What is Televisiting?

Televisiting is an important and increasingly popular way for incarcerated people to remain connected with their families and communities. This connection is seen by many as one of the most important factors in the successful return to community, or “re-entry,” of incarcerated people in the United States.

Televisiting operates much like a FaceTime call. A connection is made between a video booth or computer kiosk in a correctional facility and a computer or other terminal in a fixed facility or a family home. Brooklyn Public Library's model is unusual, in that the connection is between a correctional facility or juvenile detention facility and a programming space in one of our branch libraries and also that the visits are supported by library staff. Our model is also unusual in that it is free and very accessible and that it is designed to complement in-person visits.

The predominant model of televisiting across the US is for-profit and can be quite costly for families. In some states where for-profit televisiting has established a foothold, jurisdictions have moved to restrict or simply close down access to in-person visits altogether. BPL has positioned our model as an ethical and truly accessible alternative to the for-profit model.

The Vera Institute of Justice has published two reports on televisiting. One is a nationwide survey and the other is a case study based on Washington state’s use of the technology. 

The Prison Policy Institute has recently published an important, and very critical, study on the use of for-profit televisiting.

At BPL, we believe that televisiting belongs in public libraries—a site that has the respect and trust of the community. Our program keeps families together and provides a respectful, nurturing and friendly environment for families who wish to visit with their incarcerated loved ones.

Since the program’s inception in 2014 we have expanded the number of participating branches fourfold. We offer TeleStory at twelve locations in the borough of Brooklyn, and average about 140 visits per month. The program is still growing to meet increasing demand for the service. Recently, we gained access to NYC Administration for Children's Services juvenile detention facilities.

TeleStory has been featured in the following media: