For several years Sheriff Matt Oller and staff at the Audrain County Jail have looked at ways to limit face to face visitation with inmates.

The motivation for this was in part due to mitigate the spread of illness — a concern even before COVID-19 — but for the most part had to do with the facility’s layout. The lobby is small and a cell block holds 28 inmates.

“Our lobby got jammed up,” Oller explained.

It was often so bad that those conducting business at the site could not enter the building. Three years ago the sheriff explored video visitation. But with one kiosk for each block, the numbers didn’t add up.

Inmate visitation was suspended because of COVID-19.

Now Oller has a solution.

A new tablet-based video visitation system is being put in place by Turnkey Corrections, the jail’s commissary vendor. It will be available to inmates on a daily basis between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. and operates on a dedicated connection.

“That keeps virtual meetings separate from the county network,” said County Commissioner Tracy Graham, who represents the Western District. “There’s no issue with security.”

Last week the county approved a four-year contract with Turnkey. The company provides all equipment. Inmates pay for usage time and the jail receives 30 percent of all sales, including from the commissary.

“The other advantage is that it frees up kiosks in the lobby,” added Presiding Commissioner Steve Hobbs.

Those kiosks can be used by inmates who are unable to afford to pay for virtual visitation. But, Oller explains, their guests must come to the jail to use the kiosks.

“That way no outside data gets used,” he explained.

The service should be operational in the next 45 days. If it works as well as Oller anticipates, the sheriff will likely put a permanent stop to routine face to face visits.