If someone you love is locked up in Kansas, video can be the difference between seeing their face this week and waiting for a long drive across the state. Kansas offers video across much of the system, but the vendor, the cost, and even whether in-person is on the table all depend on where the person is being held.
Kansas splits custody three ways, and each handles video differently. The state prison system (KDOC) runs the long-term facilities. County and city jails, run by sheriffs, handle people awaiting trial or serving short sentences. And federal and immigration custody play by their own rules, with Kansas holding a major federal prison and, as of 2026, a newly approved ICE detention center. Figure out which bucket your person is in first, because everything else flows from that.
Do Kansas state prisons offer video visitation?
Yes. KDOC offers both in-person and video visits. Video runs through ICSolutions, branded "The Visitor," and you schedule and conduct visits through their site. Registration is free, but here's the order that trips people up: you must first be approved as a visitor through KDOC's own process before your ICSolutions account is allowed to schedule anything. If you register with the vendor before you're approved by KDOC, the system won't let you book a video visit.
In-person visiting is also offered. KDOC uses an online scheduler for in-person slots, allows up to four visitors per resident, and permits appropriate contact like a brief hug. One practical tip from KDOC's own rules: if the online scheduler shows all slots filled, don't drive to the facility, because you won't be allowed in.
To get on the approved visitor list, you go through the facility's visitation application process. To be removed from a list, you send a written request with the resident's name and KDOC number to the facility's Visitation Clerk.
County and city jails
This is where vendors and costs vary, because each sheriff picks their own setup.
Sedgwick County (Wichita) is the largest jail system. The Sedgwick County Detention Facility offers both onsite and remote video, and its current inmate communications run through ICS with video visits and account deposits handled via JailATM. Each inmate gets a block of free onsite visiting per week, with additional onsite visits and all remote visits charged at the remote rate. Remote visits run on a daily schedule with blackout windows for shift changes and meals. (Note: Sedgwick County previously used Securus, so older guides may name the wrong vendor. Confirm on the sheriff's current page.)
Be careful not to confuse the state system with similarly named county agencies. Shawnee County (Topeka) runs its own Department of Corrections separate from KDOC, and as of January 2025 it switched its jail video visitation to Smart Communications. That's a county facility, not a state prison.
Other counties use Securus, ICSolutions, JailATM, or smaller providers. The vendor is jail-specific, so the company that works for Sedgwick County won't necessarily be the one next door. One warning that saves people money and grief: accounts do not transfer between vendors. If your person moves from a JailATM jail to a Securus jail, your funds and account don't follow. You set up fresh with the new vendor.
How county jail video visitation usually works
There are two flavors, and the difference is the whole ballgame for your wallet.
Onsite (or "onsite video") means you drive to the jail and sit at a video terminal in the lobby to talk to the person, who's on a screen inside. Many Kansas jails give a weekly allotment of free onsite visits. Onsite video is frequently free, at least up to that weekly limit.
Remote video means you connect from your own phone, tablet, or computer at home. That convenience is what you pay for. Remote sessions are charged per session or per minute, you typically prepay into a vendor account, and you usually reserve a slot in advance.
Kansas jail video rates shift around, partly because the FCC has been capping these rates through 2024 to 2026 and partly because every facility prices differently. I'm not going to print a per-minute number here, because by the time you read it, it'll be wrong. Look up the rate on your specific jail's vendor page before you pay. What's stable is the structure: onsite is often free up to a weekly limit, remote tends to cost, and there are usually advance-registration rules.
Setting up a video visit
The steps are roughly the same whichever vendor you're dealing with:
1. Find the vendor for that exact facility. For KDOC it's ICSolutions. For a county jail, check the sheriff's website, since it could be JailATM/ICS (Sedgwick County), Smart Communications (Shawnee County jail), Securus, or something else. Don't guess.
2. Get approved, then create your account. For KDOC, complete the visitor approval process first, then register with ICSolutions. For a county jail, register with the listed vendor and verify your identity.
3. Add your inmate using their name or ID number, and confirm you're on the approved list. For KDOC, remember the vendor account can't schedule until KDOC has approved you.
4. Schedule your visit, choosing onsite or remote, and pay if it's a paid remote session. Many facilities require booking in advance.
5. Test your device and log in early. Get on about 15 minutes ahead. Check your camera, microphone, speakers, and internet. A failed connection on your end usually still burns the visit slot.
