Douglas County Jail, MN Video Visitation

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Douglas County Jail

Address:
509 3rd Avenue West
Alexandria, MN 56308
Phone:
320-762-2139

Frequently Asked Questions

Schedule a Video Visit with an Inmate at the Douglas County Jail - Remotely or at the Jail

The Douglas 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 Douglas County Jail is able to accomplish this is with Inmate Canteen 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 Inmate Canteen.

The benefits of video visitation are:

It keeps inmates happy.
Allows the inmates to stay in touch with friends, family and children.
It saves on staff time, thus money.
Allows the jail to partake in a revenue share.
Keeps viruses from spreading.
Keeps contraband from entering the facility.

For more information on Inmate Canteen video visits and video messages, call the facility at 320-762-2139 or scroll down for a complete section of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.

Remote Video Visitation at Douglas County Jail

Douglas County Jail uses the services of Inmate Canteen for Remote Video Visitation with Inmates.

For best results use Google Chrome as your browser for accessing Inmate Canteen.
Instructions on Inmate Video Visitation:

Register or Log in to your account
Select the facility where the inmate is located and the inmate you wish to visit.
Select the "Video Visit an Inmate" option
Follow the prompts on screen to schedule the visit.

Video Visitation must be done from a computer using Google Chrome and an updated Adobe Flash player. Before starting this process you must make sure that your Adobe Flash player is fully updated and that you are using Google Chrome. First... Set up Flash, then restart your computer and then go to Google Chrome on your desktop or laptop computer and log on to Inmate Canteen.
Steps Inmate canteen Visitation:
1. Go to www.inmatecanteen.com on a computer (not supported on mobile devices i.e. tablets, cell phones, etc)
2. Log in, select your inmate, and select the Video Visit an Inmate option.
3. You will be required to fill out a form, submit a driver's license picture and a picture of your face. Once submitted, Douglas County Jail will either approve or deny it.
4. Once approved you will be all set to video visit!
NOTES: Make sure you are allowing flash player to run in google chrome by selecting the lock icon to left of the browser. Flash Player needs to be set to “allow”. Then you can refresh the page and it should be good to go. If flash player is being blocked you will not be able to take a picture or see any video during the visitation. When you click on the video visitation link on the website, please visit the Audition Room to test your equipment. To find the Audition Room, please click on 'Video Visit an Inmate' and it will be located on the top of your screen. Here you can test and verify that your webcam and microphone are working. We highly recommend a hard line for video visiting, unstable internet can result in poor visit qualities.

Frequently Asked Questions about Remote Video Visits

What is a video visit, and how do they work?

Who are the companies that facilitate video visits?

What is a video visit, and how do they work?

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 Douglas 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.