TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 11, 2022

Officials paused in-person family visitation at Nashville jails because of the COVID-19 pandemic but now it looks like this change might be here to stay. Even as state prisons have gone back to in-person visiting, the local sheriff says he thinks incarcerated people are more comfortable seeing their loved ones on screens. But lawyers and families say a lot is being lost. “COVID has taught us all that video conferencing is no substitute for in-person conversations" says Dawn Deaner, the city’s former public defender and now executive director of the Choosing Justice Initiative. She also notes that jail calls with family and friends are recorded and can be monitored, which can affect free and open conversation. WPLN looks at how the policy is affecting some families.