Who Can Book a Free Video Visit at Duval County Jail — and How It Works
GettingOut's "free visit" rules seem backwards at first: the free time belongs to the incarcerated person, and they control when—and with whom—it's used. Here's how it actually works so you don't accidentally lose the free option.
A "free visit" on GettingOut isn't a coupon sitting in your account. As GettingOut puts it, "Free visits are a benefit for the inmate and are credited to the inmate's account." Translation: the free video visit is tied to your loved one's account, and they're the ones who apply it when scheduling.
For Duval County Jail video visits through GettingOut, your loved one is in the driver's seat. GettingOut is clear about this: "Therefore the inmate is the only one who can book a free visit." Even if you're the one trying to make plans, you can't directly book the free visit yourself.
When your loved one wants to use a free visit, they book it from their side by selecting you as their Friends & Family participant. The free visit isn't coming from your visitor account - remember, "Free visits are a benefit for the inmate and are credited to the inmate's account." The credit gets applied during their scheduling process, with you selected as the participant.
- Have the inmate schedule the visit in GettingOut - the free visit can’t be booked from the Friends & Family side.
- Select the correct Friends & Family person - the inmate should “Book the visit with their Friends & Family,” choosing who they want to use the free time with.
- Finish booking from the inmate side - because “the inmate is the only one who can book a free visit,” the booking needs to be completed through the inmate’s account for the free visit to be used.
Note: The free visit credit sits with the inmate. You shouldn’t expect a matching “free visit” balance on your Friends & Family account.
You can still help move things along - just by suggesting, not booking. GettingOut's rule is specific: "The only way Friends & Family can use a free visit is by suggesting a visit with the inmate." After you suggest a time, your loved one has to confirm it. The free visit only applies if your account meets the balance requirement at that exact moment: "If the inmate has a free visit available and there are no prepaid funds on the Friends & Family account at the time the inmate confirms, the free visit will be deducted from inmate's account."
- ✓ Suggest the visit time to the inmate (instead of trying to book the free visit yourself).
- ✓ Make sure your Friends & Family GettingOut account has no prepaid funds when the inmate confirms.
- ✓ Don’t add prepaid funds “just in case” before the inmate confirms - the free visit depends on your balance being zero at confirmation.
- ✓ Coordinate with your loved one so they confirm the suggested visit when your account balance is still zero.
Warning: If you have prepaid funds on your Friends & Family account when the inmate confirms, the free visit won’t apply - check that your balance is zero right before they confirm.
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