Delaware will require people who use its online prison messaging and video-visitation services to verify their identities with a government-issued ID and a selfie-style photo. The Department of Correction says the new check will begin September 28 for community members contacting incarcerated people through the GettingOut app or website.
Users accessing GettingOut’s Messaging or Video Visit features will be prompted to upload images of both sides of a valid government-issued ID and take a selfie-style photo. Once the verification is complete, they can send messages or schedule a video visit. The state says a verified user will be recognized for future messages and visits without repeating the process each time.
The requirement is directed at people outside correctional facilities who communicate with those inside them. Delaware already checks identities for in-person prison visits and is extending a comparable safeguard to remote contact. The change affects both smartphone-app users and people who access the service through a web browser.
Department of Correction Commissioner Terra Taylor said online contact helps incarcerated people maintain connections with family and friends, particularly when an in-person visit is not possible. The department says the additional check is intended to prevent harmful or illegal contact and reduce opportunities to exploit incarcerated people or their families. Those are the state’s stated reasons for introducing the process.
The state describes an ID-document and selfie submission, but does not characterize the process as a particular biometric matching technology. The operational change is a verification step before a community user can use two communications features. It is separate from the screening of visitors who physically enter a facility.
Identity technology is also being applied elsewhere in correctional settings. authID was selected to verify people using online education services inside U.S. correctional facilities, while Portugal’s prison authority contracted for biometric access-control terminals. Delaware’s approach concerns identity checks for people communicating with a facility from the community rather than access control or inmate learning accounts.
GettingOut provides Delaware’s tablet messaging and video-visitation service. The new prompt is scheduled to appear when a community user signs in and opens the Messaging or Video Visit functions. A successful one-time check will allow that person to continue using those functions for later contacts.
Sources: Delaware Department of Correction
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
