As someone involved in advocacy work through the Back2Life Project nonprofit, I see firsthand how important family connection is for successful reentry.

My husband has been incarcerated for many years, and video visits have allowed him to stay connected with our home and family. Losing the ability to share those moments together takes away one of the few meaningful connections we still have. My husband has stopped paying for video visits since the new policy prevents him from seeing our whole family at once. If he cannot see all of us together, the visit no longer feels like a real family moment.

For many families with incarcerated loved ones, video visits are more than just a conversation—they are a lifeline. Families across the United States rely on video visits to stay connected with incarcerated loved ones.

Through these calls, families maintain emotional bonds, parents see their children, and spouses remain connected despite the barriers of incarceration. For some families, video visits are the only way to maintain contact due to distance, cost, or health limitations.

Recently, ViaPath Technologies (formerly Global Tel Link, widely known as GTL), a major provider of inmate communication services, changed its video visitation system to allow only one person on camera at a time.

Parents can no longer see their children together. Spouses cannot appear alongside family members. Simple moments—like showing a loved one their home, pets, or family life—are now restricted.

Research from the Prison Policy Initiative shows that maintaining family connections during incarceration significantly reduces recidivism and improves reentry outcomes. Strong family ties benefit not only incarcerated individuals but also the communities they will eventually return to.

Families already pay substantial fees for phone calls, video visits, and commissary services. Restricting the ability for families to share a screen further reduces the value of services that are already costly.

This policy does not strengthen security or rehabilitation—it simply weakens family connections.

We are calling on ViaPath Technologies to:

Restore the ability for multiple family members to appear on video visits
Support healthy family connections for incarcerated individuals
Respect the role that family contact plays in successful reentry

Families deserve the ability to share meaningful moments together—even across prison walls.

Sign this petition to ask GTL to restore full family video visitation.

This petition is supported by Back2Life Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting incarcerated individuals and their families while advocating for policies that strengthen rehabilitation and successful reentry.

Sincerely,

Supporters of family connection during incarceration
Back2Life Project