IA DOC - Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP)

State Prison

Last Updated: November 03, 2023
Address
2111 330th Ave, Fort Madison, IA 52627
Beds
588
County
Lee
Phone
319-372-5432
Fax
319-372-6967

Iowa State Penitentiary is for State Prison offenders sentenced anywhere from one year to life by the State Court in the county where the charges were filed

All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for State - maximum facility.

The phone carrier is Iowa Departmentof Corrections - Fund Facility, to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.

If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders

Satellite View of IA DOC - Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP)

You can support your loved ones at Iowa State Penitentiary on InmateAid, if you have any immediate questions contact the facility directly at 319-372-5432.

Located at 2111 330th Ave in Fort Madison, IA, Iowa State Penitentiary carefully assigns inmates based on their custody level, considering factors like criminal history. Iowa State Penitentiary offers diverse educational and vocational programs aimed at equipping offenders for successful reintegration into society and reducing recidivism. Through these initiatives, inmates gain skills and confidence, fostering personal growth and resilience.

The Iowa State Penitentiary is the only maximum-security prison in the state capable of housing about 843 inmates. It was established in 1839, the year after Iowa became a territory and seven years before it became a state and was patterned after the Auburn, New York Penitentiary - a prison within a prison, a cell for each convict. The Penitentiary underwent an extensive renovation of its cell houses when "unitization" was introduced in 1982. Unitization divided large cell houses into smaller, self-contained living units that are more easily managed. The Penitentiary is the state’s only maximum-security institution, housing repeat, and violent male offenders. The Penitentiary complex includes ISP itself with a court-ordered capacity of 550. In addition, the complex includes the John Bennett Correctional Center, a medium-security dormitory adjacent to the Penitentiary currently housing 169 inmates; two minimum-security farms located within a few miles of Fort Madison with a combined population of 170, and a ten-bed multiple care unit. A Special Needs Unit for inmates with severe mental health/clinical care needs opened in August 2002, with 40 inmates and will increase in stages to a population of 120 inmates.

Inmates at the Penitentiary are offered Adult Basic Education and General Education Development classes, special education for eligible individuals, as well as vocational training in upholstering, commercial cooking, auto mechanics, machining, and printing, as well as providing labor for a large crop farm and a cattle and swine operation. Work opportunities with hourly wages are available in Iowa Prison Industries shops at the Penitentiary. A six-month substance abuse program is offered to inmates with drug or alcohol problems, and Alcoholics Anonymous groups operate at the Penitentiary and the John Bennett Center.

Inmate Locator

Iowa State Penitentiary maintains a database of current inmates and their locations within the system. To locate an inmate, begin by using the DOC locator tool, which requires entering the first three letters of the inmate's first and last name, allowing for variations in spelling.

If unable to locate the desired information through free resources, users may opt to use the Arrest Record Search, which requires payment. While this option incurs a small fee, it provides access to the most up-to-date data available.

Get an Arrest Record immediately.

Visitation Information

IA DOC - Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) - Visitation

Iowa State Penitentiary
All reservations, both video and in-person, are scheduled by the
Ameelio app


Video Visits are held:

Monday and Friday, each hour from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm for 50 minutes each

Incarcerated individuals in a segregation status do not have contact visits. There are limited video visits available on the weekend. Please check availability through the Ameelio app.

In-Person Visiting:

Saturday and Sunday, two-hour time slots beginning at 8:00 am, 11:00 am to 2:30pm

The number of visits allowed per visiting week are subject to change. Currently incarcerated individuals are limited to one visit per week. The visiting week is Friday through Monday. For questions about the Ameelio app or assistance in troubleshooting, you should contact iowasupport@ameelio.org For questions specifically about your loved one’s visit ISPinfo@iowa.gov or call 319-376-4850

For visiting information, please visit the department's visiting page.

Reminder: Per the Department visitation policy, all visitors upon entrance to the institutions shall be subject to search. Security and contraband control are critical operational requirements, necessitating a search of all visitors by trained correctional staff. Searches may include but are not limited to, a pat down, metal detectors, electronic ion scanners, other electronic devices, or visual searches. If visitors refuse to comply with the Department visitation policy, entrance to the visiting room will be denied.

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA. Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.