When an inmate in one of Denver’s two jails gets a visit from friends or family, they generally meet over a video system instead of in person.

Denver’s Office of Independent Monitor, the city’s civilian police watchdog agency, wants that changed.

As part of its 2017 semiannual report, the office recommended the change citing data suggesting in-person visits ultimately reduce the likelihood of recidivism. And, while the city is in the bidding process for a new video visitation system, it’s the perfect time to reevaluate the policy, the Independent Monitor said.

As the office explained in a press statement this week, inmates sit at video terminals in the jail housing areas during a visit, while visitors communicate with them at corresponding video terminals in jail lobbies.

“There is powerful evidence that in-person visits – particularly between inmates and their children – keep inmates connected while they are in custody, which improves their psychological well-being, reduces their likelihood of violating jail rules, and decreases the chances that they will reoffend after they are released,” Independent Monitor Nicholas Mitchell said in a statement.

Academic research cited in the report points to in-person visits reducing inmate recidivism rates by as much as 30 percent, with potentially larger reductions in violent crime. The office argues in-person visits could be impactful in Denver jails where one out of every two people released are back behind city bars within one year.

“Before making a significant, long-term investment in a new video visitation system, the city should reconsider its exclusive video visitation approach and begin a process of reinstating in-person visits in Denver’s jails,” said Mr. Mitchell.  “It is not only the right thing to do; it would also lead to measurable benefits for inmates, their children, and our collective public safety.”