Sheriff Ronnie Ingram signed a new agreement with Paytel Communications, Inc. to provide new, updated and beneficial technology services in the Lenoir County Detention Center.

This agreement, which comes at no cost to the County of Lenoir, allows Paytel Communications to provide phone services, visitation equipment and services, inmate mail service, closed network tablets, education programs, counseling programs, rehabilitation programs and so much more.

Sheriff Ingram said, "we have been looking to get updates to our detention center for over a year now. We met with a number of different companies, compared what services they offered and felt that Paytel Communications was our best partner as we move forward."

This new agreement helps the County and the Sheriff's Office with a large cost being deffered to Paytel. Major Ryan Dawson stated, "our video visitation system is 10 years old...most computer systems after 10 years do not work...and ours is on its last leg. This new agreement probably saves us $100,000 or more if I had to guess. Part of our agreement was that whomever we chose had to provide a new visitation system for our detention center at no cost to us."

Additonally, paytel will provide a closed network tablet for each inmate that will allow inmates to take GED courses, alcohol and drug treatment courses, counseling courses, parenting courses and other education programs. Major Dawson added, "these tablets are not ipads, or chromebooks or anything like that. They are specifically made for a closed network for a jail. Inmates wont be able to get to social media or other internet sites to communicate with the outside world. They can only get to the paytel platform and their programs."

An updated feature that this agreement will provide is a digital video visitation system that will allow visiting with inmates on site, but also off site by family from their home. The current equipment used in the detention center only allows for on site visitation.

Additionally, inmates attorneys will have the ability to visit with their clients from their offices rather than coming to the jail, doctors and mental health workers will be able to meet with inmates for appointments through virtual systems. All of this at no cost to our Office, County or citizens.

Sheriff Ingram said, "this is a positive step for trying to offer an inmate who wants to change their life some resources to make that change. It will also help our staff by having electronic forms that can be tracked instead of current paper forms and it allows us to have mail be sent electronically to inmates through these tablets rather than trying to sneak in some type of contraband through traditional mail. All around this is a great program and agreement for us, all at no cost."