Solicitors booking video conference visits with prisoners
The Criminal Law Committee has asked solicitors to follow these guidelines when booking a video conference with a client in prison.
Published:
- Please ensure that you use the booking for the individual prisoner concerned. If a booking is not taken up, the visiting slot is lost and it cannot be given to another solicitor at short notice.
- Please do not change the identity of the person with whom the prison visit is booked at late notice, as this disrupts the process.
- Practitioners should ensure that you are in an appropriate location to deal with the video conference visit. Please do not take such visits in public places.
- Please keep a record and follow up on any occasion or occasions where a visit did not take place a result of a problem with the Irish Prison Service.
- Please ensure that you have an appropriate device in order to carry out the visit. The Prison Service has recommended that the best equipment to facilitate this would be a laptop or a computer equipped with the camera and microphone. While an Apple or Android phone or tablet should be suitable, using a device without a stable wi-fi connection may result in problems with the visit.
- Please ensure that you log in on time for your visit. Solicitors should ensure that they are available to log in at the time that the visit is booked for or shortly beforehand.
Guidance and information for practitioners
For information and current issues regarding criminal law practice, visit the Criminal Law Committee page.
