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Visiting the Old Idaho State Penitentiary in Boise, Idaho

by Jaclyn Brandt

The Old Idaho State Penitentiary is such a cool piece of history in the middle of Boise. Even though I lived in Boise for the majority of my life, I had never actually been to the Idaho Penitentiary — until now. The Old Idaho Penitentiary was the state prison in Idaho for more than 100 years, but is now a museum of its history. It is now one of my favorite things to do in Boise.

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History of the Idaho Penitentiary Modern Day Visiting the Old Idaho State Penitentiary Hauntings at the Penitentiary

History of the Old Idaho State Penitentiary

Opened in 1872, the Old Idaho State Penitentiary was a functional prison until it was closed in 1973. The first building, the Territorial Prison, was built in 1870 — which is impressive because Idaho was not made a state until 1890.

Visiting the Basque Block in downtown Boise, Idaho

A little more than 600 prisoners were able to be housed in the prison at any time. In its 101 years, there were 13,000 prisoners through the Old Idaho Penitentiary, 215 of them being women. Ten people were executed at the penitentiary.

There were more than 500 escapes from the Old Idaho Penitentiary, although only 90 of those inmates remained at large after their escape.

Modern Day History

The prison is now owned and operated by the Idaho State Historical Society. When you visit, you can see Solitary Confinement, cell blocks, and the gallows. There are also 30 historic buildings and special rotating exhibits, including the J. Curtis Early Memorial Exhibit, which is a collection of weaponry throughout history. The weapons range from Bronze Age to modern day. The collection was donated in 1999 to the state of Idaho.

The Old Idaho Penitentiary also holds dozens of events throughout the year, including Ghost Tours, yoga in the yard, fundraisers, and field trips.

In 1973, the Old Idaho Penitentiary was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visiting the Old Idaho Penitentiary

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is open seven days a week except for any major state holidays.

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is open seven days a week: Noon to 5 p.m. Summer Hours (Memorial Day-Labor Day): 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last admission is at 4:15 p.m.

Admission fees for the Old Idaho Penitentiary are $6 for adults (13 years and older), $4 for seniors (60+), and $3 for children (6-12 years old).

Guided Tours

You can do a self-guided tour any time the Old Idaho Penitentiary is open. Guided tours are available starting in summer 2019 on a first-come, first-serve basis:

Saturday and Sunday: 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30.

Old Idaho Penitentiary Hauntings

Many groups and visitors have claimed that the Old Idaho Penitentiary is haunted. Idaho paranormal group Boise Ghost Hunters, as well as the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures,” and a number of other groups have conducted investigations.

Driving to or hiking Table Rock Boise, Idaho

According to the Old Idaho Penitentiary website, “Some, including ‘Ghost Adventures,’ have captured strange/unexplainable images on their cameras. Others claim to hear voices or be physically touched, or sense a ‘heaviness’ or ‘strange feelings’ when visiting the site, specifically in Siberia (solitary confinement cells) and the Gallows Room in the Maximum Security cell house. We continue to leave it to the individual to decide for themselves whether this is a ‘haunted’ site or not.”

Although you can believe what you want about the penitentiary, there were more than 100 deaths at the site during its operation. Although I find the outdoor courtyards pleasant, the first time I visited I got a weird feeling while visiting the cells — like I immediately knew I wanted to leave the area.

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is such an amazing piece of history to visit while you are in Boise, Idaho. Take a few hours to walk the grounds and see what it was like to be an inmate in Idaho between 1872 and 1973.

Hello my name is Shane McKay And I’m part of a paranormal investigation group called Raven paranormal out of Jerome idaho . And would like to know how we could or can do an investigation in this historical paranormal hot spot .and if so we would sign waivers any thing to do this . Thank you so much.

Hi Shane! I do not run the penitentiary, so I am not sure. But, I do know they do regular tours – so definitely reach out to them and they can help you out. Here is some contact info for the Idaho Historical Society: https://history.idaho.gov/contact/

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Old Idaho Penitentiary

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Explore the facility that housed some of the West’s most notorious criminals for 100 years. Tour solitary confinement, cell blocks, and the gallows while walking through 30 buildings that are part of this experience. The museum also houses the extensive J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit of Arms and Armaments, a collection of thousands of antique guns and weapons donated to the State of Idaho.

