Berks County Jail visit limits and free video calls: how often you can connect

Berks County Jail allows four in-person visits per inmate each calendar month. Each visit runs 30 minutes. Plan ahead - especially if you're sharing limited in-person time between multiple family members.

Up to three visitors can attend each in-person visit. If more than three people want to go, you'll need to rotate - decide who attends which visit and spread people across the month.

Beyond in-person visits, each inmate gets two free 15-minute video calls per week. These are your built-in way to check in regularly - especially useful once you've hit the monthly cap on in-person time.

Practical Tips for Families

• ✓ Treat the four in-person visits as your “monthly budget” and decide early which weeks you want to use them.
• ✓ Since each in-person visit is 30 minutes, pick a goal for that time (family update, legal questions, morale check-in) so it doesn’t disappear into small talk.
• ✓ If more than three people want to visit, create a rotation so each visit stays within the three-visitor limit.
• ✓ Use the two free 15-minute video calls each week to fill gaps during weeks when no one can come in person.
• ✓ Save an in-person visit for times when face-to-face matters most (milestones, tough weeks, or when you need focused conversation), and lean on video calls for quick touchpoints.

1. Map out the month - Start with the four in-person visits allowed per calendar month and pencil them into a simple calendar.
2. Assign your in-person “teams” - For each in-person visit, list up to three people who will attend so nobody shows up expecting to go in.
3. Spread out your connection - On weeks without an in-person visit, plan to use the two free 15-minute video calls to stay present and consistent.
4. Adjust as you go - If one week gets busy, swap: lean on video calls that week and keep an in-person visit for when your group can actually make the most of the 30 minutes.