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Hamilton County to replace jail phone/video vendor with ViaPath; county says inmate and family costs will fall
Summary
The commission reviewed a resolution to rescind acceptance of the prior vendor and accept ViaPath Technologies to provide inmate phone and video visitation services; officials said the change will reduce costs for inmates and families and that no county funds are required.
Hamilton County moved to rescind acceptance of Smart Communications and accept Global Tel*Link doing business as ViaPath Technologies (branded in the transcript as ViaPath) to provide telephone and video visitation services for inmates at the county jail and detention center.
Sheriff (present) explained the county moved to the second-ranked vendor after the originally selected vendor filed for bankruptcy prior to contract execution. The sheriff said the new vendor will meet the county's guidelines and that the change reduces costs for inmates and families: the county official said ViaPath will provide "1 free phone call, 1 free video visit, and 10 text messages at no cost per week," reduce video visitation fees from $7 to $2, and cut phone per-minute charges from $2 to $0.60. The sheriff also noted upcoming Federal Communications Commission guidance imposing caps on some charges and said the county's arrangement anticipates those limits.
The resolution text read at the meeting rescinds acceptance of Smart Communications under a prior resolution and accepts ViaPath to provide telephone and video visitation services, authorizing the county mayor to sign necessary contracts. The transcript does not show a formal recorded vote in the provided excerpt. A ViaPath representative was present and the sheriff said county staff would answer any additional questions.
