Editor's note: On March 25, 2020, the suspension of visitation and volunteer programs was extended till April 15, 2020.  The announcement you see below is an older post.

In the interest of protecting the men and women in IDOC’s custody and the department’s staff, the suspension of visiting and volunteer services will continue at all IDOC facilities till April 1. We will revisit the decision as we get closer to that date.  

We recognize that having visitation closed is hard on families. So does our phone provider, CenturyLink. Starting today (March 16), the company will be providing all members of IDOC’s incarcerated population with two free 15-minute calls per week. 

We are grateful to CenturyLink for helping families maintain vital social connections during this difficult time. Next week, the free calls will load on Sunday. Additional information about the calls will come soon.   

IDOC will be working with its other partners to find ways to ease the difficulty during this health situation. 

Here are some of the measures IDOC is taking in response to COVID-19: 

• While circumstances are subject to change, we expect to continue the prisons on a modified-secure status. Dayroom time, recreation, commissary will continue as normal for the time being. 

• At our community reentry centers, work-release opportunities will reopen in cases where the companies have detailed plans to protect your health and safety. CRC residents will undergo medical screening when they leave and return to the facility. 

• Medical screenings will continue for every person (staff, incarcerated person, delivery person) who enters an IDOC facility or office.

• The people who provide volunteer services at IDOC facilities are asked to not report to any IDOC facility during this time. Information about the resumption of volunteer services will be posted on the IDOC’s website, idoc.idaho.gov, as well on the department’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.  All volunteer- and mentor-training sessions for March are cancelled and will be rescheduled. 

We want to say a special word about the way the men and women who live and work in IDOC’s correctional facilities have been responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Their diligence when it comes to keeping common surfaces clean and their willingness to work together has been outstanding. This is a difficult time, but it is being made easier by their hard work and cooperation.