What Happens When Centinela Switches to Securus: A Timeline for Families

This switch is happening because CDCR awarded its new telecommunications contract to Securus Technologies, LLC on February 21, 2025. That state-level decision drives the vendor change at Centinela - once the transition happens, families will use Securus for all communication services going forward.

CDCR also secured an interim agreement with ViaPath to keep people connected during the handoff. It won't be perfectly seamless, but the goal is to minimize the "dead time" families sometimes experience when vendors change.

Rollout Dates

• ✓ Phone transition (tentative): April 6
• ✓ Tablet exchange window (tentative): April 8–10

On Centinela's tentative phone-transition day (4/6), expect the caller ID to look different. If you recognize your loved one's calls by the number that pops up, that number will likely change. Worth noting if you screen unknown calls or use spam-blocking settings.

1. Expect the ViaPath tablet to be turned in - during the transition, incarcerated people exchange devices rather than keeping the old one.
2. Look for the new Securus tablet to be issued - after turning in the ViaPath tablet, they receive a new Securus tablet.
3. Treat April 8–10 as the key window (tentative) - for Centinela, the tablet exchange was listed for April 8–10, so that’s the stretch to plan around.

Practical Steps

• ✓ Create your Securus account (web or mobile) so you’re ready when CDCR video calls and electronic messaging are available.
• ✓ Mark April 6 and April 8–10 as tentative and keep some flexibility in your plans that week.
• ✓ Plan for short service interruptions around the phone and tablet transition dates, even if everything is moving as scheduled.

A little prep now saves stress later. CDCR's interim ViaPath arrangement aims to prevent major service interruptions, but intermittent outages can still happen. Treat the rollout dates as "plan around" days - if calls or tablet services are spotty, it's likely tied to the switch, not something you did wrong.

Need to confirm Centinela-specific updates? Call the prison's main line at (760) 337-7900. Staff can tell you whether the phone transition and tablet exchange window are still on track - especially useful since the rollout dates are tentative.