I would like to petition GTL Connect Network and CDCR to make it easier/possible for families of incarcerated people to make appointments to visit their loved ones.

For many years we have used VPASS to make appointments for visiting and CDCR is aware of the problem of there not being enough appointments to go around. Because of this all appointments are gone within the first minute of them being released all of us family members scrambling and stressing hoping to be able to see our loved one. 

Now we are using GTL’s new appointment system. I’m not sure who made this decision  but they clearly have no regard for the families making these appointments or what we go through to be able to make them.

For months now every Friday at 6 AM and every Saturday at 6 AM GTL‘s system is completely crashing while thousands yes THOUSANDS of us families are staying up waiting and hoping we get an appointment. Their server cannot handle thousands of people trying to visit all getting on at the same time scrambling to get an appointment. The website goes completely down while we’re all trying and hoping to get an appointment. We’re doing this and still not even getting an appointment as the website doesn’t come back up for everyone at the same time while other people are grabbing the appointments. This is absolutely ridiculous. There is NO REASON for us to be going through this every Friday and Friday Saturday morning just to see our family!

The situation that has been created at every prison at the same time is just cruel. Hundreds of people every week do not get appointments to see their loved one. There are people who haven’t seen their loved one in months and try every weekend and are just unable to get an appointment there is nothing that they can do and they are heartbroken. There is not enough appointments at only 12 tables per appointment time and most prisons only providing two appointment times Saturdays and Sundays while few provide 3 appointment times (8:15, 10:30, 12:45). All prisons should be providing 3 appt times! Witn only 24 appt times per day for thousands of incarcerated people this just doesn’t work and is completely wrong. If most prisons are going to continue to only provide 2 appointment slots per day I asked that at least the appointment times go to three hours. We are supposed to be provided six hours of visiting time Saturday and Sunday each and there is no difference or risk to safety and health if the people that are already there with their negative covid test and vaccinations get to visit their loved one for 3 hours instead of two.

I would like to ask for GTL an CDCR to change the time that appointments are released to a decent hour for us families to login and deal with this and try to get an appointment. Perhaps 8 pm and similar hours as vpass did.

I would also like to ask that appointments be released for different prisons on a staggering schedule as VPASS used to do so the system isn’t so overloaded. Or at least get a better server that can handle what the whole site was even created to do. But most importantly we need and our loved ones deserve more appointment slots (much more!) so we can actuallysee them!! Thank you!