If someone you love is locked up in Maryland, video can save you a long drive across the state, and at the state prison level, the video visit itself is free. Maryland runs its prison video visits over a standard videoconferencing platform at no charge to families. But the moment you step down to a county jail or into federal or immigration custody, the rules, vendor, and cost all change. So the first thing to nail down is which kind of facility your person is in.
Maryland splits custody three ways, and each handles video differently. The state prison system (DPSCS) runs more than 20 prisons and pre-release centers. County jails and detention centers, run locally, handle people awaiting trial and serving short sentences. And federal and immigration custody play by their own rules, with Maryland holding one federal prison and an ICE detention situation that's changing fast in 2026. Figure out which bucket your person is in first, because everything else flows from that.
Do Maryland state prisons offer video visitation?
Yes, and the video visit is free. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) offers both in-person and video visits, and it runs virtual social visits over Microsoft Teams as a free service to eligible incarcerated people and their approved visitors. (That's separate from the phone system, which runs through GTL/ViaPath's ConnectNetwork and is the paid part.) Before a video visit, each visitor has to submit a DPSCS Video Visitation Acknowledgement Form with valid information.
The way it usually works at DPSCS facilities: an incarcerated person is typically allowed up to two visits a week, often one in-person and one video, scheduled by the incarcerated person on a rotating basis by housing unit. Video sessions tend to be short (around 15 minutes at some facilities) and run on weekday and evening time blocks, while in-person visits are usually on weekends. Schedules vary a lot by facility, so check the page for the specific institution.
To get on the approved visitor list, the incarcerated person must add you, and there are eligibility rules: you generally must wait until the person has served a minimum period before qualifying, visitors 16 and older need a valid state-issued photo ID, and you can't be on parole or probation supervision, have open warrants, or be under home detention.
County and city jails
Maryland's county detention centers are run locally, and each picks its own vendor, so this is where cost and platform vary.
Montgomery County, for example, runs video visitation for its Detention Center and Correctional Facility through ICSolutions, where you register and schedule on the vendor's site, alongside on-site family visits. Other counties use their own providers (Securus, GTL/ViaPath, ICSolutions, and others). Some jails route phone and account deposits through ConnectNetwork (ViaPath) even when video is handled separately.
The vendor is facility-specific, so the company that works for one county won't necessarily be the one next door. One warning that saves people money and grief: accounts do not transfer between vendors. If your person moves from an ICSolutions jail to a Securus jail, your funds and account don't follow. You set up fresh with the new vendor.
How county jail video visitation usually works
There are two flavors, and the difference is the whole ballgame for your wallet.
Onsite (or "onsite video") means you drive to the jail and sit at a video terminal in the lobby to talk to the person, who's on a screen inside. Onsite video is frequently free or low-cost.
Remote video means you connect from your own phone, tablet, or computer at home. That convenience is what you pay for. Remote sessions are charged per session or per minute, you typically prepay into a vendor account, and you usually reserve a slot in advance.
Maryland jail video rates shift around, partly because the FCC has been capping these rates through 2024 to 2026 and partly because every facility prices differently. I'm not going to print a per-minute number here, because by the time you read it, it'll be wrong. Look up the rate on your specific jail's vendor page before you pay. What's stable is the structure: the state system's video is free, county onsite is often free or cheaper, county remote tends to cost, and there are usually advance-registration rules.
Setting up a video visit
The steps depend on whether it's a state prison or a county jail:
1. Find the system for that exact facility. For DPSCS it's Microsoft Teams (plus the acknowledgement form). For a county jail, check the local detention center's website, since it could be ICSolutions, Securus, ViaPath, or something else. Don't guess.
2. Get approved, then complete the right setup. For the state, the person must add you to their list, and you submit the DPSCS Video Visitation Acknowledgement Form. For a county jail, register with the listed vendor and verify your identity.
3. Add or confirm your inmate using the correct name and DOC or booking number, and make sure you're on the approved list.
4. Schedule your visit, choosing the slot (and onsite or remote at a county jail), and pay if it's a paid county remote session. State video is scheduled by the incarcerated person.
5. Test your device and log in early. Get on about 15 minutes ahead. Check your camera, microphone, speakers, and internet. A failed connection on your end usually still burns the visit slot.
Federal and immigration custody
If your person is in federal Bureau of Prisons custody, Maryland has one BOP facility: FCI Cumberland, a medium-security federal prison with an adjacent minimum-security camp, in Allegany County in far western Maryland (about 130 miles from Washington, D.C.). The BOP runs primarily in-person visiting with only limited video, so use the BOP inmate locator to find the institution and check its specific visiting rules. If someone was recently arrested on a federal charge and isn't in the BOP locator yet, they're likely still in U.S. Marshals custody during the designation period.
