Address:
09-09 Hazen Street
East Elmhurt, NY 11370
Phone:
718-546-2020
The Rikers Island - George R. Vierno Center 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 Rikers Island - George R. Vierno Center is able to accomplish this (or soon will be) is with 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 a third-party service that specializes in this.
The benefits of video visitation are:
For more information on video visits, call the facility at 718-546-2020 or scroll down for a complete section of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.
Televisiting will take place from 8:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, and 8:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday. Televisiting follows the Department's existing in-person visit schedule, which organizes visit days based on the first letter of the person in custody's last name. Please refer to the Visit Schedule in order to determine which day of the week you may visit your loved one.
VISIT SCHEDULE (changes monthly)
In-person visits will take place Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.- and Friday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visitors need to arrive 1 hour prior to their scheduled visit time. Visits will follow the existing visitor schedule according to the last name of the individual in custody.
Visiting groups may consist of no more than two (2) adults and one (1) child who will sit on one of the adult’s lap; or one (1) adult and two (2) children, at least one of whom is small enough to sit on someone’s lap.
Detainees may receive visits three (3) times per week. Sentenced individuals may receive visits two (2) times per week. All individuals in custody are limited to one (1) visit session per visit day, regardless of the number of visitors in that session.
It is strongly suggested that all visitors pre-register for their in-person visits.
Visitors who do not pre-register, and who do not receive confirmation of their scheduled visit, cannot be guaranteed a visit upon their arrival.
Visitors who do not pre-register also may not be able to wait inside, due to social distancing space constraints.
To pre-register for an in-person visit please click here.
NOTE: the start of visiting hours can be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Facility lockdowns may affect regularly scheduled visit hours.
There are no visits on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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 Rikers Island - George R. Vierno Center 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.
