California Institution for Women Phone Calls

Voice Calls Are Free

Since January 1, 2023, CDCR has made all outgoing audio phone calls free for both incarcerated people and the families and friends they call. There’s no per-minute charge to worry about. Calls are limited to 15 minutes each, and it’s up to the incarcerated person to place the call. You can give them a number to call, but you can’t call in to them directly.

The ViaPath to Securus Transition

CDCR awarded a new statewide telecommunications contract to Securus Technologies in February 2025, after a court ruling vacated the prior contract with ViaPath Technologies. To avoid a service gap, CDCR kept ViaPath running on an interim basis while transitioning institutions to Securus one at a time. California Institution for Women’s phone system transitioned on February 2, and its tablets transitioned February 5 through February 13, meaning CIW is fully on Securus as of this guide’s last verification date.

Signing Up for Securus

Since CIW has completed its transition, families should sign up directly with Securus at securustech.net/cdcr for video calls, e-messages, and other tablet-based features. If your incarcerated family member is later transferred to a CDCR institution that hasn’t transitioned yet, you’ll need to go back to using ViaPath for that facility until it completes its own transition.

What Changed With the Switch

Securus offers lower per-minute costs on video calls and e-messages compared to ViaPath’s old rates, along with a higher number of free video minutes and e-messages included each month. Some features priced differently between the two platforms, so check current rates directly with Securus instead of assuming ViaPath’s old pricing still applies.

Content Doesn’t Transfer

Photos, e-messages, and other media purchased or received through ViaPath do not carry over to the new Securus tablets. If someone wants to keep copies of anything from their ViaPath tablet, they need to print it from the tablet or a kiosk before the facility’s transition date. Family members cannot request these prints on the incarcerated person’s behalf.

Refunds and Balances

Anyone with an unused ViaPath balance can request a refund through ViaPath’s call center. Any balance on the incarcerated person’s side is refunded automatically to their trust account.

If You Have Trouble

For account or billing questions, contact Securus’s customer support line directly. CDCR posts major outage notices on its website if there’s a service interruption during the transition period.