North Kern State Prison

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) maintains a searchable public database of all of the inmates they have in custody.

The prison that an inmate is assigned to depends on factors such as security classification, remaining time of their sentence, gang affiliation, and location of their residence.

The California State Prison System began in 1851, when the State Legislature first authorized the state to lock up prison convicts.

Today the state of California Prison System, operating under the name of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), maintains 34 prisons and 34 conservation camps. With a staff of 26,000 correctional workers, as of the end of 2023 they oversee approximately 95,000 inmates, with another 45,000 on parole or supervised release.

The following will explain the instructions, tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Inmate Search Instructions

The California Department of Corrections provides a limited amount of information you may want to know about any inmate in their system, however they do list every inmate.

To look up an inmate, you don't even need to know the spelling of their name.

• You can list all 95,000 inmates in the system by entering % in the last name field.
• You can list all inmates whose last name begin with any letter by entering that letter in the last name field.
• You can filter the results by an age range, and by the California county that committed them to prison.

In this example, we put a 'Z' in the field for imate's last name and the resulting information was alist of every inmate in the system whose last name begins with 'Z'. 

• The display shows name, CDCR number, age, admission date, and current location.

Once you select the inmate you want information on, you will come to this page.

• From here, you can view the date they are eligible for parole, or you can select Family & Friends and find out how to write, text, mail, receive calls, send commissary money, etc.

There are three ways to send money to an inmate in the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation:

1.
North Kern State Prison uses the services of JPAY for you to send money to an inmate's trust fund / commissary account. 



You can send money to an inmate/offender's commissary/spendable account through the Send Money page.
There are several ways to send money to an inmate/offender.

1. Online payments
2. Over the phone by calling 800-574-5729
3. MoneyGram
4. If you wish to send cash you can use MoneyGram. MoneyGram has many convenient locations nationwide.
   The following establishments will always have MoneyGram services:
   Walmart
   7-11
   CVS Pharmacy

You will need:
Inmate's Correctional ID number and last name
The facility name or receive code.
You can visit the MoneyGram website to find locations near you.

        5. Money Order - Inmate's Name must be on the Money Order

        6. Lobby Kiosk
            You can use a debit or credit card in the lobby kiosk to send funds to an inmate/offender.

2.
North Kern State Prison also uses GTL Connect Network, also known as Viapath Technologies, to facilitate family members and friends to make deposits directly into their Trust Fund Commissary Account that can be used for communication services.

The inmate can then use the money to purchase products from commissary or services such as secure messages and phone calls.
Deposits can be made 24/7 online or by telephone by calling 888-988-4768, or by using the North Kern State Prison kiosk.

3.
North Kern State Prison also uses Access Corrections Secure Deposits (also known as 'Smart Deposit') for depositing money into an inmate's account. 

The information below provides you complete instructions regarding the North Kern State Prison:
- Inmate Accounts and Deposits,
- Commissary Information,
- Depositing Money Online,
- Mailing Inmate Money, and
- What 'property' North Kern State Prison inmates are allowed to have in jail and/or have dropped off to them.
Follow the instructions below on this page exactly to help ensure that your inmate has access to commissary, and in some cases medical and bail money, as soon as possible.

North Kern State Prison Visitation Instructions

In order to visit an inmate in North Kern State Prison you must follow the instrucxtions outlined below:

• First, you must apply to be approved for a visit by filling out a Visitation Application
• Once approved, you must schedule a visit at the North Kern State Prison.
• Make sure you prepare for visit by understanding all of the rules and guidelines.
• Confirm that North Kern State Prison is allowing visitors on that day. (occasionally prisons go into lockdown and cancel visits for security reasons).
• California prisons have several types of visits:   Video visits, In-person visits, in-person non-contact visits, family visits, and marriage ceremonies. 

Go to the help page for numbers to call and Frequently Asked Questions

Are phone calls from an Inmate Free of Charge?

Yes.

Beginning January 1, 2023, all telephone audio calls made from an incarcerated person in a California state prison are free of charge to the incarcerated person and their friends and families.

When corresponding with an incarcerated person, individuals may provide a telephone number where an incarcerated person can call them.

It is up to the incarcerated person to initiate the call. Phone calls are limited to 15 minutes.

CDCR Inmate Mail Instructions

Individuals are free to contact any CDCR inmate by mail.

Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband and then forwarded to the inmate. To ensure prompt processing the following information should be included on the envelope:

Inmate’s full name, CDC#
North Kern State Prison
P.O. Box Housing (preferable)
City, CA   ZIP

To get an inmate’s CDCR# or housing assignment, individuals should call the Public Information Officer (PIO) or contact the North Kern State Prison at the phone number listed above.

Access California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS).

Those people who don’t know where an inmate is housed may contact the Department’s ID Unit at 916-445-6713.

A date of birth will be required if the person they are inquiring about has a common name.

There are multiple Vendors that you can use to send packages to Inmates in the CDCR.  The most popular one is Access Securepak (see instructions below). There are also several others such as: Stop Value Pack, Mike's Better Shoes, The Vitamin Outlet (which can be reached by phone at 800-967-1827), Union Supply Direct, Walkenhorst's, and sending money through Jpay.

North Kern State Prison contracts with Access Securepak (aka MyCarePak) for families to send pre-determined packages of commissary items to your inmate.

Access Securepak carries over 1,000 different items in the following categories:
- Food and Snacks
- Personal Hygiene Products
- Electronics
- Apparel

Registration Process:
1. Register here.
2. Select California.
3. Select North Kern State Prison.
4. Find your Inmate.
5. Deposit Funds.
6. Order Commissary Items.
Once you are logged in, you will receive instructions on how much (and what products) you can send your inmate.
Contact Information:
* If you have any questions, you can call Access Securepak at 800-546-6283.
* You can email My Care Pack at customerservice@securepak.net.
* You can write them at:
    Access Securepak
    10880 Linpage Place
    St. Louis, MO 63132

* You can Live Chat with a Representative online: (bottom left corner of page)
   Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m. CST, 
   and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. CST.

