Idaho State Correctional Institution

Idaho's men's reception and diagnostic center, a medium-security prison in the South Boise complex in Kuna, where all men enter the state system.

Overview

Idaho State Correctional Institution (ISCI) is a medium-security state prison for men operated by the Idaho Department of Correction. It is in Kuna, in Ada County, and is one of several institutions clustered in the South Boise prison complex along Pleasant Valley Road.

ISCI houses the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU), the entry point for all men entering Idaho’s prison system. In addition to intake, the institution operates a medical unit and a Correctional Industries program.

What Makes Idaho State Correctional Institution Different

ISCI is the men’s reception and diagnostic center for the state. Men sentenced to Idaho’s prison system are received here first, where the RDU handles intake, evaluation, and the classification that determines a person’s custody level and housing. A person may then remain at ISCI or be placed at another facility based on that classification.

Because intake and classification come first, a newly arrived resident must be classified before visiting applications are processed. Until then, the resident’s facility and housing can still change, so families confirm the current location on the Resident/Client Search before arranging a visit or sending anything.

ISCI was the institution at the center of Balla v. Idaho, a conditions-of-confinement class action filed in 1981 that ran for decades and was closed by a federal judge in 2020.

Visiting

The statewide Idaho DOC rules above — the approved-visitor-list process, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at Idaho State Correctional Institution. The facility’s own arrangements:

Getting There

Idaho State Correctional Institution is at 13500 S Pleasant Valley Rd in Kuna, in Ada County, southwest of Boise. It is one of several prisons in the South Boise complex along Pleasant Valley Road, so confirming the institution’s name and the visitor-processing location before arriving avoids going to the wrong facility. Visitors confirm current entry procedures and what may be brought onto the grounds with the facility ahead of time, because electronic devices and personal items are generally not permitted inside.

Mail

Idaho does not use an off-site mail vendor for its state prisons. Incoming personal mail goes directly to the facility, where staff inspect it before delivery. Personal mail goes to the institution’s Boise PO Box — not the Kuna street address, which is for directions only. Address personal mail with the resident’s committed name (no nicknames) and IDOC number, the facility name, and the mailing address:

[Resident’s full name and IDOC number] Idaho State Correctional Institution PO Box 14 Boise, ID 83707

Letters and photos only — packages are not accepted. Books and other publications must come directly from a publisher or an approved vendor. Legal mail goes to the facility and is opened in the resident’s presence. See the Mail & Packages guide for the full rules.

Phones, Tablets, and Money

Phone service runs through ICSolutions, and residents use ViaPath tablets for tablet services and messaging. Trust deposits are made through Access Corrections. See the Phone & Video Calls and Sending Money guides for accounts, rates, and how to add funds.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone at an Idaho prison:

• Visiting in Idaho — approval process, dress code, scheduling
• Mail & Packages — what you can send and what gets rejected
• Phone & Video Calls — accounts, call costs, video visits
• Sending Money — how to add funds to a resident’s account
• Medical & Mental Health — health care in Idaho prisons
• Transfers — what happens during transfers