Video Visits vs. In-Person Visits at SCI Laurel Highlands: Limits, Lengths, and Recording Rules
Choosing between video and in-person visits at SCI Laurel Highlands? The key differences come down to group size, visit length, monthly limits, and recording policies.
Group size limits differ by visit type. In-person (contact) visits allow up to 4 authorized visitors. Video visits allow up to 6 - making it easier to include more family members in a single session.
Video visits run 45 minutes. Contact visits are longer - at least one hour. That extra time matters if you need to catch up, make introductions, or have a deeper conversation. With video visits, any delays or tech hiccups eat into your 45 minutes.
Monthly limits can shape your choices. Inmates in general population get up to 6 video visits and up to 4 in-person visits per month. Each scheduled visit counts toward that month's total for its type. Plan ahead - save contact visits for when you really want the longer, face-to-face experience, and use video visits when you need flexibility or want to include more people.
Video visits are recorded. All non-attorney video visits are audio/video recorded and may be reviewed. Attorney visits are different - those aren't recorded. Keep this in mind: anything you say during a non-attorney video visit could be watched later.
Warning: Recording, uploading, sharing, or otherwise distributing a video visit is not authorized. Treat video visits as private facility communications - don’t screen-record, repost clips, or forward them to anyone.
S5
- ✓ Video visits (up to 6 authorized visitors) - Better when you need to include a bigger group in the same visit.
- ✓ In-person/contact visits (up to 4 authorized visitors) - Better when your group is smaller and you want face-to-face time.
- ✓ Video visits (45 minutes) - A shorter, fixed session; plan to use the time efficiently.
- ✓ In-person/contact visits (minimum one hour) - More breathing room for longer conversations.
- ✓ Video visit quota (up to 6 per month for general population) - Useful for more frequent check-ins, since there are more available per month.
- ✓ In-person/contact visit quota (up to 4 per month for general population) - Best saved for the visits that matter most to you, since there are fewer allowed each month.
- Join close to the start time - Join the scheduled video visit no more than 3 to 5 minutes before the scheduled start time.
- Protect your 45 minutes - A video visit is 45 minutes long, so any time spent getting set up or reconnecting comes out of your visit window.
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