When the pandemic hit, New York state prisons banned in-person visits in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. 

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision began to expand the use of video visits at state lock-ups as an alternative. 

Now, the Brooklyn Public Library has begun a program to make it even easier for people to connect online with loved ones behind bars. 

The BPL last month started to offer private rooms and large video screens with hookups to nine state facilities, including some an hours-long drive away. In prison, incarcerated people use portable tablets for online meetings. 

“It’s really about maintaining connection for incarcerated people and their families,” said Michael Carey, the BPL’s Justice Initiatives Coordinator.

Carey, the driving force behind the venture, stressed that the video visits in no way should be used to completely replace in-person visits. 

“When someone is sent upstate it’s very difficult for families to stay connected,” he said. “The telestory program is a supplement to that.”

The initiative involves a few part time staff who help families register for the visits and some equipment like 42-inch screens. Operating expenses are between $130,000 and $150,000 annually, incorporated into the BPL’s overall budget. 

The program comes as Mayor Eric Adams has cut library funding, forcing branches to reduce hours, delay repairs, and reduce new book and material purchases. 

Still, Carey, and prison officials, hope the video visits will eventually expand to include all 44 state facilities. 

“The department believes that a key component for the successful re-entry of an incarcerated individual is maintaining a social connection with friends and family,” said DOCCS spokesperson Thomas Mailey. 

He noted that the department “contracts with outside organizations…to facilitate video visits” currently offered at 20 facilities. DOCCS has “plans for future expansion,” he added. 

People interested in scheduling a video visit can call or text the BPL at 718-916-9408 or email telestory@bklynlibrary.org. Before an initial visit, they must fill out an intake form and sign a consent form before contacting the library. 

This year, some 509 video visits have occurred as of Nov. 1, according to DOCCS records. There were 399 in 2019; 565 in 2020; 544 in 2021, and 370 in 2020. 

Meanwhile, in-person visits have not returned to pre-pandemic levels of 555,563 in 2019, records show. This year, 285,530 of those visits have happened as of Nov. 30, according to DOCCS. There were 216,642 in 2020; 206,699 in 2021; and 276,372 in 2022, department records show. 

The prison population has declined over the same five year period, records show. Some 44,276 people were locked up in state prisons as of Dec. 31, 2019. That number dropped to 34,405 that same date in 2020; 30,571 in 2021; 31,310 in 2022; and 32,633 this year, according to DOCCS. 

By all accounts, visits are a lifeline for people behind bars, especially for younger detainees who are sometimes away from their families for the first time. 

“What the Brooklyn Public Library is doing is a big benefit for everybody,” said Mark Cranston, a former acting city correction commissioner at the start of the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

“It’s hard to calculate the importance of visits for people who are incarcerated,” he added. “The ability to connect to the outside world and have some hope.” 

Vanessa Santiago, who spent 17 and a half years in state prison, said she always looked forward to visits from her husband. 

“They meant everything to me,” she said, “it took me out of the normal common day of prison.”