Federal and immigration custody
If your person is in federal Bureau of Prisons custody, Kansas has a significant footprint here. FCI Leavenworth is a medium-security federal prison with an adjacent minimum-security camp, in northeast Kansas. (Don't confuse it with the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, which is a separate military prison run by the Department of Defense.) The BOP runs primarily in-person visiting with only limited video, so use the BOP inmate locator to find the facility and check its specific visiting rules. If someone was recently arrested on a federal charge and isn't in the BOP locator yet, they're likely still in U.S. Marshals custody during the designation period.
Immigration custody in Kansas changed in 2026. After a year of legal wrangling and local opposition, the City of Leavenworth approved a special use permit allowing CoreCivic to operate its dormant 1,000-bed facility, now renamed the Midwest Regional Reception Center, as an ICE detention center on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security. The facility had previously held federal pretrial detainees, closed around 2021, and reopened in 2026. Because it is new in this role and the situation has been contested and fast-moving, confirm its current operating status and visiting rules directly before relying on anything. Other ICE detainees with Kansas ties may be held at county jails or transferred out of state. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator, which needs the person's A-Number (the nine-digit alien registration number) or their name plus country of birth.
A note on staying connected
Video is good for one thing money can't really replace: seeing a face, watching a kid wave, reading an expression. When the prison is across the state or your person is sitting in federal or ICE custody, that matters.
But be honest with yourself about what carries the weight day to day. Mail is the steadiest line there is. It doesn't drop the call, doesn't need a scheduled slot, and the person can hold it and read it again at 2 a.m. when the walls close in. Phone calls are the backbone of staying in touch, the thing you'll actually do most weeks. Video is the bonus on top, the face-to-face when you can get it. Build your routine around mail and calls, and treat video as the thing that makes the distance feel a little smaller.
Related pages:
/prisons/kansas
FCC 2026 call and video rate caps guide
Arrest Record Search (affiliate)
Frequently asked questions
Do Kansas state prisons offer video visits?
Yes. KDOC offers video alongside in-person visits, run through ICSolutions ("The Visitor"). Registration is free, but you must be KDOC-approved first.
Is in-person visiting still allowed in Kansas?
Yes. KDOC offers in-person visits scheduled through an online scheduler, with up to four visitors per resident and brief appropriate contact allowed.
What vendor does KDOC use for video visits?
ICSolutions, branded "The Visitor." You register at icsolutions.com, but your account can only schedule visits after KDOC approves you as a visitor.
Why must I be KDOC-approved before I register?
KDOC controls who's allowed to visit. If you register with ICSolutions before KDOC approves you, the system won't let your account schedule any video visits.
How do I get on the approved visitor list?
Complete the facility's visitation application process. To be removed from a list later, mail a written request with the resident's name and KDOC number to the Visitation Clerk.
What vendor does Sedgwick County Jail use?
Currently ICS, with video visits and deposits handled through JailATM. The county previously used Securus, so confirm the current vendor on the sheriff's page.
Are Sedgwick County video visits free?
Partly. Each inmate gets a block of free onsite visiting per week. Additional onsite visits and all remote visits are charged at the remote rate.
What is onsite vs remote video visiting?
Onsite means you go to the jail and use a terminal there, often free up to a weekly limit. Remote means you connect from your own device at home, which typically costs money.
Do vendor accounts transfer between jails?
No. Accounts and funds don't move between vendors. If your person transfers to a jail using a different company, you set up a new account with that vendor.
How do I find which facility someone is in?
Use the KASPER offender search for state custody, the county jail roster for local custody, and the BOP locator for federal. Confirm before scheduling, since people move.
Is there a federal prison in Kansas?
Yes. FCI Leavenworth is a medium-security federal prison with a minimum-security camp. It's separate from the military U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.
Where are ICE detainees held in Kansas?
As of 2026, the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth (run by CoreCivic) was approved as an ICE detention facility. Others may be held at county jails or out of state.
What is the Midwest Regional Reception Center?
It's the former Leavenworth Detention Center, a 1,000-bed CoreCivic facility approved in 2026 to operate as an ICE detention center after a contested permit fight.
How do I find someone in ICE custody?
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. You'll need the person's A-Number, or their full name plus country of birth. Check often, since ICE moves people.
Is video the only way to see an inmate?
It depends on the facility. KDOC offers both in-person and video, but some county jails lean on video, and federal and ICE custody have their own limits.
What do I need to set up a video visit?
Approval to be on the list, a verified account with the right vendor, the inmate's name or ID number, and a tested device with good internet for remote visits. ====================================================================
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