The purpose of juvenile detention is to protect and care for youth who may be a risk to the community. There are three ways a juvenile can enter detention:
- Law enforcement may bring youth to detention if they take them into custody when filing a criminal complaint.
- A prosecuting attorney may ask the court to detain a youth when they submit a petition of charges. If the court grants a warrant for detention, the youth may self-surrender or be taken into custody by law enforcement and brought to the juvenile detention center.
- A judge may order a youth into detention at any hearing in the court process.
Youth admitted by law enforcement or a detention warrant will have a Detention Hearing within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). A judge will determine if the youth stays in detention, returns home or is placed in another setting until their next hearing. Youth do not have the right to bail in Idaho, so the judge determines where they will live until the case is resolved.
Contact us
For information or questions about your child’s stay
208-577-4948
All youth brought to the Ada County juvenile detention center are photographed and fingerprinted. Detention officers collect information about them and their charges and administer an evidence-based risk assessment to determine the need for secure, locked confinement. Parents/guardians are contacted as soon as possible if they have not already been notified.
If a youth is staying in detention, they are issued clothing after showering, and all personal property is logged and securely stored until their release. Information about gender, age, maturity, and seriousness of the alleged violations help determine where they will be placed in the facility. All rooms are single occupancy with access to common areas under supervision.
In-person: Parents, grandparents, and legal guardians of youth in detention can visit twice a week on Sunday 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Optional detention tours for these visitors are conducted each Sunday at 2:30 pm. You may call the detention center at 208-577-4948 to discuss visitation with your child.
Phone: We provide phone services for residents free of charge. Youth may call a parent or guardian two times a week for 10 minutes per call.
Mail: Youth may receive letters – but not packages – while in detention, as long as they are not restricted by the court. If you would like to send a letter, please address it to the youth at:
Ada County Juvenile Detention Center
6300 W Denton Street
Boise, ID 83704
Medical staff are available seven days a week. Youth in the care of the detention center have access to a Physician Assistant, Physician Assistant specializing in Psychiatry, and Nurse Practitioner from Central District Health. Lifestyle and health education is offered, along with free immunizations, HIV and STD testing, counseling, and treatment.
Medications for youth in detention can be dropped off in front of the Denton facility. Please push the intercom button by the Juvenile Services front door for service.
Meals provided to youth in detention meet or exceed nutritional standards of the National School Lunch and Breakfast mandate, as well as those of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. Our menus are reviewed by a Registered Dietician twice a year. Our kitchen accommodates medical and special needs diets and provides youth three meals a day as well as a morning and evening snack. The kitchen is operated by a certified dietary manager, and all staff is certified through the State of Idaho for food service safety.
We offer expanded educational and programming opportunities for youth in detention including:
- Educational services – Two classrooms staffed by Boise School District provide schoolwork from the youth’s homeschool, GED, or flex program
- Vocational education – One classroom dedicated to vocational education for males who have dropped out of school or who are working on their GED
- Individual counseling
- Health awareness and education classes/groups including smoking cessation, substance abuse prevention, personal hygiene, pregnancy, stress management, anger management, and emergency first aid
- Personal development classes/groups including life skills, goal-setting, effective habits, growing from failure, and cultural awareness
- Sports activities such as basketball, volleyball, and calisthenics (all offered on a daily basis)
- Crafts and healthy hobbies like guitar, mandolin, hunting, and fly-tying
- Movie night for residents who earn it through good behavior
- Honors recognition for residents with exceptionally positive behavior
- Religious/spiritual services for residents who request it and have parental permission to participate
All youth admitted to detention are issued a resident handbook that explains expectations for their behavior and rules of the facility. It covers all areas of their stay including:
- Dining
- School
- Recreation
- Proper room keeping
- Movement in the facility
- Dress code (we provide all clothing)
- General behavior toward others
- Phone use
- Mail (residents are allowed to mail 2 letters per week)
Rule violations may lead to disciplinary action such as a “time out” (youth must remain in their room for a few hours) or “Behavior Management Group” (youth has limited recreational time outside their room for two to five days depending on the infraction).
The Ada County Juvenile Detention Center complies with and strongly supports the protection of the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual activity, threats to engage in non-consensual sexual activity, or solicitation to engage in sexual activity between juveniles, staff and juveniles, and volunteers or contractors and juveniles, whether consensual or non-consensual. All allegations of sexual abuse or harassment will be investigated.
PREA HOTLINE: 1-208-577-4808 (24/7 messages)
To notify us of suspected sexual mistreatment of a juvenile in detention (either sexual assault or sexual harassment), please call 208-577-4808 to leave a message. Our PREA Coordinator will respond to all messages and initiate an investigation.
PREA Coordinator
To learn more about PREA, our policy, and reporting sexual mistreatment of youth in detention, contact Richard Maher (208-577-4940 or [email protected]