Inmates inside the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation initiate every phone call — you cannot dial into a CDCR facility. To receive calls you (or the inmate) must open a prepaid account with Global Tel Link / ViaPath, the contracted phone vendor for the California system. Account setup takes about ten minutes online: you'll provide the inmate's CDCR ID, the facility name, and a payment method. Most vendors run a same-day verification call to confirm your phone number before the inmate's first call goes through.
Per-minute calling rates dropped sharply under the FCC's 2024 inmate-calling rules. As of 2025, in-state and interstate calls inside California prisons are capped at six cents per minute; jails of any size are capped between seven and twelve cents per minute. A standard 15-minute call now generally costs under two dollars — a fraction of pre-2024 rates that ran five to fifteen dollars for the same duration. CDCR bills the call to the prepaid account associated with the called number, and unused balances roll forward indefinitely or are refunded on request.
Related: trusted reentry directory.
CDCR typically caps the inmate's approved-call list at fifteen to twenty numbers. Adding a new number requires the recipient to accept a callback verification or submit a signed authorization form, and the inmate must wait through a 24- to 72-hour cooling-off period before the new number is active. Calls are limited to fifteen minutes and are recorded; assume corrections staff and law-enforcement investigators may listen. Calls to a verified attorney number are exempt from recording when the attorney has filed the proper notice with the facility.
Related: family support resources.
Global Tel Link / ViaPath also operates the California tablet program at most CDCR facilities. From a unit-issued tablet, an inmate can place a wall-phone call from their bunk at the same per-minute rate, send and receive electronic messages (often called “stamps”) for one stamp per outgoing message, and add photos or short video clips for additional stamps. Video visits scheduled through the tablet usually run twenty to twenty-five cents per minute. If a call ever asks you to wire money, buy gift cards, or pay a release fee, hang up and report the call — those are scams, not legitimate CDCR business.
Related: prison consulting services.
Related on InmateGuide: For facility-specific rules, see Adelanto Detention Center, Avenal State Prison, California City Correctional Facility, or browse all California facilities. Compare with California Visiting Rules and Hours, California Mail and Photos, California Sending Money to an Inmate. For an interstate overview, read our general phone calls and messaging guide.