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McHenry County Jail offers free weekly video visitations

Corrections officer Ryan Springer discusses the technology involved with the IC Solutions video chat system at the McHenry County Correctional Facility on Aug. 10, 2018, in Woodstock. The correctional facility replaced in-person visitations with technology that allows inmates to visit with friends and family over video chat, which allows family to visit with their loved one from home or elsewhere but comes with limitations. The software is not compatible with iPhones and can be difficult to connect over some wifi internet. (Matthew Apgar)

By Katie Smith

Despite a 30-day closure of the McHenry County jail lobby, detainees now can video chat with friends and family once each week at no cost.

Caution amid the spread of COVID-19 prompted the the sheriff's office close the lobby to the McHenry County jail, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock. In an effort to allow continued access to visitations, however, the McHenry County Sheriff's Office and its video visitation vendor, ICSolutions, will provide free 25-minute visitations to detainees once each week.

The remote visitations will temporarily replace the on-site visits, which are conducted through video on a jail computer.

Video visitations must be scheduled at least four hours in advance. Anyone seeking additional visitations throughout the week will be charged the standard $12.50 fee. ICSolutions’ video services require a high-speed internet connection on both ends, and is not compatible with Apple products.

Instructions about how to set up a video session are available online at mchenrysheriff.org/corrections/video-visitation.aspx.

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Katie Smith

Katie Smith

Katie reported on the crime and courts beat for the Northwest Herald from 2017 through 2021. She began her career with Shaw Media in 2015 at the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb, where she reported on the courts, city council, the local school board, and business.