System and method for visitation management in a controlled-access environment

Abstract

A method of managing visitation includes accessing a visitation control system including a visitation session scheduling interface, communications devices, a switching interface, and at least one authentication interface, defining rules governing visitation, requesting a visitation session using the scheduling interface, assessing whether the visitation session complies with the rules governing visitation, scheduling the visitation session if the visitation session complies with the rules, using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a first party and a second party, establishing communication between the first party and the second party after authenticating both parties, and storing a record of the visitation session in a database. The record preferably includes at least information regarding identities of the first party and the second party. The visitation session may also be monitored (e.g., in real time, near real time, or by recording).

1 . A method of managing visitation in a controlled-access environment, the method comprising:
 accessing a visitation control system, the visitation control system comprising:
 a visitation session scheduling interface; 
 a plurality of communications devices; 
 a switching interface; and 
 at least one authentication interface; 
   defining a set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment;   requesting a visitation session using the visitation session scheduling interface of the visitation control system;   assessing whether the visitation session complies with the set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment;   scheduling the visitation session if the visitation session complies with the set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment;   using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a first party to the visitation session;   using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a second party to the visitation session;   establishing communication between the first party to the visitation session and the second party to the visitation session after authenticating both the first party and the second party to the visitation session; and   storing a record of the visitation session in a visitation session database, the record of the visitation including at least information regarding identities of the first party and the second party.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of defining a set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment comprises defining one or more operational rules. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising storing a plurality of demographic information records in a demographic information database, each of the plurality of demographic information records including demographic information for a single user of the visitation control system. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the step of defining a set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment comprises defining one or more visitation rules, each of the one or more visitation rules being associated with a single user of the visitation control system. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising associating each of the one or more visitation rules with a demographic information record. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of establishing communication between the first party to the visitation session and the second party to the visitation session comprises establishing at least an audio connection between the first party and the second party through the visitation control system. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the step of establishing at least an audio connection between the first party and the second party through the visitation control system comprises connecting a first one of the plurality of communications devices to a second one of the plurality of communications devices via the switching interface. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the step of establishing at least an audio connection between the first party and the second party through the visitation control system comprises establishing both an audio connection and a video connection between the first party and the second party through the visitation control system. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising terminating the communication between the first party and the second party at the conclusion of a preset period of time. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the visitation session is to be monitored; and   monitoring the visitation session in response to a determination that the visitation session is to be monitored.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising defining a plurality of visitation session monitoring criteria, wherein the step of determining whether the visitation session is to be monitored comprises assessing whether the visitation session meets at least one visitation session monitoring criterion. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising, during the step of monitoring the visitation session:
 detecting a violation of one or more rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment; and   terminating the communication between the first party and the second party upon detecting the violation of one or more rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising, during the step of monitoring the visitation session:
 detecting a violation of one or more rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment; and   notifying a third party upon detecting the violation of one or more rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising assigning an identification code to at least one of the first party and the second party, wherein at least one of the steps of using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a first party to the visitation session and using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a second party to the visitation session comprises using the identification code respectively assigned thereto to authenticate the respective party to the visitation system. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a biometric input measurement from at least one of the first party and the second party; and   associating the received biometric input measurement with the respective party,   wherein at least one of the steps of using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a first party to the visitation session and using the at least one authentication interface to authenticate a second party to the visitation session comprises using the biometric input measurement to identify the respective party to the visitation system.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the biometric input measurement is a fingerprint. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the biometric input measurement is a voice print. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of assessing whether the visitation session complies with a set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment comprises verifying that neither the first party nor the second party is prohibited from participating in visitation sessions. 
     
     
         19 . A system for managing visitation in a controlled-access environment, the system comprising:
 a visitation controller including a switching interface and a central processing unit to run a plurality of software programs, the plurality of software programs including:
 at least one software program controlling the switching interface; 
 at least one software program to schedule a visitation session; and 
 at least one software program monitoring compliance with a set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment; 
   a first communications device coupled to the visitation controller;   a second communications device coupled to the visitation controller;   a first authentication interface coupled to the visitation controller to authenticate a first party to a visitation session;   a second authentication interface coupled to the visitation controller to authenticate a second party to a visitation session;   at least one monitoring device coupled to the visitation controller to enable monitoring of the visitation session; and   a database coupled to the visitation controller to store a record of the visitation session, the record including at least information regarding identities of the first party to the visitation session and the second party to the visitation session.   
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the visitation controller establishes at least audio communication between the first communications device and the second communications device through the switching interface. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 20 , wherein the visitation controller establishes both audio communication and video communication between the first communications device and the second communications device through the switching interface. 
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the first authentication interface and the second authentication interface comprises a biometric interface. 
     
     
         23 . The system according to  claim 22 , wherein the biometric interface comprises a fingerprint identification interface. 
     
     
         24 . The system according to  claim 22 , wherein the biometric interface comprises a voice print identification interface. 
     
     
         25 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the first authentication interface and the second authentication interface comprises an identification code input interface. 
     
     
         26 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the at least one software program to schedule a visitation session and the at least one software program monitoring compliance with a set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment cooperate to prohibit scheduling of a visitation session that does not comply with the set of rules governing visitation in the controlled-access environment. 
     
     
         27 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the at least one monitoring devices enables at least near real-time monitoring of the visitation session. 
     
     
         28 . The system according  claim 19 , wherein the at least one monitoring device comprises a recording device to record the visitation session. 
     
     
         29 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein both the first communications device and the second communications device are internal to the controlled-access environment. 
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein one of the first communications device and the second communications device is external to the controlled-access environment. 
     
     
         31 . The system according to  claim 30 , wherein the one of the first communications device and the second communications device external to the controlled-access environment is coupled to the visitation controller via the Internet. 
     
     
         32 . The system according to  claim 19 , further comprising at least one visitation scheduling client in communication with the visitation controller and configured to invoke the at least one software program to schedule a visitation session. 
     
     
         33 . The system according to  claim 32 , wherein the at least one visitation scheduling client is external to the controlled-access environment. 
     
     
         34 . The system according to  claim 33 , wherein the at least one visitation scheduling client communicates with the visitation controller via the Internet.