*Note* Access Securepak will issue a refund for or replace broken, damaged, or missing products reported by North Kern State Prison staff. They will not honor reports of discrepancies from inmate's families or friends.
My CarePack is the North Kern State Prison's outside vendor for Commissary Items. They have a very good mix of Chips, Snacks, Candy, Meat, Seafood, Hygiene products, Letter writing materials, Electronics and Apparel items for sale on their website.

*NOTE* -- Once you are fully registered and have selected the inmate you wish to send commissary to, you will receive instructions on how much you can deposit, how much (and what) you can purchase for your inmate, and how often you can send commissary.

How to Email an Inmate at the North Kern State Prison

Follow these instructions on how to arrange secure messaging (aka email and texting) of an inmate at the North Kern State Prison

• Sign in to GTL, or Register if you haven't already.
• Select North Kern State Prison.
• Select your Inmate.
• Using a credit or debit card, purchase credits to send messages, and, depending on the facility, purchase additional credits to receive responses from your inmate.
  Compose a message, attach credits for a reply…and send!

You can also send photos and videos to your inmate, along with your message. These can only be sent from the GTL app. (iphone, Android)
The cost to send messages and photos is approximately $1.00, and videos are $3.00.
If you have any questions, call customer service 24/7 at 877-650-4249.

North Kern State Prison either allows, or may soon be allowing inmates access to tablets to use for the services provided by GTL (aka Viapath Technologies)

Follow the instructions below to get a tablet for your inmate at North Kern State Prison

The devices are similar to common handheld tablets, but are made exclusively by GTL and Viapath.
Tablets offer specialized content and services for inmates to use during their stay at North Kern State Prison, such as:

• Music
• Books
• Games
• Education
• News
• Radio
• Television
• Read mail and messages
• Video visits

Free services are already available for use on the device at North Kern State Prison.
Subscription services are funded separately by family and friends with deposits made into an inmate’s Debit Link account.
North Kern State Prison Inmates will then be able to purchase subscription services and premium content to enjoy.

What It Costs
Tablet devices include some services and the content is free.
The subscription services require additional funding.
There may be multiple options such as 7-day or 30-day subscriptions.
Costs are dependent upon the available services and what the North Kern State Prison charges.

To estimate costs for tablets and other services such as phone calls, sign in to your account and click “Rate & Fees Calculator” in the footer (bottom of the page).

Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a violation of that state’s felony laws (and their sentence is more than one year in length), they are moved from the City or County Jail and sent to a State Prison in California. If the violation they are convicted of is a federal crime, they will be sent to a Federal Prison, but will not necessarily be doing their time in California.

California State Prisons are operated and maintained by the state government and are used to confine and rehabilitate criminals. State prisons are funded by state tax money. The fund is used to provide food and clothes to inmates and to hire employees to keep the prison running. Inmates in state prison enjoy certain privileges such as TV use and recreation, both indoor and outdoor. The number of privileges allowed depends on the security level of the prison, the inmate and the overall needs of the prison on a specific day.

California has minimum, medium and maximum security prisons. The Corrections Department in California also maintains low (or no) security residential settings and camps where inmates assist in state property maintenance and duties such as fighting fires. Almost all prisons provide ‘jobs’ where an inmate can earn a small hourly wage and even learn a trade. Some prisons even contract with call centers and handle phone calls on issues related to their state government. Criminals who have committed a violent crime or killed someone are likely housed in a maximum security prison. If the inmate in these prisons behave, they are also eligible to recreate and/or work as well.

In California Prisons rehabilitation is the stated goal but the reality is that they exist to punish inmates for their crimes and keep them from hurting or harming innocent people on the outside who follow the laws and live and act responsibly. The fact is that most prison systems are underfunded, overcrowded and are not able to spend time and money rehabilitating offenders. This is not the fault of the people hired to work in prisons, they are just victims of the lack of resources due to budgeting constraints.

State Inmate

Most states have Department of Corrections websites that allow you to type in a felon's first and last name and pull up inmates in that state.

If you need to find a sentenced inmate serving time in a state other than California, go here. To find an inmate in California, just scroll to the top of the page and click on the Inmate Search button.

Once you locate them click next to the inmate's name or on the link provided and it will show you which prison the inmate is housed in. If the inmate is no longer incarcerated, but is on parole/probation or discharged, it will tell you that as well. In addition, many state prison inmate pages show recent mug shots.

Federal Inmate

The federal prison system has its own inmate locator called the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.

Type in the inmate's name and it will tell you where he or she is incarcerated and their projected release date. It also lists released federal prison inmates and the date they were released.

Federal inmates who are moved from one prison to another will show as "No longer in federal custody" on the system until they reach their next federal prison destination. This movement can take a few days to several months to complete, so keep checking back to find out where the inmate was taken.

ICE Inmates

The ICE Detainee Lookup allows friends, family members and interested parties to locate illegal and/or undocumented immigrants that are in the United States without permission.

Has the Inmate been recently arrested?... Try a County Jail

In many cases, the person you are looking for has either not been convicted or sentenced or has been sentenced and is awaiting transport to a State or Federal Prison and is still incarcerated in a City or County Jail.

To locate that person, go here to first find the State, and then the County where they were originally arrested or have been transported to. From there you can begin your search in our databases that contain the names and information of millions of inmates.

Jailexchange.com has all information on every jail and prison in the United States.