Immigration custody in Maryland is in flux, so be careful with older information. For years, a few Maryland county jails (Howard, Frederick, and Worcester) held ICE detainees under contract, but Maryland passed the Dignity Not Detention Act, which required those counties to end their ICE agreements and barred state and local governments from subsidizing privately run immigration detention. As a result, Maryland has not had routine ICE detention in its local jails, and people detained by ICE in Maryland have typically been transferred out of state. In 2026, the federal government moved to open Maryland's first dedicated ICE detention center, a large facility planned at a warehouse in Washington County (near Williamsport, in the Hagerstown area), with capacity reported in the hundreds to over a thousand. That facility has been the subject of an active legal fight, including a lawsuit by the Maryland Attorney General, so its status is unsettled. Because so much is in motion, confirm the current situation directly rather than relying on this paragraph alone. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator, which needs the person's A-Number (the nine-digit alien registration number) or their name plus country of birth, and check it often, since transfers can move someone out of the region quickly.
A note on staying connected
Video is good for one thing money can't really replace: seeing a face, watching a kid wave, reading an expression. And in Maryland, at the state level, the video visit costs you nothing, so use it.
But be honest with yourself about what carries the weight day to day. Mail is the steadiest line there is. It doesn't drop the call, doesn't need a scheduled slot, and the person can hold it and read it again at 2 a.m. when the walls close in. Phone calls are the backbone of staying in touch, the thing you'll actually do most weeks. Video is the bonus on top, the face-to-face when you can get it. Build your routine around mail and calls, and treat video as the thing that makes the distance feel a little smaller.
Related pages:
/prisons/maryland
FCC 2026 call and video rate caps guide
Arrest Record Search (affiliate)
Frequently asked questions
Do Maryland state prisons offer video visits?
Yes. DPSCS offers video alongside in-person visits, running virtual social visits over Microsoft Teams. Most people get up to two visits a week.
Are Maryland state video visits free?
Yes. DPSCS offers virtual visitation over Microsoft Teams as a free service to eligible incarcerated people and their approved visitors.
Is in-person visiting still allowed in Maryland?
Yes. DPSCS offers in-person visits, usually on weekends, alongside video. Many facilities allow one in-person and one video visit per week.
What platform does DPSCS use for video?
Microsoft Teams for the video visit itself. The phone system runs separately through GTL/ViaPath's ConnectNetwork. You also submit a DPSCS Video Visitation Acknowledgement Form.
How do I get on the approved visitor list?
The incarcerated person must add you. You generally must wait a minimum period after they're admitted, can't be on parole/probation or have open warrants, and need photo ID if 16 or older.
What vendor do Maryland county jails use?
It varies by county. Montgomery County uses ICSolutions; others use Securus, ViaPath, or other providers. Always confirm on the local detention center's website.
Are county jail video visits free in Maryland?
Sometimes. Onsite video at the jail is often free or cheaper. Remote video from home is usually charged per session or minute by the vendor.
What is onsite vs remote video visiting?
Onsite means you go to the jail and use a terminal there, often free. Remote means you connect from your own device at home, which typically costs money at county jails.
Do vendor accounts transfer between jails?
No. Accounts and funds don't move between vendors. If your person transfers to a jail using a different company, you set up a new account with that vendor.
How do I find which facility someone is in?
Use the DPSCS Incarcerated Individual Locator for state custody, the county detention center's roster for local jails, and the BOP locator for federal. Confirm before scheduling.
Is there a federal prison in Maryland?
Yes, one: FCI Cumberland, a medium-security federal prison with a minimum-security camp, in Allegany County in western Maryland.
Does Maryland have an ICE detention center?
Historically no, after county ICE contracts ended. In 2026 the federal government moved to open the state's first dedicated ICE facility in Washington County, but it's tied up in litigation.
What is the Dignity Not Detention Act?
A Maryland law that required counties holding ICE detainees to end those contracts and barred state and local governments from subsidizing private immigration detention.
How do I find someone in ICE custody?
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. You'll need the person's A-Number, or their full name plus country of birth. Check often, since people are often moved out of state.
Is video the only way to see an inmate?
It depends on the facility. State prisons offer in-person plus free video. Some county jails lean on video, and federal and ICE custody have their own limits.
What do I need to set up a video visit?
Approval to be on the list, the right platform or vendor account, the inmate's name and DOC or booking number, and a tested device with a camera and good internet. ====================================================================