The Real Cost of Staying Connected — CDCR Fees

The system profits from urgency. Nearly every fee in prison connectivity is avoidable or reducible if you’re not in a hurry — and the free channels are real, just never advertised. This page maps where the money leaks and the cheapest legitimate route for each thing you’re trying to do.

Use this when

You’re on a fixed budget and the costs of deposits, messages, and video calls are stacking up faster than expected.

Biggest leak

Restitution withholding. If the court ordered restitution, CDCR takes roughly half of every trust deposit before your person sees a cent.

Free and real

Audio calls, 30 min of video and 20 e-messages monthly (Securus), letters, and mailed money-order deposits. Use the free layer first.

Audit it

Vendors get charges wrong — CDCR confirmed Securus overcharged e-messages in March 2026 and issued credits. Check your statements.

What’s actually free (start here)

Audio calls from wall phones and tablets — free statewide, paid by CDCR.
On Securus (after your facility transitions): 30 minutes of video calls and 20 e-messages per month, free.
Letters. A stamp is the cheapest message in the system, and mail has no per-item vendor fee. See the Mailroom Rulebook so nothing gets rejected.
Mailed money-order deposits. Under CDCR’s contract, lockbox deposit processing is provided free to families — print the money-order deposit form from JPay’s site, mail it with a money order, done. No account required. The tradeoff is speed: allow up to a few weeks. Electronic is for urgency; mail is for savings.

Where the money leaks

Electronic deposit fees. EFT through JPay, GTL/ConnectNetwork, or Access Corrections posts in 1–3 days but carries a service charge per transaction that varies by amount and vendor (commonly several dollars, more for larger amounts). Two fixes: compare all three vendors’ fee tables before picking, and batch deposits — one $60 deposit costs one fee; three $20 deposits cost three.
Restitution withholding. If restitution was ordered, CDCR withholds roughly 50% of every deposit, plus an administrative charge, before funds hit the spendable balance. Do the math: send $100 electronically and your person may see under $50 of it. A $100 quarterly package bought directly from a vendor delivers $100 of goods, untouched by restitution. When restitution applies, packages are usually the better dollar.
Per-item message costs. On Securus, e-messages and inbound photos run 3¢ each and video calls 10¢/minute past the free allowance (cheaper than ViaPath’s 5¢ and 16¢). Small numbers that compound — a daily photo habit is a real line item over a year. Burn the free allowance first, then decide.
Newly paid extras. After the Securus switch, internet radio costs $5.49/month and games $0.99 — both were free on ViaPath. If your person asks why their tablet wants money for things that used to be free, that’s why, and it’s their choice, not a bill you owe.
Refused-package fees. Wrong CDCR number, outdated housing after a transfer, or ordering during reception (Group U = no packages) gets the package refused — and vendors deduct restocking and return shipping from the refund. Details in the packages guide and reception guide.

How to audit what you’re being charged

Keep every receipt and confirmation number — deposits, packages, message credits. Screenshot at time of purchase; vendor portals purge history.
Check statements against the published rates above. This is not paranoia: in March 2026 CDCR confirmed some Securus users were overcharged for e-messages after transitioning; the rate was corrected and credits were issued automatically by March 20. CDCR’s notice is the precedent: errors happen, and they only get fixed when noticed.
After your facility’s ViaPath → Securus switch, claim your unused ViaPath balance through the ViaPath call center — it does not move over on its own.
If a charge looks wrong, dispute it with the vendor in writing and keep the thread. Vendor support routes are in the Phone & Tablet guide.

The cheapest-path cheat sheet

Say hi              -> free audio call / letter
Send photos          -> use 20 free e-messages first, then 3c each
See their face       -> 30 free video min/month, then 10c/min
Money, not urgent    -> money order to JPay lockbox (free, slow)
Money, urgent        -> compare JPay / ConnectNetwork / Access fees,
                        send one larger deposit instead of several small
Get them stuff       -> quarterly vendor package (no restitution cut)
Restitution ordered? -> packages > deposits for value per dollar

BridgeTheBars has no affiliate relationship with any deposit, telecom, or package vendor. Nothing on this page earns this site money — the cheapest route for you is the recommendation, every time.