# Prison visiting with glass wall/phone. Can say what they like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2017, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531 "2017-03-06T10:06:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/21 "2017-03-07T15:31:39Z")
> [@naita](#): > > How about doing some basic research before answering then. You know, in the spirit of “fighting ignorance”. **Moderator Note** This was excessively snarky. Let’s not do this again in GQ. > [@Derleth](#): > > Reported. You should only post “reported” for obvious reasons like spam or possibly thread moves. In a case like this, it looks like junior moderating. Simply reporting it is sufficient. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/22 "2017-03-07T16:45:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > There was a photographer and we could pay to take pictures. How many people want their picture taken in jail? _Why_ would anyone want pictures of their being in jail? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/23 "2017-03-07T16:53:54Z")
Okay, as somebody who actually knows, here’s how it works (at least in New York). We had the capability of listening in to any phone conversation. But in practice we didn’t normally do so. It was an issue of manpower and an acknowledgment that most phone calls didn’t have any suspect content. We could also record any phone calls but rarely did so, for the reasons listed above. While most phone monitoring was done in real time, we also had records of phone use. So we could go back and look up what phone numbers were called, when they were called, and how long the calls lasted for. Any conversation, including phone calls, between a prisoner and a legal representative was confidential and we were not supposed to monitor it. Most visits, including in maximum security, were held using normal tables and chairs in an open room. Picture a cafeteria setting. Guards would walk around and hear conversations but it you were discussing something illegal, you’d obviously just wait until the guards were somewhere else. We had some of the glass walled booths but they weren’t normally used. In some rare cases, prisoners were required to use them because they had been caught giving or receiving stuff from that visitor. Or sometimes a prisoner would choose to use the booth if they were meeting with a lawyer because if the visit was held in the non-contact booth, the prisoner wouldn’t get strip searched after the visit. In the prisons I worked in, there weren’t any phones in the non-contact booths. The plexiglass dividers had a screen in the middle of it so you could talk through it. I’m guessing most real prisons use that because it’s simpler and cheaper than setting up phones. I imagine TV and movies prefer phones because they look cooler. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/24 "2017-03-07T16:56:32Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How many people want their picture taken in jail? _Why_ would anyone want pictures of their being in jail? Why does anyone take pictures? You want a photo of your loved ones. If your loved one happens to be in prison, you take photos of them in prison. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/25 "2017-03-08T02:01:27Z")
I’m an attorney in WV. During client visits, I am always given a private room to speak with my clients. For the regular visitor, there are “contact” and “non-contact” visits. The contact visits require extra staff for strip searching each prisoner after each visit and making sure no contraband is brought in. These visits are only permitted at special times when the required staff is on duty. The non-contact visits are done through the movie glass and phone, but are offered at far more times due to the lesser staff required. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/26 "2017-03-08T11:06:00Z")
My Dad used to visit a friend in prison and he said they sat at a table and had to keep hands above the table. Nothing personal allowed in but there were some vending machines. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/27 "2017-03-08T14:53:55Z")
When my son was a guest of the county 2 years ago, the main jail had the phone and glass partition like the movies. The only things we could carry past the metal detector was the key for the locker they provide for anything carried in. It got to where I just carried my ID and car keys to see him. Oh and no jackets either. Later he moved to the work release center and the visiting room was glass walls with a wire mesh hole in the middle. No contact and no metal detector. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/28 "2017-03-09T00:26:06Z")
We had a murder case a few years ago that had a ridiculously large amount of evidence that just kept falling into our laps. I mean it went from having an unidentified body with no clue what direction to go in to having 10 cases worth of conviction level evidence within 24 hours. When the main suspect was arrested the first thing he did in jail was get on the phone to his girlfriend and spell out when, where, how, and why he shot the victim. All on tape. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/29 "2017-03-09T22:02:28Z")
A lawyer friend said they went thru a special metal detector and their stuff was looked thru. Part of it was safety so the client wouldnt go after them. They have these special pens they use that cant be turned into weapons. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/30 "2017-03-10T00:40:38Z")
Visitors have to wear suitable clothing. No short skirts. No going commando under the skirt etc. Tube tops or halter tops. I had a relative with a bf in prison. Some of the ladies tried to put on a show for their lonely bf’s. So new visitor rules were made. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/31 "2017-03-10T02:59:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Some of the ladies tried to put on a show for their lonely bf’s. So new visitor rules were made. I am curious if the boy friends in question smoked pot or robbed 7-11s. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/32 "2017-03-10T03:55:33Z")
> [@naita](#): > > How about doing some basic research before answering then. You know, in the spirit of “fighting ignorance”. > > Here’s a page explaining the legal base for intercepting prisoner communication, explaining that recording prisoner visitor conversations is legal. [https://www.policeone.com/archive/articles/44456-Intercepting-Prisoner-Communications/](https://www.policeone.com/archive/articles/44456-Intercepting-Prisoner-Communications/) > > As for how extensive monitoring is I expect that not all conversations are recorded or monitored, but that the magnitude of monitoring is kept secret so prisoners don’t know the odds of being recorded. You fucking ignorant cunt. Do some research yourself before taking the “righteous” path and trying to straighten people out. SOME jails and prisons use glass and phones for communication. My county jail uses glass and vent holes in the glass to talk. Granted, there are video cameras and mics, all recorded for obvious reasons, but nothing like you see on TV. For the most part. Prisons are the same. There are 50 States. Therefore 50 state corrections departments. And within each state are different levels of security. I can’t go further. Too frustrating. Stop watching TV and Hollywood for your info and do some research. Jesus Og, I can’t believe I have to be a voice of reason. - formerly duffer ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/33 "2017-03-10T14:06:32Z")
**duffer/Sconnie**. This is an official WARNING for a personal insult in General Questions. I’ve also sent you a PM with your old **duffer** email address. See if you can recover your password and log in. If not, we’ll try to merge accounts. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531/34 "2017-03-10T15:19:28Z")
> [@Sconnie](#): > > SOME jails and prisons use glass and phones for communication. My county jail uses glass and vent holes in the glass to talk. Granted, there are video cameras and mics, all recorded for obvious reasons, but nothing like you see on TV. For the most part. > > Prisons are the same. There are 50 States. Therefore 50 state corrections departments. And within each state are different levels of security. > > I can’t go further. Too frustrating. Stop watching TV and Hollywood for your info and do some research. I think you’ll find I didn’t base my post on what I’ve seen on TV, and didn’t post on the frequency of glass and phone communication. What I did do was answer the question of the OP about whether a prisoner could assume absolute secrecy and hazard a qualified guess that monitoring is frequent but not constant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prison-visiting-with-glass-wall-phone-can-say-what-they-like/781531.md?page=1)