North Kern State Prison (NKSP) is a CDCR institution in Delano, Kern County, in California's Central Valley. It runs a reception center that processes newly committed men, alongside a medium-custody general population facility and a minimum-support facility, and serves as CDCR's Central and Southern California transportation hub. This guide covers CDCR's statewide inmate locator, how to schedule a visit through the VSA system, sending money with JPay, free phone calls, and mail rules. All data is verified from cdcr.ca.gov.
City
Delano
County
Kern County
State
CA
Facility Type
state prison
Gender
Male
Capacity
Not published by CDCR as a fixed number; check the current Weekly Population Report
Custody Levels
Reception center, plus a medium-custody general population facility and a minimum-support facility with a Level I firehouse
Operator
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)
Address
2737 West Cecil Avenue, Delano, CA 93215
Phone
(661) 721-2345
Inmate Locator
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CDCR runs one statewide inmate search tool, not a separate tool per prison. Here's how to confirm someone is at NKSP, and why reception center listings change fast.
View ArticleYou need CDCR Form 106 approval first, then you book your visit through the statewide VSA system.
View ArticleDeposits go through JPay statewide, or by mail directly to the institution payable to CDCR.
View ArticleAll outgoing calls from NKSP are free. Here's how the tablet transition to Securus affects families.
View ArticleNorth Kern uses a different P.O. Box for each yard, so the address depends on the person's housing.
View ArticleCDCR runs one statewide inmate search tool, CIRIS, not a separate tool per facility. Search by name or CDCR number, then confirm the result lists North Kern. Because NKSP is a reception center, listings change quickly as people are classified and transferred.
See the full breakdownYou need CDCR Form 106 signed by the incarcerated person and approved by North Kern's Visiting Department before you can schedule anything. Once approved, book through CDCR's statewide VSA system.
See the full breakdownJPay processes deposits statewide: online, by phone, or by mailing a money order to JPay's lockbox. You can also mail a check or money order payable to CDCR directly to the institution, with a 30-day hold.
See the full breakdownAll outgoing voice calls are free statewide, limited to 15 minutes. CDCR is switching tablets and messaging from ViaPath to Securus through 2026, so confirm the current provider with the institution.
See the full breakdownNorth Kern routes inmate mail through a separate P.O. Box for each facility (yard), so you need the person's current housing to address a letter correctly.
See the full breakdown6 of 8 questions
Use CIRIS, the California Incarcerated Records and Information Search, at ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov. Search by name or CDCR number, then confirm the result lists North Kern State Prison. Because NKSP is a reception center, recheck close to any visit since people transfer out quickly.
Inmate SearchFriday 11:30am to 5:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 8:30am to 2:30pm. Walk-in visits run at separate, shorter hours. Reception center listings change fast, so call (661) 721-2345 to confirm before you travel.
VisitationYes. CDCR Form 106, the Visitor Questionnaire, must be signed by the incarcerated person and mailed to North Kern's Visiting Department at P.O. Box 567, Delano, CA 93216, for a background check before you're added to the approved visitor list. Once approved, you schedule visits yourself through CDCR's VSA system.
VisitationNorth Kern routes inmate mail through a separate P.O. Box for each facility (yard) instead of one shared box. You need to know the person's current housing, Facility A, B, C, D, or M, to use the right box. Confirm their housing on CIRIS before you send anything.
MailCDCR doesn't publish a single downloadable family handbook PDF. Instead, its Prepare to Visit section on cdcr.ca.gov walks through ID requirements, attire rules, what you can bring, and what happens during processing, as a set of live webpages instead of one document.
AboutAll outgoing voice calls are free statewide, limited to 15 minutes. For tablets, video, and e-messages, CDCR is moving from ViaPath to Securus one institution at a time through 2026. Call (661) 721-2345 to confirm the current provider before you create an account.
Phone CallsNorth Kern State Prison (NKSP) is a CDCR institution in Delano, Kern County. It runs a reception center that processes newly committed men, usually within about 90 days, alongside a medium-custody general population facility and a minimum-support facility. NKSP is also the Central and Southern California transportation hub for CDCR.
AboutNo. They're two separate CDCR prisons, both in Delano. North Kern State Prison is a reception center, while Kern Valley State Prison is a higher-security general population institution. Confirm which one holds the person on CIRIS before you visit or send anything.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified July 18, 2026. Official source: cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/nksp ›