In-person inmate visits during jail expansion construction will happen after all.

After the Monterey County Board of Supervisors threatened to hold up approval of jail expansion construction last month—over a plan for inmate video visitation only—county staff members took a second look and discovered there’s room for in-person visitation after all.

Originally Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal said in-person inmate visits, through thick glass and phones, during construction of the $88.9 million jail expansion was too dangerous and too expensive, requiring the elimination of in-person visits.

The supervisors, led by Luis Alejo and Jane Parker, said that wasn’t good enough. They argued video visitation would be detrimental to inmates’ rehabilitation and negatively affect thousands of families.

Despite warnings from sheriff’s staff (arguing that any delay of approval could be detrimental to the construction schedule), the supervisors remained resolute, even voting 4-1 on April 11 for an independent review of Bernal’s plan.

The pressure tactic worked. On May 9 county staff members shared a plan with supervisors that allows in-person visits during 26 months of construction.

Visitors will be allowed to park in a designated parking lot, then walk down existing concrete pathways lined with temporary construction fencing along existing security fencing. The path will take visitors around the perimeter of the construction project, to the current jail entrance.

There will be 36 total in-person visitation booths—9 for women and 27 for men—and two pilot video visitation booths available during construction.

In-person visits could possibly take place after construction with jail staff escorting visitors along an outside walkway within the secured grounds of the jail to the current jail visitation area, according to a staff report.

The new jail entrance will only include video visitation, however, supervisors heard last week. An enclosed video visitation area will have four private rooms, while an open area will have 30 video booths.

Video visitation does open up the possibility of families being able to call in remotely, and as Alejo noted, inmates would be able to “attend” birthday parties and other special events through video calling, at a cost of 15 cents per minute.

Alejo called the plan for visits during construction a good compromise and moved to approve the new plan, which passed 4-0, with Supervisor Mary Adams absent.

Parker added to the motion a delay to the proposed independent review of the jail staffing plan by 18 months. Earlier, staff members said they received an estimate from an outside contractor for $43,000 to conduct the review.