Address:
17262 Lark Avenue
Mason City, IA 50401
Phone:
641-421-3019
The Cerro Gordo County Jail believes in the importance of their inmates having an opportunity to have visits from family and friends. When an inmate is released he or she needs to return home, and closeness to their family is one of the strongest reasons that keeps them from getting in trouble again.
One way that Cerro Gordo County Jail is able to accomplish this is with Prodigy remote video visitation. Remote visiting allows loved ones to use their phone or computer to connect directly with their inmate via a video kiosk in the jail or using tablets, all in a joint effort between the facility and Prodigy.
The benefits of video visitation are:
For more information on Prodigy video visits and video messages, call the facility at 641-421-3019 or scroll down for a complete section of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.
REMOTE VIDEO VISITATION
Visitation for Cerro Gordo County Jail inmates utilizes the Prodigy Inmate Visitation website for its visitation software.
If you should have a question or need assistance, call Prodigy Customer Support at 866-700-4545 ext. 7.
Signing up for Prodigy video visitation is quick and easy. Just follow these steps!
1. Sign Up Here.
2. Complete the information to be approved. You must submit a photo on ProdigySales.com to be approved for visitation.
3. Once approved, log in to the terminal to schedule a visit. Use the username and password you set when creating your account.
4. Select your scheduled visit session and click. Visits will show 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
5. Click on Start Video Call. Wait for the inmate to login. Once both parties have logged in, your visit will commence.
NOTE: Onsite video visits must be scheduled 24 hours in advance. This is for friends or family that do not have their own computer or smart phone. Visit Prodigy Sales to schedule onsite visitation or to see if Cerro Gordo County Jail allows Offsite Video Visitation from your home device.
Onsite video Visits will be 20 minutes in length (unless you were late) and someone is already scheduled after you. In that case, your visit will end at the previously scheduled time.
What is a video visit, and how do they work?
Who are the companies that facilitate video visits?
Video visitation, also known as remote visitation, is quickly becoming the preferred method for visiting an inmate in jail or prison for the following reasons:
• It requires little to no staff, versus the staff required to move inmates to and from the visit and watch over the visit. It saves the Cerro Gordo County Jail money.
• It removes any opportunity for contraband (drugs) to enter the facility.
• It can become a profit center for the facility, given that the revenue generated by visits is shared with the jail.
• While inmates prefer to see family and friends in person, video visitation allows them to visit with them more often, and on a whim.
• Video visitation gives the inmates and their visitors the feeling of more privacy.
Video visitation from the perspective of the visitor allows them to visit from their home, their car, at work, and even allows them to take their device to a family or religious gathering. It allows them to give their inmate the feeling of belonging and not being forgotten.
Video visitation can take place on a computer, a tablet or a phone.
Video visitation saves time. Instead of spending hours driving to the jail, checking in, filling out paperwork, potentially being searched, waiting, and then having a 15–30-minute visit, if it isn’t cancelled at the last minute, the visit can be done from anywhere during a short break in the visitor’s day.
If the visitor does not have access to a phone or computer, they can make an appointment ahead of time and use terminals in the lobby of the jail.
You must also be on the inmate's approved list, even for a video visit.
There are several different companies that contract with all the jails and prisons that allow video visitation:
These are the companies in alphabetical order:
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
iwebvisits
JailATM
Jpay
Gettingintouch (netvisit)
NCIC
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger Services
Visitel
In addition, some jails use Microsoft Meeting and Zoom.