OWENSBORO, Ky. — The Daviess County Detention Center is opening a small but powerful window this holiday season.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person contact in 2020, inmates are allowed one 15-minute booth visit with loved ones.

The temporary program, which runs weekdays from Dec. 8 through Dec. 23, marks a deliberate return to something many families believed was gone forever. Each inmate gets a single visit, conducted through security glass, in addition to weekly free remote video calls that became the norm five years ago.

Jailer Art Maglinger said the decision came as staffing levels finally stabilized after years of shortages.

“We transitioned to remote video visitation during COVID, and there are many benefits to it,” Maglinger said. “But as our staf

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