First-Time Video Visit Checklist for South Bend County Jail
Your first video visit goes a lot smoother when your account is set up, you're approved, and your device passes the system test ahead of time. Use this checklist to get everything ready before you try to schedule.
Start by creating your visitor account using Firefox. Head to the South Bend County Jail visitation site, click "Register Today," and follow the prompts to build your profile. Once that's done, you'll be able to request visits.
On the registration and login pages, you'll also see links to GTL's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (hosted on legal.telmate.com). If you're curious how accounts and visits are handled, it's worth skimming those before you schedule.
After you register, you can't schedule right away. Staff must approve both you (the visitor) and the inmate you want to visit before the scheduling option opens up.
- Log in to your visitor account: Use the same account you registered for South Bend County Jail video visits.
- Open “Internet Visit Tester”: Find it in the menu and run it before you schedule and again before your appointment, so you know your setup works.
- Run the tester at least 10 minutes early: Log in at least 10 minutes before your visit time, then start the Internet Visit Tester and follow the prompts.
- Download and install GTL VisBridge (desktop/laptop): If you are visiting from a computer, the system will prompt you to download VisBridge. Complete the install so video visits can run correctly.
Note: Using a desktop or laptop? VisBridge is required for online video visits. Plan a few extra minutes the first time so you can install it and confirm it launches.
Once you're approved and ready to book, pay attention to the timing rules. Visits must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance, and you can't schedule more than 72 hours out.
If you log in and see a message that "visitor scheduling is disabled," the site says to contact your system administrator to enable scheduling. Your best move is to double-check you're signed into the correct account, then try again later if scheduling is temporarily turned off.
If you're trying to look someone up and the county jail roster page loads with "an unhandled error," or an inmate search page comes back as "not a web page matching your entry," that's a website issue. Reload the page, try again later, and check the visitation site for any notices about a temporary outage.
If VisBridge installation feels confusing, the visitation site has step-by-step tutorial videos for both Windows and Mac. Watch the one that matches your computer. It can save you real time before your first visit.
- ✓ Review the GTL Terms of Use and Privacy Policy linked on the visitation page (legal.telmate.com).
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