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Ironwood State Prison
Ironwood State Prison (ISP) contact, address, visiting, phone, mail and travel details. Confirm custody and current rules with the responsible agency.
Facility record · California
ISP · Blythe · Riverside County
- SecurityLevels I–III
- Population3,481
- Occupancy158%
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Ironwood State Prison (ISP) is a state prison in Blythe, Riverside County, California. By capacity it is the 18th-largest of the 30 state prison records listed for California with a published capacity. It is one of 11 correctional facilities in Riverside County, and California operates 30 state prisons in total.
Contact & details
CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026), period ending 30 April 2026
Finding someone first
Nothing below works without two things: confirmation that the person is at Ironwood State Prison, and their CDCR number. Book a visit without them and you will be turned away; post a letter without the number and the mailroom cannot route it.
CDCR's public search covers people in CDCR custody. A disclaimer must be accepted before searching, and CDCR states the tool is informational rather than an official record. County jail populations are held separately.
CIRIS — California Incarcerated Records and Information Search ↗
Visiting Ironwood State Prison
This is what the institution publishes, in the order you will meet it: when visits run, how to get approved, how to book, when to arrive, and what you may carry in.
When visits run
Visiting open · 27 June 2026Get approved
You must be approved before booking. The incarcerated person first sends you a signed CDCR Form 106 Visiting Questionnaire. Complete that exact copy, then mail it directly to ISP’s Visiting office.
Send it to: Mail the completed questionnaire to Ironwood State Prison, Attention: Visiting, P.O. Box 2229, Blythe, CA 92226.
What not to do: Do not mail the completed questionnaire back to the incarcerated person. Send it directly to ISP’s Visiting office at the general/staff-mail address above; P.O. Box 2199 is the incarcerated-person mailbox.
Book through the scheduling application
Use VSA for ordinary ISP visits. Friday bookings are accepted from Thursday 7:00 a.m. through Sunday 11:59 p.m.; Saturday bookings from Friday 7:00 a.m. through Tuesday 11:59 p.m.; Sunday bookings from Saturday 7:00 a.m. through Wednesday 11:59 p.m.
Open the Visitation Scheduling Application ↗
Walking in: Walk-ins begin at 2:00 p.m. Friday and noon on weekends. They receive a numbered family pass and are processed only when appointment timing and capacity permit.
Non-contact and restricted-housing visitsNon-contact visiting is not a choice — it is what applies while someone is in reception (newly admitted to CDCR, or just transferred between prisons) or is segregated.
Arrive, and report to visitor processing
Many prisons allow vehicles onto grounds only about one hour before visiting starts. Expect screening, possible vehicle inspection, and a processing wait that can occasionally reach two hours.
Parking: Use ISP’s separate visitor lot at 19005 Wiley’s Well Road and follow posted staff directions. Marked accessible spaces are available under statewide visiting policy.
Where to report: Use Ironwood’s visitor processing entrance at 19005 Wiley’s Well Road. Confirm the incarcerated person’s current Facility A, B, C, D or Minimum assignment before travel.
Bring the right things, and only those
Allowed in
- Only CDCR-listed items may enter, including limited cash, a small clear bag, two keys, ID, limited photos/documents and specified baby/medical items; weapons and illegal drugs are prohibited.
Identification: Adults must show valid, current photo identification: a state driver license/DMV ID, armed-forces ID, ICE ID, U.S. or foreign passport, or Mexican Consulate photo ID.
How many may visit: ISP permits no more than five visitors at one time for a regular contact visit and three for an RHU or other non-contact visit.
Bringing a child: A visitor under 18 must be accompanied by an approved adult and bring a certified birth certificate; guardians also need proof of guardianship, and other accompanying adults need annually updated notarized consent.
Video visits and cost: ISP states that video visits are no longer offered. Do not buy travel or calling services based on an older institution video-visiting reference.
Phone calls, money and mail
Phone calls
You cannot call in. CDCR states that it is up to the incarcerated person to initiate the call, and that calls are limited to 15 minutes. That single fact explains most of what families find confusing: the switchboard will not connect you, there is no voicemail, and a call arriving from an unfamiliar number is normal. What you can do from the outside is make sure the call can reach you — that your number is not blocked by your carrier, that it is not a VoIP or virtual number the system will refuse, and that whatever account arrangement the facility uses is set up and funded before he tries. For anything urgent, a message goes through the institution rather than the phone system.
