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Kern Valley State Prison
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) contact, address, visiting, phone, mail and travel details. Confirm custody and current rules with the responsible agency.
Facility record · California
KVSP · Delano · Kern County
- SecurityLevels I–IV
- Population3,325
- Occupancy136%
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Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) is a state prison in Delano, Kern County, California. By capacity it is the 11th-largest of the 30 state prison records listed for California with a published capacity. It is one of 21 correctional facilities in Kern County, and California operates 30 state prisons in total.
Contact & details
CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026), period ending 30 April 2026
Finding someone first
Nothing below works without two things: confirmation that the person is at Kern Valley State Prison, and their CDCR number. Book a visit without them and you will be turned away; post a letter without the number and the mailroom cannot route it.
CDCR's public search covers people in CDCR custody. A disclaimer must be accepted before searching, and CDCR states the tool is informational rather than an official record. County jail populations are held separately.
CIRIS — California Incarcerated Records and Information Search ↗
Visiting Kern Valley State Prison
This is what the institution publishes, in the order you will meet it: when visits run, how to get approved, how to book, when to arrive, and what you may carry in.
When visits run
Visiting open · 26 August 2026Get approved
You must be approved before booking. The incarcerated person first sends you a signed CDCR Form 106 Visiting Questionnaire. Complete that exact copy, then mail it directly to KVSP’s Visiting Department.
Send it to: Mail new applications and updates to Kern Valley State Prison, P.O. Box 3130, Delano, CA 93216-6000, Attention: Visiting Department.
What not to do: Do not mail the completed questionnaire back to the incarcerated person. Send it directly to KVSP’s Visiting Department; the 5101–5107 boxes are housing-specific incarcerated-person mailboxes.
Book through the scheduling application
Use VSA for all KVSP appointments. Non-contact visits must be scheduled; walk-ins cannot receive a non-contact visit.
Open the Visitation Scheduling Application ↗
Walking in: Walk-in passes are distributed at the Gate House for the first hour of each walk-in window, then at visitor processing. Friday walk-ins are 2:30–5:00 p.m.; weekend walk-ins are 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Non-contact and restricted-housing visitsNon-contact visiting is not a choice — it is what applies while someone is in reception (newly admitted to CDCR, or just transferred between prisons) or is segregated.
Arrive, and report to visitor processing
Visitor processing starts at the posted visiting start time and continues until one hour before the posted end time. Adults complete a pass; visitors and possessions undergo security screening.
Parking: Walk-in and scheduled visitors use the designated visitor parking area at 3000 W. Cecil Avenue. Visitors may enter grounds no more than one hour before the appointment or published walk-in start time.
Where to report: Enter at the visitor Gate House for 3000 W. Cecil Avenue, no more than one hour before the appointment or walk-in time. Confirm the person’s current facility before processing.
Bring the right things, and only those
Allowed in
- Only specifically authorized items may enter. Visitors and property are searched; drugs, weapons, and unapproved items are prohibited.
Identification: Adults must present valid, current, unexpired photo identification; accepted forms include state driver licenses/IDs, military ID, ICE ID, U.S. passport, or qualifying foreign passport/consular ID.
How many may visit: Scheduled visitors have priority. Walk-in contact visits are not guaranteed and depend on room capacity and processing time.
Bringing a child: Adults list accompanying minors on the visiting pass. Minors undergo security screening, and CDCR allows specified infant/toddler supplies.
Video visits and cost: KVSP’s current facility page directs all visits through VSA and publishes in-person visiting Friday through Sunday. It does not publish an ordinary weekend video-visiting program.
Phone calls, money and mail
Phone calls
You cannot call in. CDCR states that it is up to the incarcerated person to initiate the call, and that calls are limited to 15 minutes. That single fact explains most of what families find confusing: the switchboard will not connect you, there is no voicemail, and a call arriving from an unfamiliar number is normal. What you can do from the outside is make sure the call can reach you — that your number is not blocked by your carrier, that it is not a VoIP or virtual number the system will refuse, and that whatever account arrangement the facility uses is set up and funded before he tries. For anything urgent, a message goes through the institution rather than the phone system.
Putting money on the books
Before anything else you need the person's CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), and their current location from CDCR's facility locator. CDCR then lists three routes. Electronic funds transfer through one of its vendors: GTL/ConnectNetwork, JPay, or Access Corrections. A lock box deposit, which CDCR states carries no fee when sent by money order, personal check or cashier's check: complete the Money Order Deposit Form with the sender's name and address, make the payment payable to JPay, and mail it to JPay, 2202 South Figueroa St, Box #3001, Los Angeles, CA 90007. CDCR caps this at $999.99 per money order, holds personal checks for ten business days, and warns that any letter or note enclosed with a payment will be discarded. Or send a check or money order to the institution itself. Vendor fees vary by amount and method, so check the vendor's own figure before you send.
