Closer to home
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
The women sit around a table in the library, tapping out texts while talking casually. They chat with family members and get photos of loved ones periodically, sharing stories about their days.
It isn’t the typical picture of the inside of a jail, but it is the new norm at the McLean County Detention Center.
The jail, which averages about 30 inmates, recently added new technology to help the men and women inside connect to friends and family.
Assistant jail administrator Wade Krohmer said the first addition was “texters.” The phone-like devices allow inmates to communicate via message with approved contacts, while paying 9 cents per text.
“It’s cheaper than paying for a phone call,” Krohmer said.
Inmates at the jail said texting made it easier to talk to loved ones that live out of state or in different time zones, and allows for photo sharing.