Putting money on the books
Before anything else you need the person's CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), and their current location from CDCR's facility locator. CDCR then lists three routes. Electronic funds transfer through one of its vendors: GTL/ConnectNetwork, JPay, or Access Corrections. A lock box deposit, which CDCR states carries no fee when sent by money order, personal check or cashier's check: complete the Money Order Deposit Form with the sender's name and address, make the payment payable to JPay, and mail it to JPay, 2202 South Figueroa St, Box #3001, Los Angeles, CA 90007. CDCR caps this at $999.99 per money order, holds personal checks for ten business days, and warns that any letter or note enclosed with a payment will be discarded. Or send a check or money order to the institution itself. Vendor fees vary by amount and method, so check the vendor's own figure before you send.
Writing to someone here
Anyone may write to a person in a California state prison. Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband, then forwarded. CDCR asks that the envelope carry the person's full committed name and CDC number, the institution name, the P.O. box and housing assignment where known (CDCR states housing is preferable), and the city, CA and ZIP. The housing assignment is the part most people do not have: get it, and the CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), from the institution's Public Information Officer, or from CDCR's Identification Unit. Note that the address mail goes to is not always the institution's street address, so confirm it before posting anything you cannot replace.
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Ironwood State Prison (ISP)
Inmate Mailing: P.O. Box 2199, Blythe, CA 92226
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Ironwood State Prison (ISP)
General Mailing: P.O. Box 2229, Blythe, CA 92226
Getting there, and staying
Blythe has multiple I-10 lodging options. These are planning choices, not endorsements; confirm the exact room, accessibility, parking, deposit and cancellation deadline. Palo Verde Valley Transit Authority’s live trip planner includes Ironwood State Prison as a destination. Service to Wiley’s Well Road is limited and should not be assumed to match Friday-through-Sunday visiting hours.
Where to stay
Somewhere to eat
| Place | What and when | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Denny’s876 W. Donlon Street, Blythe, CA 92225 | Official page lists 24-hour service, all-day breakfast, takeout and group seating | (760) 922-3431 |
| Taco Bell375 S. Lovekin Boulevard, Blythe, CA 92225 | Official page lists weekend 8:00 a.m. drive-through opening, delivery and late-night service | (760) 922-5332 |
Inside the institution
Four Level II NDPF facilities plus one Level I NDPF Minimum Support Facility on approximately 640 acres.
Restricted housing
CDCR defines Restricted Housing Unit placement as temporary, case-by-case housing when a person cannot safely remain in a less restrictive setting; programming, required out-of-cell time and rehabilitative opportunities continue under the current statewide framework.
Health care, programs and release preparation
These services differ by institution. The details below describe what this prison reports, not a systemwide promise that every person qualifies for every program.
Health care
CCHCS provides medical, dental and mental-health care; ISP also offers Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment pathways.
Education, training and work
Academic offerings include ABE, GED and independent study; vocational offerings include carpentry, electronics, masonry, plumbing, auto mechanics, welding, auto body, building maintenance and office-services technology, alongside college and rehabilitation programs.
Preparing for release
ISP is designated as a Re-Entry Hub for eligible people within four years of release and offers a Partnership for Re-Entry Program.
Reported figures
These are the institution’s own returns to the state, and every group is dated. They have to be: the figures come from separate documents on separate cadences, and reading the whole set as one snapshot would be wrong.
Capacity and population
as at 30 April 2026How the population is housed
as at 30 June 2024Staffing
as at 30 June 2024Education and training
as at 30 June 2024CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026) (Public record) · California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, SB601 Reporting (CC BY 4.0)
Guides that go wider than this institution
These cover the same ground across every facility in the directory, which is what you want if the person may be moved, or if you are helping someone in a different state.
Other facilities in Riverside County
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Not always. A probation or parole hold, another county's warrant or an immigration detainer can keep someone in custody after bond is posted. Ask the jail what holds are on the booking before you pay.
What should I confirm before visiting?
The person's current facility, the visiting schedule, approval requirements, accepted identification and arrival instructions. Check the facility page and its official sources before you travel.
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Send us the page and the detail that needs attention. Include the official source when you have one. Do not send private booking documents or other sensitive personal information.
Plan the next step.
Practical guides for calls, visits, mail, money and release.