FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2026

Media Contacts:
Public Justice | Nicole Funaro | communications@publicjustice.net
BraunHagey & Borden LLP | Kory DeClark | declark@braunhagey.com | (415) 599-0210
Criminal Law & Justice Center | Rio Scharf | rioscharf@berkeley.edu | (510) 239-3119
Civil Rights Corps | Madhvi Venkatraman | media@civilrightscorps.org

The lawsuit challenges a conspiracy between the Solano County Sheriff’s Office and the jail telecom company iWebVisit to profit from eliminating in-person contact visits

SOLANO COUNTY, CA – On July 22, children and parents of people jailed in Solano County sued the County, the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Brad DeWall, and the for-profit telecom company iWebVisit (“Defendants”), asking a California state court to affirm their right to hug their family. The lawsuit alleges that the Defendants conspired to profit from banning in-person contact visits at the county jails, thereby forcing families to pay for expensive video calls to stay in touch with their loved ones. Plaintiffs assert a fundamental right to family association under the California Constitution, which the Defendants’ for-profit family separation scheme violates.

Across the United States, hundreds of jails have eliminated contact visitation in favor of expensive phone and video calls, including in Solano County. The Right 2 Hug Project is fighting to end these family separation policies. This is the fourth lawsuit filed as part of the project, following two cases filed in Michigan and one in Colorado.

Contact visit bans can cause irreparable harm to a parent-child relationship. “Ever since my dad went to jail, I haven’t been able to hug him, touch him, or be in the same room as him. I feel our relationship changing. I notice myself feeling less connected to him. I can tell that I’m distancing myself from him even though I don’t want to [… ],” said 15-year-old plaintiff BaKari Jacoby Etter, whose father is detained in Solano County. “Some days are extra hard, like my birthday and Father’s Day. On those days, I feel especially sad that the jail won’t let me see him.”

In 2014, Solano County signed an exclusive video call contract with iWebVisit, which ensured that the Sheriff’s Office would pocket up to 35% of the money families pay to speak to their loved ones. Since the contract went into effect, families have paid between $5.70 and $9.00 for a 30-minute video call. In Fiscal Year 2024–25 alone, iWebVisit paid Solano County $147,000 in revenue share from the video calls. Loved ones of people jailed in the County bear the financial and emotional burdens of the family visit ban, while Solano County and iWebVisit profit.

“Every dollar I spend on iWebVisit is a dollar I am not spending on food, on hygiene supplies, or on doing my laundry. I regularly have to choose between calling my son and meeting my own basic needs,” said 70-year-old plaintiff Deborah Fernandez Crowder Music, whose son is detained in Solano County.

Contact visits are irreplaceable. “In my life, I have experienced almost every kind of communication a family can have with someone in custody — overnight visits, contact visits, through-glass, and video calls. Relying on anything other than contact visits really takes something away from the relationship. Through-glass is heartbreaking. Video is even further removed,” said plaintiff Joseph Duran Jr., whose son is jailed in Solano County.

Plaintiffs are asking the court to put an end to Solano County’s cruel family visit ban and permit contact visits for parents and children at all Solano County jails so they can finally hug their loved ones again. “If the Solano County jails allowed family contact visits, I would visit Kam every week. I would bring her younger sister to see her, and I would help her grandmothers see her too,” said plaintiff Kenetra Chappelle, whose daughter is jailed in Solano County. “It would mean the world to be able to hug my daughter again. It would give me a chance to show her that her family is still here for her, especially now that she is grieving the loss of her father.”

Learn more about the case and find relevant documents HERE.

Plaintiffs are represented by Berkeley Law’s Criminal Law & Justice Center, BraunHagey & Borden LLP, Civil Rights Corps, and Public Justice.

Quotes from the legal team:

“Under the California Constitution, families of incarcerated people are still afforded a right to family integrity. This includes the ability to hug and hold hands with their incarcerated loved one. Families, and especially children, should not be denied their most basic human needs so that tech companies and jails can make money. We look forward to protecting Solano County families and advancing reform on this issue in California and nationwide.” – Kory DeClark, Partner at BraunHagey & Borden LLP

“We hope the county makes the right choice — the only lawful and moral choice — to stop profiting from family separation and allow children to hug their parents.” – Alexandra Jordan, Senior Attorney at Public Justice

“I grew up visiting my parents behind bars, so I know that being in the same room with the people you love is what holds families together through incarceration. The California Constitution protects that bond. Yet Solano County profits by charging families for video calls while banning contact visits — monetizing the very bond the Constitution protects. Our lawsuit is about restoring that right to hug.” – Chesa Boudin, Founding Executive Director of Berkeley Law’s Criminal Law & Justice Center

“iWebVisit and Solano County have made hundreds of thousands of dollars by banning children from hugging their parents, leaving expensive calls as the only option for families to communicate. The ban on family visits is about profit, nothing else. Profiteering has never been considered a compelling government interest. We hope that the court recognizes this and affirms California children’s right to hug their parents.” – Matt Garcia, attorney at Civil Rights Corps

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Civil Rights Corps challenges everyday injustice in the U.S. legal system. Through innovative civil rights litigation, advocacy, and public education, we aim to re-sensitize the legal system and our culture to the injustice and brutality that characterize it. Our work is guided by a commitment to the people and communities harmed by policing, surveillance, incarceration, discrimination, and the criminalization of poverty.

Public Justice  takes on the most significant systemic threats to justice of our time—abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights and liberties, and the destruction of the earth’s sustainability. We link high-impact litigation with strategic communications and the strength of our partnerships to combat these abusive and discriminatory systems and achieve social and economic justice.

BraunHagey & Borden LLP is the nation’s leading bi-coastal litigation boutique with offices in San Francisco and New York City, representing innovative businesses, entrepreneurs and investors in bet-the-company disputes and complex corporate litigation across the country. The firm’s unique Impact Practice helps protect underserved communities and causes in an array of civil and human rights disputes affecting millions of people.

UC Berkeley’s Criminal Law & Justice Center: Blending a data-driven approach with zealous advocacy, the center offers empirical insights into the intricacies of the legal system and policy outcomes. We harness the wealth of perspectives, experiences, and expertise that our students and faculty bring to bridge the gap between scholarship and real-world impact.