‘This is not a prison.’ Chatham sheriff reopens in-person visits to people in jail

For the first time in 14 years, people held at the Chatham County jail will be able to receive in-person visits from family members and friends. 

Sheriff Richard Coleman announced the change on Thursday morning, one of his first major initiatives since his election in the fall. 

“This is not a prison. And so therefore we want individuals who are detained here, incarcerated here for whatever period of time that their stay may be, they may be able to see their loved ones in person,” Coleman said. “It’s a humane thing to me.”

A 2023 investigation by The Current revealed the lack of visits at the jail and high revenues from communication fees. The reporting first prompted Coleman to run for office and pledge to reinstate visitation, he has said. 

The sheriff’s office said visitation begins on Friday, April 25 in Unit 1, which holds female detainees and male mental health detainees. The plan is to establish visitation spaces for each of the jail’s nine units. 

Under the U.S. justice system, people in jail are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Those who do not receive a bond or cannot afford to pay bail must stay in detention until trial, or until they plead guilty, or their charges are dismissed. While detained, those individuals are typically in touch with attorneys, family and friends. 

Under former Sheriff John Wilcher, in-person visitors were allowed but all communications took place via video in separate parts of the jail. During and after the Covid pandemic, Wilcher required all visits to be virtual using video software on detainee’s tablets. Each detainee had one free video call a week. Every video call after that cost $8 per 20-minute call, The Current’s reporting revealed.

Deputies took reporters on a tour of the visitation booths. 

The eight stations in unit one each feature a glass partition (some barred) with phones on each side. Detainees can select two people for their list of visitors. Only adults are allowed to visit, and there’s a dress code and code of conduct, officials said.The visits are allowed once a week and will be 20 minutes in length. 

Capt. Kimberly Richards, who oversees the unit, said excitement has been building among detainees. 

“They’re very excited to be physically seen, the physical aspect of the visitation, of actually seeing their loved ones,” Richards said. “It’s the more humane side of being in jail as opposed to seeing someone on a tablet.”