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How Video Call Costs Changed at Kern Valley State Prison After the March Transition to Securus

• 2 min read • cdcr.ca.gov
How Video Call Costs Changed at Kern Valley State Prison After the March Transition to Securus

The CDCR cost comparison shows video calls got cheaper at Kern Valley State Prison after the switch. ViaPath charged $0.16 per minute; Securus charges $0.10 per minute. If you're budgeting month to month, that per-minute drop is the biggest change you'll notice.

How free minutes work also changed. ViaPath gave 15 free minutes every two weeks. Securus gives 30 free minutes per month. The total free time looks similar over a full month, but the timing is different - two-week windows versus one monthly bucket.

Timing at KVSP: CDCR's rollout schedule lists Kern Valley's phone transition on 3/23 and the tablet transition between 3/24 and 3/27. That's when families should start seeing Securus pricing in effect.

  1. Estimate a 15-minute call - ViaPath: 15 × $0.16 = $2.40. Securus: 15 × $0.10 = $1.50.
  2. Estimate a 30-minute call - ViaPath: 30 × $0.16 = $4.80. Securus: 30 × $0.10 = $3.00.
  3. Estimate a 60-minute total - ViaPath: 60 × $0.16 = $9.60. Securus: 60 × $0.10 = $6.00.

Tip: When estimating your bill, subtract any free minutes first - then multiply the remaining time by the per-minute rate.

How Video Call Costs Changed at Kern Valley State Prison After the March Transition to Securus

ViaPath gave you 15 free minutes every two weeks - about 30 minutes a month, but split into separate chunks. That made it hard to save up for one longer call since free minutes were locked to each two-week window.

Securus gives you 30 minutes per month in one pool - much simpler to plan around. Want fewer, longer calls? Use your time all at once. Prefer shorter, frequent check-ins? Either approach works. Just track when your free minutes refresh.

  • ✓ Estimate how many total video-call minutes you expect to use in a month.
  • ✓ Subtract the free allowance minutes (Securus: 30 minutes per month; ViaPath: 15 minutes per two weeks).
  • ✓ Multiply the remaining paid minutes by the posted rate (Securus: $0.10/min; ViaPath: $0.16/min).

Want to verify these numbers? The CDCR cost comparison chart lists the per-minute video rates: $0.16/min for ViaPath and $0.10/min for Securus. That's your cleanest reference for comparing costs before and after the transition.

For timing details, CDCR's rollout schedule lists KVSP in the phone transition and notes that caller ID will change as part of the switch. To see what you'll actually pay right now, check CDCR updates and your Securus account - especially during a transition window, when settings can shift quickly.

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