff Swanson would say any of what he said on national television.”

Swanson’s comments could be included on Tuesday, the next scheduled hearing date in the Genesee County case. Last Thursday, plaintiffs’ lawyers filed a supplemental notice of fact in support of their motion for a preliminary injunction and referenced Swanson’s television interview.

Circuit court judges in Genesee and St. Counties. Clair has already heard the plaintiffs’ arguments for preliminary injunctions and the majority of the defendants’ motions to dismiss the lawsuits. No ruling was issued in any of the counties.

Swanson told the Free Press on Friday that the policy changes, which take effect July 6, “could have been done through a phone call and a visit. Personally, I didn’t have to be sued to get my attention. “But you have to take into account that this is a big deal and needs to be paid attention to.”

Swanson said the jail does conduct in-person visits through various programs, but years ago, “in-person visits ended and video visits became the new norm and we are reversing course.”

He called it a political issue and said: “I agree that family connections and family reunification are essential. That’s why we did it. But we haven’t done it to that level. I actually support the lawsuit because it made me focus on moving even faster. And I will tell you that the case is still pending in court, but we are doing it anyway, because I know and see that times have changed and things have changed. There is tremendous value in bringing these families together.”

Swanson said the sheriff’s office does not have staff to conduct in-person visits, but logistics need to be worked out. He said 90% of staff had never experienced in-person prison visits. He added that there were 581 people in prison on Friday.

Swanson said the sheriff’s office is working with Motherly Intercession, a Genesee County nonprofit that helps children of parents who are currently or formerly incarcerated with in-person visits.

He said there will be two one-hour sessions on the first Saturday of the month and families “will be able to hug their parents and their children.” Swanson said they will implement 20-minute in-person contact visits for older children and adults within 60 days.

According to an initial document provided by Swanson, Operation Restoration will begin on July 6 and continue on the first Saturday of each month with two sessions from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon for children ages 12 and younger.

It states that inmates who have been in prison for 30 days or more and have cared for children aged 0–12 will be eligible to enroll. It also states that the enrollment must occur at least two weeks prior to the next scheduled visitation day to allow for the required review and verification of parental rights and guardian consent by Maternal Intercession.

The preliminary document shows that visitors will be asked to arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled session, with security screening protocols in place. Visits will last one hour and will be with the inmate and child(ren) only under the supervision of Maternal Intercession staff. He adds that guardians will remain in the prison lobby during the visit.

Another preliminary document provided by Swanson states that beginning September 14 and continuing the second and fourth Saturday of each month, in-person adult outreach sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The document states that inmates who have been in jail for 30 days or more will be eligible to enroll, and inmates in good standing will be entitled to one in-person visit per month from one approved family member. Another preliminary document provided by Swanson states that good standing does not mean having restricted housing status or court-imposed restrictions.

To do so, it states, inmates must complete a guest list form listing immediate family members and no more than five other potential guests. Individuals placed on the appointment list must complete an appointment application to obtain approval for a visit.

Provides that registration must occur at least two weeks prior to the next scheduled visit day to allow adult guests to review and approve. Appointments will be scheduled through the sheriff’s office, and visitors will be notified the Friday before their visit of their scheduled session and expected arrival time, according to the document.

It stipulates that visitors will arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled session, be on the approved guest list, present valid identification and pass a security screening during their 20-minute visit.

“If we can scale it up, we will do it,” Swanson said of in-person visits, adding, “but we have to start somewhere.”

Another preliminary document provided by Swanson states that visitors who are on parole or probation, employed at a correctional facility, subject to a court no-contact order, or have been incarcerated within the past year will not be eligible for in-person contact visits. The sheriff or his designee may refuse admission to any approved visitor for the safety and security of the facility, public protection or other reasonable grounds, if necessary, it states.

Swanson said video visits will continue because they are a good supplement for people who cannot return home, are out of state or have transportation issues to visit their loved ones in prison.

“I want to make sure that inside there will be no barriers in conversations with people from the outside, because outside, you know, they pay the price for the decisions they make and spend time with them,” he said. .

Swanson said he made an executive decision “to reinvest the profits” the county made by using the telecommunications system to reduce costs for families by lowering the cost of phone calls and video visits. He said at first the goal was revenue, “but again, I see the value in changing this policy.”

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Swanson said telephone revenue is $15,000 a month, or $180,000 a year, and is a flat income. He said a video visit costs about $400,000, including a technology grant.

“And I put all those profits back into reducing costs for families,” he said, adding that he would write a letter to the county Board of Commissioners informing them that officials must take action to reinvest the revenues.

Swanson was a sheriff’s deputy a decade ago when he said the county needed to cut money from the budget of the state’s fifth-largest county. He said that “then it was a revenue opportunity to offset the loss of profits and the loss of state revenue sharing. And it was a business decision.”

Swanson said he was involved in the decision at the time but was not the decision-maker. Now, he said, he’s sheriff, “and we’re in a different position.”

Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly on Twitter: @challreporter.

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This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Genesee County Sheriff: Jail to begin in-person contact visits in July