Nothing can replace seeing someone in-person. Whether its Skype, FaceTime, or other forms of video chatting, no one would suggest these are even remotely the same as sitting across from a person, looking into their eyes, and having a conversation.

When people are incarcerated in our jails, the same is true, visitation by video is no substitute for maintaining strong vibrant relationships on both sides of the jail walls.

Counties across the state have entered into contracts with companies that force the jail to restrict and often strip families abilities to see their loved ones. People could spend weeks, months, even years, never actually being able to see their son, daughter, father, mother.

Bottom line, Texas is a state built around the premise their is no unit more important than the family. Rep. Eric Johnson's (Dallas) HB 549 would preserve in-person visitation for family members whose loved one is incarcerated in a county jail.

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A few notable quotes from Prison Policy Initiative’s Report on Video Visitation (http://www.prisonpolicy.org/visitation/report.html): 

“Most families — the end-users of video visitation — are deeply unhappy with the combination of video visitation’s poor quality, the cost of visitation, and the fact that jails often force the service on them.”

“It is more difficult for families to ensure or evaluate the wellbeing of their incarcerated loved ones via video than in-person or through-the-glass. Families struggle to clearly see the incarcerated person with video visits and instead face a pixelated or sometimes frozen image of the incarcerated person. The poor quality of the visits only increases family members’ anxiety.”

“With few exceptions, jail video visitation is a step backward for correctional policy because it eliminates in-person visits that are unquestionably important to rehabilitation while simultaneously making money off of families desperate to stay in touch.”