Visiting Suspension Extended Through May 14; JPay Providing Free Weekly Email

April 6, 2020

Dear Family and Friends:

The Missouri Department of Corrections continues to work with health professionals to contain the spread of the COVID-19 (commonly known as “coronavirus”) in Missouri.

Currently there are no cases of COVID-19 inside any Missouri Department of Corrections facility. We want to keep it that way as long as we can. To decrease risks and keep your loved ones as safe and healthy as possible, we’re taking extra precautions.

One of these precautions is a month-long extension of the visiting suspension implemented March 12. Visiting will continue to be suspended through May 14. At that time, corrections and health administrators will reassess the state of our public health crisis and make determinations about the next steps.

We recognize that visiting is an essential part of rehabilitation and close contact with loved ones is particularly important during times of stress and uncertainty. For this reason, we have worked with vendors to help provide some free weekly communication with offenders.

• Starting April 7, JPay, the company providing email communications in Missouri Department of Corrections facilities, will begin providing one free email stamp per week for each offender. The credited stamp will replenish each week. This is in addition to the four free stamps JPay already provides each month.
• On March 23, Securus, the company providing offender phone services in Missouri Department of Corrections facilities began offering two free 10-minute phone calls per week for each offender. These free calls will continue until further notice.

While there’s no true substitute for face-to-face visits, we’re grateful to our partners for helping to keep families in close contact during this difficult time.

For regular updates on Missouri Department of Corrections COVID-19 containment efforts, please visit our website.