Writing to someone here
Anyone may write to a person in a California state prison. Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband, then forwarded. CDCR asks that the envelope carry the person's full committed name and CDC number, the institution name, the P.O. box and housing assignment where known (CDCR states housing is preferable), and the city, CA and ZIP. The housing assignment is the part most people do not have: get it, and the CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), from the institution's Public Information Officer, or from CDCR's Identification Unit. Note that the address mail goes to is not always the institution's street address, so confirm it before posting anything you cannot replace.
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
ASU1, P.O. Box 5107, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
ASU2, P.O. Box 5106, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Facility 'A', P.O. Box 5101, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Facility 'B', P.O. Box 5102, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Facility 'C', P.O. Box 5103, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Facility 'D', P.O. Box 5104, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Facility 'M', P.O. Box 5105, Delano, CA 93216
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Staff Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3130, Delano, CA 93216-6000
Getting there, and staying
Delano has several Highway 99 lodging options. These are planning choices, not endorsements; confirm the exact room, accessibility, parking, deposit and cancellation deadline. Delano Area Rapid Transit operates four weekday fixed routes in the city and a Saturday on-demand DART N’GO service. The city’s published service area reaches only to State Route 43 on the west, so it does not establish service to KVSP at 3000 W. Cecil Avenue.
Confirm the last mile: DART information/reservations: (661) 721-3333. Confirm both directions or arrange a private-car, taxi or rideshare backup before entering.
Where to stay
Somewhere to eat
| Place | What and when | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Denny’s14390 County Line Road, Delano, CA 93215 | Official page lists 24-hour service, all-day breakfast, takeout and group seating | (661) 720-9808 |
| Taco Bell1940 Cecil Avenue, Delano, CA 93215 | Official page lists daily 7:00 a.m. opening, breakfast, drive-through, delivery and late-night service | (661) 725-5552 |
Local planning notes
Confirm the housing unit: Confirm the person’s current Facility A, B, C, D, MSF or restricted-housing assignment. Non-contact visits must be scheduled and are never accepted as walk-ins.
Road check: Use Caltrans QuickMap for Cecil Avenue and regional conditions. The former TransMetro reunification transportation contract ended in 2024, so do not rely on old prison-bus references.
Inside the institution
Four semi-autonomous 180-design Level IV facilities, a Level I Minimum Support Facility and two freestanding restricted-housing units within a lethal electrified perimeter.
Restricted housing
Two freestanding Restricted Housing Units; CCHCS identifies a designated RHU CCCMS mental-health program and says higher RHU EOP care requires transfer.
Health care, programs and release preparation
These services differ by institution. The details below describe what this prison reports, not a systemwide promise that every person qualifies for every program.
Health care
CCHCS reports a 12-bed Mental Health Crisis Bed unit plus EOP/CCCMS services; patient inquiry number 916-478-8768.
Education, training and work
ABE I-III/GED and career technical education in auto mechanics, computing, electronics, electrical work, masonry, plumbing, small-engine repair and welding, with multiple certifications.
Preparing for release
A Family Liaison Service Specialist supports pre-release preparation/family reunification; ISUDT life-skills and treatment pathways are offered.
Reported figures
These are the institution’s own returns to the state, and every group is dated. They have to be: the figures come from separate documents on separate cadences, and reading the whole set as one snapshot would be wrong.
Capacity and population
as at 30 April 2026How the population is housed
as at 30 June 2024Staffing
as at 30 June 2024Education and training
as at 30 June 2024CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026) (Public record) · California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, SB601 Reporting (CC BY 4.0)
Guides that go wider than this institution
These cover the same ground across every facility in the directory, which is what you want if the person may be moved, or if you are helping someone in a different state.
Other facilities in Kern County
Clear information.
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Can Jail411 tell me if someone is in custody right now?
No. Jail411 does not hold live custody records. Use the official locator for the county, state, federal or ICE system that has the person; start here if you do not know which.
Does posting bond mean the person comes home?
Not always. A probation or parole hold, another county's warrant or an immigration detainer can keep someone in custody after bond is posted. Ask the jail what holds are on the booking before you pay.
What should I confirm before visiting?
The person's current facility, the visiting schedule, approval requirements, accepted identification and arrival instructions. Check the facility page and its official sources before you travel.
What if I find something that needs correcting?
Send us the page and the detail that needs attention. Include the official source when you have one. Do not send private booking documents or other sensitive personal information.
Plan the next step.
Practical guides for calls, visits, mail, money and release.