During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office installed a video visitation system to provide a safe, secure alternative to in-person visits. The video visitation system will remain in place after the pandemic ends, as it is an affordable, flexible and convenient system for visiting with temporarily incarcerated friends and family.
Inmates visit with friends and family from a terminal in their housing unit. Visitors simply need to download the free Securus Visitation app in the App Store or Google Play and can use any device, such as a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, if they have a high-speed internet connection. Visitors must create an account at www.videovisitanywhere.com and request access to visit at the Hennepin County Jail. Jail staff reviews the request and approves appropriate visitors. Once approved, a visitor can schedule remote visits online.
Currently, the system is only being used for social visiting to facilitate video visits between inmates and family and friends. It is not being used for professional visitation.
Video visitation is available 7 days a week during the following time windows:
- MON-FRI: 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 7 – 9:30 p.m.
- SAT & SUN: 10:00 a.m. – 4PM and 7 – 9:30 p.m.
An inmate can have 1 visit per day and up to 3 visits per week (Sunday-Saturday).
Visits are up to 20 minutes in length.
Visits must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.
For now, only the family/friend can schedule. The family/friend pays for the visit when it is scheduled.
The introductory cost of one 20-minute visit is $2.00 until March 31, 2021. After March 31, 2021, the price will increase to $4.00 per 20-minute visit.
Securus tech support for video visitation-related issues can be reached at 1-877-578-3658.