Lubbock County Detention Center open to visitors again

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Wednesday was the first day Governor Gregg Abbott allowed Texas prisons and county jails to have visitors again if they chose to do so, which had the lobby of the Lubbock County Detention Center full of visitors wanting to see loved ones.

Even before the pandemic, visitations at the LCDC were through video conference hosted at the Detention Center.

Detention Center Chief, Cody Scott, said there were approximately 1,230 inmates on Wednesday, which had a lot of visitors coming in and out.

“We have been working over the last several days to make sure the video visitation equipment that we use is, is in working order, because it’s been almost a year since it’s been used.”

There are 68 computer booths for visitors to use. Chief Scott says with the pandemic, inmates were allowed two extra phone calls because the computers were shut down for the past year.

Camey Haney said she was really looking forward to seeing and catching up with her fiancé.

“Our life… our kids. It’s crazy that we have only been able to correspond through letters or over the phone. We haven’t be able to have visits.”

Camey says even though masks are not enforced at the Detention Center, she wanted to wear one to be safe and agreed with opening visitation.

“I think it’s good for the inmates inside and the visitors outside.”

Roger Mullenix, another visitor, said he was looking forward to seeing his grandson.

“I just heard from his grandmother that we could visit and just a couple of hours ago, we found out.”

“I just want to tell him that we are praying for him”

“We’re allowing one visit per inmate per day. And at some point in the future, when all the excitement of this kind of settles down and goes back to normal, then we’ll have unlimited visits for inmates on a daily basis, just like we were doing before,” said Scott.