Across the country, jails are replacing in-person visits
with a glitchy, expensive system called "video visitation" — think of
it like Skyping in to see your incarcerated loved one, if Skype was
low-resolution, difficult to install and cost as much as $1.50 a minute.
But the librarians of Brooklyn are racing to roll out a more humane solution.
The Brooklyn Public Library is planning to build its own video visitations
in 12 of its locations in neighborhoods with high rates of
incarceration. Unlike visitation centers at country jails, the libraries
will build visitation centers that are comfortable, humane and don't
charge families exorbitant fees for connecting with loved ones.
"It's an intentionally human experience," Nick Higgins,
Director of Outreach Services at Brooklyn Public Library, said in a
phone call. "Anything that we do in jails or marginalized communities,
we want to create a sense of belonging and inclusion. How life should
be."
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