Video Call & Messaging Price Changes at Pleasant Valley After the Securus Switch — The Exact Differences
Pleasant Valley State Prison is switching providers, and the biggest everyday change for families comes down to what you'll pay—and what's free—for video calls and e-messages. Here's exactly how the prices compare, based on CDCR's official cost breakdown.
Paid video calls drop from $0.16 per minute with ViaPath to $0.10 per minute with Securus, according to CDCR's cost comparison chart. If you've been budgeting around the ViaPath rate, that six-cent difference adds up fast on longer calls.
Messaging gets cheaper too. E-messages cost $0.03 each with Securus versus $0.05 each with ViaPath. Two cents per message doesn't sound like much, but it matters if you send a lot of quick updates.
Note: Free video time changes from 15 minutes every two weeks (ViaPath) to 30 minutes per month (Securus), per the CDCR cost comparison chart.
- Compare the paid per-minute rate - A 30-minute video call at ViaPath’s listed $0.16/min comes out to $4.80 (30 × $0.16). The same 30 minutes at Securus’s listed $0.10/min comes out to $3.00 (30 × $0.10).
- Map the free minutes to a month - Under ViaPath, the chart lists 15 free minutes per two weeks; under Securus, it lists 30 free minutes per month. Either way, the “headline” free amount you can plan around is 30 minutes in a month - just expressed differently depending on the provider.
Here's a quick example: 10 e-messages at ViaPath's rate cost $0.50 total (10 × $0.05). With Securus, that same batch runs $0.30 (10 × $0.03).
According to CDCR's facility rollout schedule, Pleasant Valley State Prison's phone transition date is 3/16.
The tablet transition follows right after, with a window of 3/17–3/20 on the same rollout schedule.
Practical Tips
- ✓ Plan around the free-video allowance shown for Securus: 30 free minutes per month.
- ✓ If you were used to the ViaPath allowance (15 free minutes per two weeks), reframe it in monthly terms so you don’t accidentally underuse your free time.
- ✓ When you’re trying to stretch your budget, use the free minutes first and then decide whether to add paid minutes at the listed per-minute rate.
Deciding between a quick e-message or saving that money for video time? The math is simple: Securus e-messages run $0.03 each compared to $0.05 each under ViaPath. Once Pleasant Valley switches over, those short check-ins cost less than before.
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