In 2020, the county ended in-person visitation for people held at the Cuyahoga County Jail. Since then, friends and loved ones have only virtual options to visit. 

State rules require jails to provide visitation opportunities, including at least 30 minutes of visitation a week. 

Before the county switched to video visitation only, people held at the county jail were allowed two 15-minutes weekday visits. During those visits, people in the jail were physically separated from their visitor by glass or plexiglass. 

Attorneys can still make in-person visits to the jail. 

Earlier this year, the county settled a long-running lawsuit over conditions in the jail that included complaints about access to attorney visits. 

As part of the settlement, the county agreed to rework its visitation policies, creating separate policies for the public, including family members, clergy and other visitors, and one for attorneys. 

On its website, the county promotes video visitation as a convenient way for people to connect with family and friends in jail. It also comes with some barriers, costs — and concerns because conversations are not private. 

I want to visit someone in the Cuyahoga County Jail. What are my options? 

Visitation for family and friends is only available virtually. 

In February 2020, the county eliminated in-person visits but quickly reversed course, promising to bring back the option. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. In-person visits for friends and family never returned. 

Currently, loved ones can visit using a phone, tablet or computer for a cost. Or they use a free visitation kiosk at the downtown Justice Center, at 1215 W. 3rd St. Those who are incarcerated take video calls from a kiosk in their housing area. If they have a tablet, they can use it for the visit. The tablets don’t have cameras.

Visitors must register and schedule visits 24 hours in advance.

The Justice Center kiosks are available Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Each incarcerated person is allowed one 20-minute visit per week if their family member uses the on-site kiosk. Children under 5 are not allowed to attend these visits. Children over 5 have to be with a parent or legal guardian, and only two children can be with an adult.

Remote visits are allowed seven days a week during the same hours and also between 7 and 9 p.m.

To schedule a remote video visit:

• Create an account with Securus, the company providing the video visitation service. 
• Look for the name of the person to visit. Choose a date, time and length of visit. 
• Pay for the visit using a credit or debit card.

So there are no exceptions that allow in-person visits?

In some cases, the county allows a special visit or contact visit. It has to be approved by the jail’s warden or a designated county official. For example, if an incarcerated person is in the hospital and their health condition is serious or they may die, a visit with a loved one can be approved. 

I want to set up a video visit with a friend or family member. How much does it cost?

A remote video visit costs $4 for 25 minutes. That doesn’t include fees and taxes. A visitor can schedule two remote visits back to back.

Using a kiosk at the Justice Center is free, though finding parking near the Justice Center can be a hassle — and costly. Lots around the Justice Center cost between $10 and $15 on average. Finding cheaper street-metered parking can be hard during the day.

Visits can be unexpectedly canceled if the jail has a security lockdown, not enough staff, or if the person in jail is in trouble. The county says family members should get a credit for a future visit if the cancellation is not due to behavior. 

The website for Securus says it is not responsible for disconnected calls or canceled visits caused by the jail, a bad internet connection or hardware malfunction. People can request credit if the session was disconnected because of a Securus system error. 

Communications between loved ones and people in the Cuyahoga County Jail are not private

Video visits and phone calls from the jail are recorded, and mail is scanned. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office can access call and video recordings between people in jail and their family members. Prosecutors and some of their investigation staff also have access to scanned mail and electronic messages.

This means that conversations with loved ones about evidence in a criminal case or discussions regarding a plea deal are not private. 

Attorneys have different visitation rules

Attorneys can use video visitation to meet with their clients or visit in person. 

In-person visitation is limited to certain hours: 

• 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m. 
• 1:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• 6:30 p.m. -10 p.m.

Attorneys can use the Securus video visitation the same way families do.

They can also schedule free, one-hour Zoom video visits during certain hours. 

• Monday to Thursday, 3-7 p.m.
• Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Weekend Zoom meetings have to be scheduled by 2 p.m. Thursday. 

The county’s attorney visitation policy says conversations with attorneys should be confidential and not recorded. 

The county sheriff’s website warns attorneys that the Securus electronic messaging is not confidential. 

The website for Securus says that attorneys are responsible for contacting a correctional facility to make sure communications are confidential. 

Prosecutors are not supposed to listen in on calls or video recordings between a person in jail and their defense attorney, according to a prosecutor’s office policy. The policy says prosecutors in most circumstances should not access electronic communications or mail between the incarcerated person and their defense attorney. 

How often are people using video visits?

Cuyahoga County Jail has recorded almost 141,000 completed visits since 2020, according to data provided by the county. Most visitors use the remote option. 

In 2021, less than 1% – or 344 – visitors used the kiosks at The Justice Center, and more than 59,000 visitors connected with an incarcerated family member remotely.

In June, Signal Cleveland visited the Justice Center location. A Sheriff’s office employee said about three or four families use the center, on average, each day. Some days only attorneys, probation officers or others working within the justice system use the 23 available visitation kiosks.

Tell me about the company that handles Cuyahoga County Jail calls and messages

Securus Technologies is a Texas-based company that provides communication services to more than 3,400 jails, prisons and other correctional facilities in 45 states. In Ohio, the company has contracts with more than 65 facilities, including jails, prisons, juvenile justice centers and mental health treatment centers. 

The company’s services include video visitation and electronic messaging, which people can use to send text messages, photos, digital greeting cards and sometimes “VideoGrams,” depending on the facility.

Securus also manages phone calls from the jail, which in 2023 cost 20 cents a minute or ten times what it cost for a call from an Ohio prison. The county gets a commission from those calls.

The county signed a contract with Securus in 2016 worth $12 million or roughly $1.5 million a year. The contract was set to expire in 2024 but was extended through 2027. Recently, the county council increased the amount of the contract by about $1.4 million, and in public meetings said the change was to account for inflation.  

People having trouble with the Securus Video Connect system or payments can call the company’s customer service line at 1-877-578-3658.