Things to Know

• Hours vary depending on season.
• Closed during state holidays.
• Group and AAA discounts available.
• Please visit the website to confirm hours of operation and fees.

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The Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historical Site

2445 old penitentiary rd., boise, id 83712, 208-334-2844, www.history.idaho.gov/old-idaho-penitentiary, over 13,000 prisoners served time at the old idaho penitentiary between 1872 and 1973. today, the idaho state historical society offers a video presentation, self-guided tour, and gift shop on site. exhibits, including the j. curtis earl weapons collection, are located throughout the site., see website for hours and information ..

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Old Idaho Penitentiary

• Address 2445 Old Penitentiary Road Boise, Idaho 83712
• Hours Daily 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Phone 208-334-2844

Visit Old Idaho Penitentiary

The Old Idaho Penitentiary opened its doors in 1872 to some of the West’s most desperate criminals. Today, visitors can experience more than 100 years of Idaho’s unique prison history with a visit to solitary confinement, cell blocks, and the gallows. The site features 30 historic buildings and special exhibits including the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit which displays a collection of historic weaponry. Events and programs provide families, school groups, and visitors an opportunity to relive the Old Pen’s exciting past of daring escapes, scandals, and executions.

Open Daily: 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

Summer hours: Memorial Day through Labor Day: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

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It Started Outdoors

Old Idaho Penitentiary: Boise’s Best Historical Site

There is always one must-see attraction on my Boise tour whenever a family or friend comes to visit for the first time. The Old Idaho Penitentiary has something that will intrigue the most diverse group of visitors. History? Check. Ghosts? Check. Beautiful surrounding scenery? Check. 

Here is what you need to know before visiting the Old Idaho Penitentiary. 

Quick Links

History | Famous Inmates | Ghost Stories | Cost | Hours | Quick Facts |

Old Idaho Penitentiary History

Let’s start at the beginning of the story in 1870. To do this, imagine stepping back into the wild west, a time before Idaho was a state. The promise of gold brought settlers west to the foothills of the Idaho Territory. With fortunes up for grabs, there were those looking to strike it rich without the back-breaking labor of mining. Those individuals handed in pickaxes for pistols. Idaho became a lawless territory full of violence and crime. But that would change with the final blow to the golden spike connecting the East and West with the first transcontinental railroad.  

The government was cracking down on outlaws as they set their sites on a civilized western society. No longer would disputes be settled by high noon gunfights. 

Boise was assigned just one officer of the law to patrol the area. The new marshal had the task of building the areas first prison. He wasted no time. With swift justice, he began taking down outlaws and forcing them to build their own cells. The structure they created became the Old Idaho Penitentiary.  

In the prisons 101-year span of holding inmates, it would be home to bandits, thieves, assassins, and cold-blooded killers. 

To learn more about the stories of some of the more famous inmates, the Old Pen offers several different types of tours and is continuously adding more.  These tours are free with admission.

Famous Inmates

The world has forgotten most of the inmates that resided inside the Old Pen’s stone walls. But while it was operational, some infamous outlaws caused a commotion throughout Idaho and the nation.

Henry ‘Bob’ Meeks –   A member of Butch Cassidy’s gang, he was arrested for bank robbery.

Harry Orchard  – Hired assassin with a kill count of 17. One of those hits was a former governor of Idaho.

Lyda Southard  – Convicted for murdering her 4th husband. It is unproven but suspected that she also had poisoned her previous three husbands, a brother-in-law, and her child.

Ramond Snowden  –  See below 

Old Idaho Penitentiary Ghost Stories

The prison was shut down in the 1970s, but rumor has it there are still inmates roaming the cell blocks. The Old Pen had a long history of violence and death. One hundred twenty-nine people died within the walls of the prison, including ten executions. Those touring the jail have reported countless paranormal sightings.   The supernatural activity warranted a visit from the travel channel series “ Ghost Adventures”  ( Season 1 Episode 8 ).  

