Visiting Rules for Residents and Visitors

Warning!
Violating visiting rules may result in the temporary or permanent loss of visiting privileges.
Address and Name Changes: Visitors must report change of address and name change information to the visiting room staff at the 1st visit following the change.
Expiration and Reapplication: All applications expire one year from the date of submission for prison facilities and every two years for community reentry centers (CRC). A minor child’s
application, after the initial approval, expires on the minor’s 16th birthday, unless terminated earlier by the facility head or designee, minor, or parent/guardian. Each applicant is
responsible for re-submitting a new updated application within these timeframes.
Allowed Items for Attorneys and their Agents: One legal pad, one black ink pen (stick--not push), one notary stamp, legal pleadings to be signed or reviewed, testing materials, laptop
computer, audio recorder, DVD player, stenograph, and authorized testing equipment. No items will be removed or left without prior written approval from the facility head or designee.
Residents may bring the following items authorized at their custody level: legal work, paper, and pencil or pen. No items will be removed from the facility or left with the resident
without prior written approval from the facility head or designee.
Allowed Items for Visitors: Photo identification, money for vending machines (if available), vehicle keys, and if small children are visiting, a diaper bag. (The diaper bag may contain
diapers; wipes; a pacifier; two bottles of formula, milk, water, or juice; and a container of baby food or cereal.)
Prescription medication that must be taken during the visit or readily available for emergency use, such as inhalers for asthma attacks, must be prescribed to the visitor, in the container
in which it was prescribed, and must not be expired. Only after staff has verified whom the medication was prescribed to and that it is not expired, will a single or appropriate dose
be allowed to accompany the visitor into the visiting area.
No cell phones, beepers, laptop/palm computers, cameras, or other electronic equipment is allowed.
Approval: Visitors must be approved before they can visit.
Attire and Grooming: Residents must be groomed in accordance with the facility grooming regulations.
Visitors must wear garments that are conservative and modest. Proper underclothing must be worn. No bare feet.
Attire That Is Not Allowed: sleeveless garments, bare midriffs, scrubs, shorts, cutoffs, miniskirts, hats, caps, bandanas, doo-rags, spandex, and low-cut or see-through clothing. (Note:
Medical exceptions may be made for headwear. In addition, scrubs may be worn at CRC facilities.)
Multi-layered clothing that could be used to conceal contraband, such as coats and sweatshirts, are also not allowed.
Correctional staff will use discretion with young children, normally those under eight years of age.
Behavior: The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) will not tolerate disrespectful or aggressive behavior to include loud, threatening, abusive, or profane language; verbal or physical
altercations toward staff members, residents, or visitors; inappropriate physical contact; or improper use or abuse of state property.
Children: Escorting parents must supervise and provide appropriate control of their children and are responsible to ensure the children are well behaved. Corporal (physical) punishment
is prohibited during visits.
Residents will not discipline visiting children.
Cleaning the Visiting Area: Residents and their visitors must clean their assigned area at the end of the visit.
Contraband: It is a crime to introduce weapons, drugs, or other contraband into a prison facility. Staff may search any items entering the visiting area (see the Search section). Pursuant
to Idaho Code, sections 18-2503, 18-2503, and 18-2510, the IDOC uses metal detectors, trained narcotic and tobacco detection dogs, and conducts searches of visitors and their property
to enforce state law.
Drug-related Disciplinary Offense Reports (DOR): If a resident is found guilty of a drug-related DOR, no visits will be allowed for six months—no matter when or where the incident occurred.
Exchanging Items: Residents may not give or receive any item from a visitor. Visitors may not give or receive any item from a resident.
Food and Drink: No food or drink from outside the facility (except for infants – see the Allowed Items for Visitors section) is allowed to be brought into minimum, medium, or close custody
facilities. If vending machines are present in the visiting room, visitors may purchase food and drink items for consumption by the visitor and resident. Visitors must take unopened
food and drink items with them at the end of visiting. Visitors must provide their own change or vending card.
Residents cannot take food or drink items out of the visiting area.
Identification: Visitors over the age of 16 must have valid and current photo identification (ID) (specifically a driver’s license, state-issued ID, military ID, or valid/current United
States passport). Visitors between the age of 16 and 18 years can also use student ID cards issued by their schools. Visitors who are not United States citizens may be approved to visit
if they meet the provisions of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 604.02.01.001, Visiting and have the necessary documents to prove they entered the United States legally.
Leaving the Visiting Area during Visits: Neither residents nor visitors can leave the visiting room and then return except for approved restroom procedures as described in field memorandum
or as directed by staff.
Maintaining Current Visitor Information: Visitors must report any new arrests or pending charges to the visiting room officer at the first visit following the arrest or new charge.
Overcrowding: If the visiting area reaches capacity, staff will first ask for volunteers willing to end their visit early. If no one volunteers, the staff will end visits based on the
following criteria: distance traveled, frequency of visits, and length of current visit.
Physical Contact: The following physical contact is allowed in medium, minimum, and community custody facilities: holding hands in plain view, and placing arm around the shoulder with
hand on the shoulder. All custody levels allow a brief, closed-mouth kiss and embrace at the beginning and end of the visit. Children age six and younger may sit on the resident's lap.
Goodbyes are said in the assigned visiting area.
Schedules and Rules: Residents are responsible to notify their visitors of changes in visiting schedules and rules.
Visitors must abide by the facility-visiting schedule, facility rules, Visiting, SOP 604.02.01.001, and the instructions of staff members.

Search: All residents are subject to clothed or unclothed search before and after a visit.
All persons, their vehicles, and possessions brought onto IDOC property or entering a prison facility are subject to search. Failure to submit to a search will result in a termination
of visiting privileges. (See Visiting, SOP 604.02.01.001.)
Seating and Interactions: At medium and higher custody facilities, residents and visitors will remain at the assigned seating. Children will remain at the table or play area unless escorted
by a visiting parent or guardian. Residents and visitors may not visit with other residents or their visitors.
Termination of Visiting Privileges: Visitation privileges may be terminated at the discretion of the facility head or designee for any length of time, including permanently, for failing
to follow the instructions of staff members or the violation of or attempted violation of any of the following:
State or federal law
Idaho Department of Correction Rules
Policy, standard operating procedure, directive, or field memorandum
Tobacco-free Facilities: All IDOC facilities are tobacco free. Visitors must not bring any form of tobacco into an IDOC facility. Tobacco is recognized as contraband in IDOC prison facilities.
Under the Influence: A visitor suspected of being under the influence of intoxicating beverages or drugs will be denied visitation. In addition, visitation privileges may be revoked
temporarily or permanently.
Visit Only the Visitors on Approved List: Residents cannot visit with other residents or visitors while in the visiting room. Visitors can only visit the resident they are approved to
visit.
Visiting Limitations: Visitors, except immediate family, can only be on one resident’s approved visitor list. A six-month interval must pass between a visitor asking to be removed from
the list and the visitor submitting an application to visit another resident. (The facility head can override the six-month interval.)
Mailing the Visiting Application: Address the envelope to the facility where the resident is housed. To help the envelope arrive the proper location within the facility, add the word
‘visiting’ after the facility name. For example:
ISCI Visiting
PO Box 14
Boise, ID 83707
To research correct mailing addresses for other IDOC facilities, visit https://www.idoc.idaho.gov/content/prisons/visiting and click on ‘locations’ and then click on Visiting Hours of
the facility where the visit will occur.