Ironwood State Prison (ISP), Blythe CA

• General Mailing: P.O. Box 2229, Blythe, CA 92226
• Inmate Mailing: P.O. Box 2199, Blythe, CA 92226

Learn about contacting, visiting, and corresponding with inmates and juveniles who are in our institutions.

• Vocational: Carpentry, Electronics, Masonry, Plumbing, Auto Mechanic, Welding, Auto Body, Building Maintenance, Office Services Related Tech.
• Academic Courses offered are ABE I, II, GED, Independently Study.
• Rehabilitation Programs:  Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Veterans Group Ironwood, Life’s Too Short (Youth Diversion Program), Community Based Art Program, Criminals and Gangs Anonymous, I-4-Sight, Actors’ Gang, Inside Out Writers, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Alternatives to Violence, Healing Dialogue and Action, Inmate Peer Education Program, Lifer’s Group, Inmate Peer Education Group, Father2Child Literacy Program, Victim Offender Education Group, The Urban Ministries Institute, Siddha Yoga Meditation, Meditation Buddhist Pathways, Kairos, Great Dads, Prison of Peace, Seven Areas of Life Training, and Partnership for Re-Entry Program.

DRP Programs
Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT)–Overview
On January 21, 2020, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) implemented ISUDT.  ISUDT is a comprehensive and evidence-based cross-divisional program with pathways to treatment through DRP Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBI) programs referred to as:

CBI-Intensive Outpatient (Medical Classification T1, SOMS assignment code ISI) 2-hours/day, 5-days/week, 52-weeks completion

CBI-Outpatient  (Medical Classification T2, SOMS assignment code ISO) 2-hours/day, 3-days/week, 14-weeks completion

CBI-Life Skills (Medical Classification T3, SOMS assignment code CB2) 2-hours/day, 3-days/week, 29-weeks completion

All participants will be assessed by medical and referred to one of the CBI classes.

Ironwood State Prison is nestled between Los Angeles and Phoenix Arizona, in Blythe. Tourism is a big part of the Blythe economy. Blythe attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors in the winter months as people flee to the area for the mild weather. Campers and hikers come for the local parks and campgrounds and the Colorado River, one of America’s greatest adventure spots. Blythe hosts the annual Bluegrass Festival along with fairs and concerts throughout the warmer days of spring and summer. Across the border, in Phoenix Arizona, you can explore the Desert Botanical Garden, the Southwest’s largest botanical garden.

Details

Ironwood State Prison (ISP) jointly occupies with Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP) approximately 1,700 acres of State-owned property, of which ISP encompasses approximately 640 acres.  The prison complex occupies an estimated 350 acres with the remaining acreage used for erosion control, drainage ditches, and catch basins.

ISP  was activated on February 1, 1994.  ISP’s primary objective is to encourage productivity and self-improvement by offering work and study opportunities for minimum, medium, and close custody inmates through academic education, vocational instruction, and support services. The prison’s name was derived from the surrounding area’s native Ironwood Trees, which share ISP’s qualities of strength, solidity and firmness.

Designated as a Re-Entry Hub, ISP offers different programs for inmates who are within four (4) years of their release date and meet the criteria for participation. ISP is home to the
Inmate Education Network Pilot Program.  This allows inmate students restricted online access to approved College Correspondence Courses, via the Voluntary Education Program (VEP).  ISP is also home to the Inmate College Program.

ISP is comprised of (1) Level Two Non-Designated Facility (NDF), (1) Level Three Sensitive Needs Yard (SNY), and two (2) Level Three General Population Facilities. Additionally, a Level One NDF Minimum Support Facility (MSF) which is located outside the security perimeter.  ISP’s designed capacity is approximately 2,200 inmates.  Currently there are 2,100 inmates housed at ISP.

History

Ironwood State Prison’s name was derived from the surrounding area’s native Ironwood trees, which share with the prison the qualities of strength, solidity and firmness.

Institution Statistics (SB601), Operational Performance Measures (COMPSTAT) and Inmate Population Reports

Neil McDowell has been warden or acting warden at Ironwood State Prison since 2014. He has served in several positions since 1994, including chief deputy warden, captain, correctional counselor and correctional officer. He was associate warden at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison from 2009 to 2014 and a correctional officer at Eagle Mountain Community Correctional Facility from 1993 to 1994.

Eric Andersson began his career in health care administration in 1977 after completing degrees from University of California, Berkeley, and Washington University in St. Louis. His professional emphasis has been in developing delivery systems that are financed, structured and assessed around community health goals. In time, Eric realized that CDCR offered an excellent environment in which to work on those goals. Eric came to CDCR in 2010 and served as CEO of Chuckawalla Valley State Prison through February 2017, leading that institution’s health care services through delegation back to the State of California. He has also served as CEO of Ironwood State Prison continuously since 2010.

Local Inmate Family Councils (IFC’s) are a gathering of family and friends of the incarcerated who meet regularly with Wardens to support visiting since keeping strong family connections with loved ones is a powerful rehabilitative tool. These IFC’s promote visiting by clarifying rules and regulations as well as discussing health, education, vocational training, packages, books, and related issues. For more information on connecting with a local IFC, please visit the Statewide IFC website.