Families have not been allowed to visit the Marion County jail in person since 2022.
It was supposed to be temporary. Here is what we know, what we have asked for, and what you can do.
When the Marion County Adult Detention Center opened on the Community Justice Campus in 2022, family visits moved to video. The campus cost $575 million. Families were told the change was temporary.
Four years later, the Sheriff's Office lists in-person visits for attorneys and professionals only. Families see their loved ones through a screen, and pay for remote video calls through the jail's tablet provider, ViaPath (GettingOut).
My son lives with a serious mental illness. He spent nine months in that jail. When he was in psychosis, a scheduled video call often never happened. We went months without real contact, while the people in his life who knew him best were locked out of the building.
Families do work the county would otherwise pay for. Shutting them out makes the jail harder to run.
Why visits matter
- Safer jails. A study of a county jail found that visits were linked to less serious misconduct (Pierce and colleagues, Security Journal, 2018). The Urban Institute summarizes research showing a 25% drop in misconduct with family visits.
- Less crime after release. Minnesota's Department of Correction followed about 16,000 people released from prison. Any visit lowered the risk of a new felony conviction by 13% and of a revocation for a technical violation by 25%.
- Help for short-staffed deputies. Fox59 reported that soon after the new jail opened, two deputies were supervising a floor of about 900 people, and the Sheriff said the office was short about 100 deputies and 100 support staff. Visits give deputies a reason for people to stay out of trouble, at no cost to taxpayers.
- Families as partners. Families calm, motivate, track medication history, and line up housing and work for release day. For someone with serious mental illness, that support can decide whether they come back.
It has been reversed before
In Genesee County, Michigan, the sheriff ended in-person visits and moved families to paid video through ViaPath. In March 2024, families of children with parents in the jail filed a class action. Local advocates organized. Within months the sheriff launched "Operation Restoration," and in-person contact visits returned in July 2024. He said the lawsuit "got my attention."
Where the candidates stand
Marion County elects a new sheriff on November 3, 2026. On September 25, we asked both candidates, in writing, whether they would restore in-person family visits and by when. We will publish their answers in full.
| Candidate | Asked | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Kelvis Williams | Sept. 25, 2026 | No answer yet |
| Tom Vaughn | Sept. 25, 2026 | No answer yet |
What we are asking for
Restore in-person family visits at the Adult Detention Center, with a public date, and keep video as an added option for families who live far away.
What we have requested
We have filed a public records request with the Marion County Sheriff's Office for the ViaPath contract, the county's revenue from calls and video visits since 2022, and the decision that kept visits video-only. New federal rules that took effect in April 2026 bar jails from taking commissions on calls and video visits. We will publish what the records show.
What you can do
- Ask the candidates. Email Kelvis Williams at info@kelviswilliams4sheriff.com and reach Tom Vaughn through his campaign contact form. One question is enough: will you restore in-person family visits, and by when?
- Tell us what happened to your family. Your story adds weight. Share it here, anonymously if you prefer.
- Pass this page on. Send it to someone who has a loved one inside, or anyone who votes in Marion County.
Sources
- Genesee County: ABC12, June 2024; ABC12, January 2025
- Pierce et al., Security Journal, 2018
- Urban Institute
- Minnesota Department of Correction (2011), via Prison Legal News
- Staffing: Fox59
- Campus cost and opening: Inside Indiana Business
Kate Vale, a mother in the gallery