Video call booth, more talk time for prisoners

CHENNAI: The TN government has decided to set up telephone booth facilities with voice and video calls inside the prisons with the assistance of a service provider. It will also increase the number of calls from 8 to 10 per month (once in 3 days) and the maximum call time from 56 minutes to 120 minutes (12 minutes per call) per month.

“We are allowing video calls even now. But it is through a laptop or desktop. Soon we will have specialised booths set up in prisons. We are encouraging the prisoners to interact with families as it has high therapeutic value and that is why it was decided to increase the call durations. Maintaining meaningful connections with their family members can have a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing,” noted DGP Amaraesh Pujari, heading the Prisons and Correction Services in TN, quoting experts.

As per the plan, the department is planning to purchase and install as many as 54 telephone booths with accessories in all central prisons, Borstal School in Pudukkottai, and special prisons for women in Puzhal, Tiruchy and Vellore.

Though initially it was decided to deduct a nominal amount from the prisoners’ cash property for video calls, the officials may think about making it free as it is aimed at the wellbeing of the inmates. A final decision will be taken soon, an official said.

It may be noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic after the interviews of prisoners were cancelled, the prisoners were allowed to contact their families through video calls with the help of 58 Android phones. After normalcy was restored in January 2021, the video call facility was stopped.