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By C1 Staff
FLORENCE, Ariz. — For the past six months, 75 percent of the correctional officers at the George Glass Correctional Facility have been working overtime, sometimes for 24 hours straight. This has put an exorbitant amount of strain on the COs and their families.
Fortunately, the facility’s inmate video visitation technology has presented a perfect solution for COs to spend time with their families and be present for major life events while never having to leave the comfort of the facility.
“It’s been really tough working 24 hour shifts several times a week, but with video visitation, I can still see my husband, kids, dog and hamster,” said CO Marsha Gregory. “And let’s be honest – I wasn’t getting all that much out of being at home for dinner with all of them anyway. Video visitation is a more practical solution.”
Originally intended for inmates who are actually incarcerated and situations where in-person visits represent a hardship on their loved ones, COs only recently began using the technology themselves. The system carries a nominal credit card fee for the caller, and it is also deducted directly from CO paychecks.
Warden Sam Alice is enthusiastic about the new program.
“Our video visitation system was never intended for COs to use it to connect with their families, but I’m extremely glad that we’re able to get a greater return on investment by using it for non-traditional purposes,” he said. CO Michael Carol said that he just started working 24 hour shifts last month, and the schedule was wreaking havoc on his overall well-being.
But thanks to the video visitation technology, he was able to remotely attend his brother’s bachelor party.
“At first I felt bad not being able to make it to Vegas, but with today’s video technology, it was almost as good – and I saved a lot of $1 bills by not going in person,” he said. “Also, I am far less likely to jeopardize my marriage again when I’m not actually there.”
The George Glass Correctional Facility plans on keeping 24-hour shifts for the foreseeable future, and is even experimenting with virtual reality that might allow COs to experience the crushing boredom of attending piano recitals and school plays via a virtual interface.