Bill

Bill > S1808


NJ S1808

Imposes requirements on video visitation service contracts for inmates in certain correctional facilities; requires correctional facilities to allow contact visits.


summary

Introduced
02/08/2018
In Committee
02/08/2018
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/08/2020

Introduced Session

2018-2019 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill imposes requirements on video visitation service contracts for inmates in State, county, and private correctional facilities and requires correctional facilities to allow inmates to have contact visits. Under the provisions of this bill, the State Treasurer or other appropriate person on behalf of the county or private correctional facility is to contract with a vendor who charges a per minute rate for video visitation, including video visitation that is accessed by visitors from a location other than a correctional facility, which is not to exceed 11 cents per minute and who is the lowest responsible bidder. A vendor is not to bill any service charge or additional fee exceeding the per minute rate. The bill also provides that a State, county, or private correctional facility is not permitted to receive a commission or impose a surcharge for video visitation usage by inmates in addition to the charges imposed by the service provider. Further, under the bill, the contract is to include a term that requires monetary penalties to be imposed on a vendor who does not maintain consistent and reliable quality of the video visitation service. In addition, a video visitation service provider is required to refund, in a timely manner, any charges imposed: (1) for a scheduled video visitation that does not occur for any reason other than the fault of the visitor; or (2) any video visitation in which communication between the inmate and the visitor is substantially impaired due to low quality audio or video. The bill prohibits a State, county, or private correctional facility from imposing a charge for video visitation between an inmate and the inmate's attorney, a representative of the attorney, or a member of the clergy. In addition, correctional facilities are required to allow inmates to have contact visits with approved visitors and may only impose reasonable conditions necessary for safety and security within the correctional facility. Finally, correctional facilities are required to implement reasonable visiting hours for both contact visits and video visitation.

AI Summary

This bill imposes requirements on video visitation service contracts for inmates in State, county, and private correctional facilities, and requires these facilities to allow inmates to have contact visits. The key provisions include: 1. Requiring the State Treasurer or appropriate person to contract with a vendor who charges a per-minute rate for video visitation not exceeding 11 cents per minute and is the lowest responsible bidder, without any additional service charges or fees. 2. Prohibiting correctional facilities from receiving commissions or imposing surcharges for video visitation usage by inmates. 3. Requiring contracts to include monetary penalties for vendors who fail to maintain consistent and reliable video visitation service quality. 4. Mandating video visitation service providers to refund charges for scheduled visits that do not occur or when communication is substantially impaired. 5. Prohibiting correctional facilities from charging for video visitation between an inmate and their attorney, attorney representative, or clergy member. 6. Requiring correctional facilities to allow inmates to have contact visits with approved visitors, subject to reasonable conditions for safety and security. 7. Requiring correctional facilities to implement reasonable visiting hours for both contact visits and video visitation.

Committee Categories

Justice

Sponsors (1)

Last Action

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 02/08/2018)

bill text


bill summary

Loading...

bill summary

Loading...
Loading...