Solano County
“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.
In Solano County, California, our lawsuit alleges that the County, the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Brad DeWall, and the for-profit telecom company iWebVisit 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.
In Etter v. Solano County, plaintiffs are children and parents of individuals who are incarcerated in Solano County. Together, the plaintiffs are asserting a fundamental right to family association under the California Constitution, which the Defendants’ for-profit family separation scheme violates.
This is the fourth lawsuit filed as part of the larger Right 2 Hug Project, which raises novel and vital constitutional questions, including whether the government can ban all contact between children and parents merely because one of them is jailed, even though the ban on visits serves no compelling government interest and was adopted for the purpose of making money.
“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.
The lawsuit was filed on July 22, 2026. Plaintiffs are represented by Berkeley Law’s Criminal Law & Justice Center, BraunHagey & Borden LLP, Civil Rights Corps, and Public Justice.
Filings:
Amended Complaint