The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office is introducing a new communications system for jail inmates.

The new system, provided by Texas-based NCIC Inmate Communications, is set to be operational at the jail by Jan. 26, according to officials.

Inmates will have access to wall-mounted phones and secure handheld tablets capable of a large range of functions including phone calls, video visitation, messaging and a wide variety of educational and rehabilitative programming, officials said.

Rates for phone calls and video visits with inmates have been reduced compared to the old system. The system comes at no expense to taxpayers.

Friends and families of inmates who would like to set up and fund a pre-paid account for phone calling and video visitation can call 1-800-943-2189 or go to ncic.com.

According to its website, NCIC was established in 1995, making it the longest running telecom carrier in the inmate telephone industry.

The Richard A. Randall Public Safety Center in Yorkville houses the county jail, the sheriff’s office, KenCom Public Safety Dispatch and the Kendall County Emergency Management Agency.

Randall was the Kendall County sheriff from 1986 to 2014 and is the longest-serving sheriff in Kendall County history.