When Loved Ones Are in Jail, Do Families Have a ‘Right to Hug’?

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, October 1, 2026

Solano County's decision to replace in-person jail visits with paid video calls over a decade ago is now facing a lawsuit challenging the elimination of physical visitation and the county's profit from these calls. This case highlights a growing national debate over the balance between security, commercialization, and the rights of incarcerated individuals to maintain meaningful contact with their families.

More than a decade ago, Solano County, California, shifted from traditional in-person visits for incarcerated individuals to video calls, a change that has sparked recent legal challenges over visitation rights. This move, initiated by the county sheriff’s office through a 2014 contract with a technology company, effectively eliminated face-to-face contact between inmates and their families, replacing it with paid video calls described in the contract as a new “profit center.”

The terms of the contract, revealed through a lawsuit filed by relatives of inmates in Solano County, allege that the county has prioritized revenue over family connections, demanding that visitation be conducted solely through costly video platforms. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking to restore physical visitation rights and to compel the county to relinquish the profits accrued from these calls.

Joseph Duran Jr., one of the plaintiffs, has been unable to visit his son, Joseph Duran III, in person for years. His son is serving a life sentence in prison and was temporarily held in a Solano County jail for court proceedings. While Mr. Duran became eligible to visit his son during that time, the jail restricted access to video visits only. Mr. Duran describes the video calls, priced at $5.70 per 30 minutes, as unreliable and insufficient substitutes for in-person interaction, limiting their ability to maintain close contact.

Civil rights groups have framed this issue as a broader “right to hug” movement, advocating for the restoration of physical visitation and opposing the commercialization of communication with incarcerated individuals. This development is part of a larger national trend, where hundreds of county jails have adopted video-only visitation policies in recent years.

Jail officials defend the shift to virtual visits by citing security concerns, including reducing contraband smuggling and decreasing staffing requirements for visits. However, critics argue that the financial incentives embedded in contracts with private companies have played a significant role in eliminating face-to-face contact.

The issue has also drawn attention from state lawmakers. California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation mandating that juveniles in state custody be allowed physical contact during visits in most cases. Additional bills aimed at strengthening visitation rights in adult prisons are currently under consideration.

While federal and most state prisons continue to permit in-person visitation, including for death row inmates, the shift to video-only communication in county jails represents a significant departure, raising ongoing concerns about the social and emotional impact on incarcerated individuals and their families.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.