The Vanderburgh County jail is eliminating face-to-face visits, in favor of video conferences.
Sheriff Dave Wedding says the new Telmate system will allow inmates to meet with their families and friends via a video screen.
He says family members will no longer have to travel to the jail to see their loved ones, and they can communicate through email and text.
Wedding says inmates will share electronic tablets at a cost of five cents a minute. He says the fees will offset the costs of the tablets.
Each inmate will still receive two free visits a week, but it will be through a video screen -- not face-to-face through a glass partition.
Authorities say jail staff will have 24-hour access and control of the video, phone, and tablet services.