“It will be easier for prisoners to be able to contact their children, parents or spouse, while transfers, waiting times and meetings on site will be reduced,” it said in a statement.
Calls will be supervised by prison officers who will see exactly what the inmate sees and be able to end the video call immediately if either they or their relatives behave inappropriately.
The ministry said video calls will be subject to the same security checks as standard visits, and users will have to supply the address they want to contact along with a certificate proving a relative lives there.
Many prisons in the US and Australia already have similar video call programs in place.
