Do I have to pay for phone calls from Central California Women's Facility?
No. All outgoing voice calls have been free statewide since January 1, 2023, for both the incarcerated person and the person receiving the call.
Phone CallsVoice calls are free statewide. CCWF has already switched its tablet and video provider to Securus.
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Every outgoing voice call from Central California Women’s Facility is free, a statewide policy CDCR has followed since January 1, 2023. Video calls, e-messages, and tablet features are handled separately by a different vendor, and CCWF has already completed CDCR’s transition from ViaPath Technologies to Securus Technologies for those services.
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.
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. Central California Women’s Facility’s phone system transitioned on March 2, and its tablets transitioned March 3 through March 6, meaning CCWF is fully on Securus as of this guide’s last verification date.
Since CCWF 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
6 of 7 questions
No. All outgoing voice calls have been free statewide since January 1, 2023, for both the incarcerated person and the person receiving the call.
Phone Calls15 minutes per call. The incarcerated person has to initiate the call; you can't call in directly.
Phone CallsCCWF has completed CDCR's transition from ViaPath Technologies to Securus Technologies. Its phone system switched March 2, and tablets switched March 3-6.
Phone CallsSign up directly with Securus at securustech.net/cdcr, since CCWF has already completed its transition from ViaPath.
Phone CallsNo. Content on ViaPath tablets doesn't carry over. The incarcerated person needs to print anything they want to keep from a tablet or kiosk before the transition date, and family members can't request prints on their behalf.
Phone CallsYou'd need to go back to using the ViaPath platform for that institution until it completes its own transition to Securus. CDCR's rollout happens facility by facility, not all at once.
Phone CallsYou can request a refund through ViaPath's call center. Any balance on the incarcerated person's side refunds automatically to their trust account.
Phone CallsConfirm their location before setting up calls.
View ArticlePlan a visit alongside your regular calls.
View ArticleDeposits cover commissary, separate from free phone calls.
View ArticleSend letters and photos between calls and visits.
View ArticleSearch for your loved one and start sending photos, letters, and messages today.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified July 14, 2026.