CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) —

It has been months since some inmates inside the Clark County Detention Center have seen their families due to visitation restrictions released by Kentucky’s Department of Corrections. The Jailer says they are trying to help ease the pain of missing out.

Jailer Frank Doyle currently oversees 130 inmates in the detention center. More than half of his population was released by the state to ease overcrowding in the jail when the pandemic began.

The jailer says before the pandemic they were discovering a new piece of technology he calls the “chirping system.” The devise is essentially an iPod touch that allows inmates to text their loved ones whenever they would like. Since visitation policies have ended across the state, he says the new technology has been a godsend for many of these inmates.

“It’s another method of them being able to talk because there is sometimes only one phone in these cells,” Doyle told WKYT’s Nick Oliver Friday. “When something is on their mind and they want to speak to a member of their family, or their attorney then they want to pick the phone up and have this communication with them.”

The jail is also allowing unlimited phone calls for inmates to make up for the lost time with family members. Some exceptions for visitations are in place in the circumstance of a death in an inmates family.

The jail has had no cases of COVID-19 within the walls and the jailer says while no visitations is tough, it’s the right decision to keep everyone safe.

“These people are human beings too,” said Doyle. “Our job is the care, custody and control of these people. Our job is not to punish these people. We want them to be comfortable but they understand they still have rules and regulations they have to follow while they are lodged in your facility.”  

The device comes with a small price to inmates families but the jailer says the goal is simply give a little more humility during a time the world tries standing back up.

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