As of May 2013, the total population of prison inmates in the United States was estimated to be 218,171. For most of these inmates, one of the few things they have to look forward to while in prison, is seeing family and friends through prisoner visitation rights. In the past, the only way for family or friends to visit prisoners involved them making a trip to the prison to see them in person. With the advancement of technology, prisoner visitation rights can be granted through video visitation systems, a type of virtual visitation using webcams and monitors to connect each party.