Why a Video Visit at McHenry County Jail Might Be Cancelled — What You Can Do
A cancelled video visit is frustrating—especially when you've planned your whole day around it. At McHenry County Jail, cancellations usually come down to facility operations, scheduling limits, or behavior rules. Here's how it works and what you can do next.
At McHenry County Jail, facility operations always come first. Visiting hours can shift, and visits may be cancelled for severe weather or emergencies. Even on a normal day, the jail pauses visits during meal hours and lockdowns. Staff can also end visits for maintenance, disturbances, or any other reason they deem necessary. Scheduling issues cause cancellations too. You book video visits in advance, but the jail's ability to run them depends on kiosk availability and whatever else is happening that day. A time slot that looked open when you booked it can still get disrupted.
- ✓ Severe weather
- ✓ An emergency
- ✓ Meal hours (no visits during meal times)
- ✓ Lockdowns
- ✓ Maintenance
- ✓ Facility needs
- ✓ Disturbances
- ✓ Any other reason the facility deems necessary to end a visit
- ✓ Limited visitation kiosk availability
- ✓ Conflicts with the facility’s daily schedules and needs
Note: Visiting hours at McHenry County Jail can change, and cancellations sometimes happen with little notice when safety or operations require it.
All video visits at McHenry County Jail are recorded and may be monitored. Treat the call like you're in a public, supervised setting. If your visit ended abruptly, monitoring is often the reason. Staff don't have to wait until the session ends to step in - they can cut it off the moment they see a problem.
Warning: If either person is disruptive during a video visit or video message, the jail can terminate the session. This may affect your ability to schedule future visits.
On-site and off-site video visits at McHenry County Jail are fee-based. If your visit gets cancelled or cut short, the jail itself does not issue refunds. For refund requests, contact the video visitation company directly - not the jail. That's where the facility directs visitors when they need money returned.
- Gather your visit details - note the date/time of the scheduled session and any receipt or transaction information from when you paid.
- Find the video visitation company’s support option - use the company’s customer service process tied to your account/payment.
- Submit a refund request - explain that the visit was cancelled or terminated and include the scheduled time and any confirmation details.
- Follow up through the same ticket/channel - keep everything in one thread so the company can track the issue and respond faster.
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- ✓ Schedule the visit ahead of time (walk-ins aren’t the way this system works)
- ✓ Pick times that are less likely to collide with meal hours or lockdown periods
- ✓ Plan around the reality that kiosk availability can limit visits
- ✓ Be ready to log in at the exact scheduled time
- ✓ If you’re visiting from home, set yourself up for a smooth session (quiet space, ready to start on time) so you’re not scrambling when the window opens
Tip: Before your scheduled time, check for anything that could trigger a shutdown - severe weather, an emergency, or a facility lockdown. Even with careful planning, last-minute cancellations can still happen.
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