The most wicked spirit that haunts the Old Idaho Penitentiary is Raymond Allen Snowden, otherwise known as Idaho’s “Jack the Ripper.” In 1873, Snowden stabbed his date for the evening 35 times with a pocketknife during an alcohol-fueled fight. Snowden received the death penalty and would hang for the murder. But things did not go as planned during the execution. His death sentence would be the first to take place inside the new gallows room. (All the previous hangings took place in a spot where the Rose Garden now sits). Something went horribly wrong when the executioner pulled the lever dropping Snowden into the room below. His neck did not snap as it should have, and he spent the next 15 minutes being strangled to death by the rope. It is believed his ghost still haunts this area of the prison looking for retribution for the botched hanging. 

On specific tours, you can enter the execution room. I can say from experience the feeling of being in that room is strange and quite unnerving.

For another haunted prison check out this one we visited in Charleston, South Carolina

How much does the Old Idaho Penitentiary Cost?

  Admission is $6 per person.  If you have a student ID or AAA Card you can get a dollar off that price (whoa, a whole dollar?! Yeah, you read that right big spender)

Old Idaho Penitentiary Hours

The Old Pen is open seven days a week (except for holidays.) 

• Summer Hours (Memorial Day-Labor Day) 10am-5pm
• Regular hours (fall, winter, and spring) Noon-5pm 

Quick Facts

• Housed prisoners from 1872 to December 1973.
• There were over 500 escape attempts. 90 escapees were successful.
• Through the course of its life, the prison received more than 13,000 inmates.

Chad can be summed up by his idea of a perfect day: Waking up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, warm cup of coffee in hand then grabbing his camera and fly rod, hitting the trail to explore some uncharted territory followed by cold beers and campfire steaks. Chad is often joined on his adventures by his wife, Tori, and their dog, Kona.

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Old Idaho Penitentiary

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is a surprisingly beautiful place to visit! It’s connected to and maintained by the Idaho Botanical Garden next door, and the grounds are absolutely overflowing with flowers, mostly roses. Not to mention the old buildings themselves are more attractive than what you would think for a prison. Even if what went on inside is more than a little creepy. (And looks it.) Let’s take a look around.

You can pay $2 for a guided tour of the Old Idaho Penitentiary, and/or walk around on your own. You are given a map when you enter, and there are plenty of signs and old photographs to transport you back to the prison’s past.

When you first enter the Old Idaho Penitentiary, you do so through the administration building. While the Old Pen originally opened in 1870, this castle-like entrance building is from 1894. There’s a ticket & information counter straight ahead and the warden’s office directly to your right, with a cool antique safe built into the wall.

Across the hall is the gift shop. But more importantly, behind the gift shop is a room with seating and a video featuring stories from past inmates. Make sure to sit and listen for a bit either before or after your tour to make the prison come alive with first-hand accounts.

(It’s worth noting that there’s a 1955 addition to the outside of this section for a visitation room. Now it holds one of two bathrooms on site.)

To enter the penitentiary, pass through the massive gate, take a peek into the armory where guns for the guards were stored, and step out into the yard.

Outbuildings and Exhibits

If you walk into the yard straight ahead, there are rows of beautiful roses between the oldest buildings. But if you head to the left, there’s a whole rose garden. And it wasn’t installed recently! The inmates cultivated roses as part of their rehabilitation.

Continuing along the left side, it almost looks like the storefronts and ruins of a wild west town. Which, of course, Idaho was the Wild West when the penitentiary first opened. There are the remains of the dining hall, open to see the basement rooms underneath. (And a forbidding cellar door to the “dungeon” punishment rooms underground.)

Along here are what used to be the hospital and barber shop, plus a smaller dorm for more “trusty” inmates. Now these rooms house exhibits on the history, inmates, and guards of the Old Idaho Penitentiary. And these aren’t boring facts, either. One timeline of all the riots is presented half in comic-book form. A whole room of inmate intake photos shows how racially diverse the prison population was, and the kinds of strange things they were charged with, especially in the oldest days. Information boards about the prison guards show similar facts- where they were from and how they came here. (Note the one German guard brought up in the Hitler Youth.)

Around the back corner of the yard is what started in 1923 as “The Cooler” and in 1926 as “Siberia” – the solitary confinement cells. The entrance and solid cell doors face the back wall, making you feel miles away from the other buildings, even in a relatively small footprint.

Dennis the Cat & Exhibits

Along the back wall is a second gate that originally led to the outer penitentiary yard, what is now the Idaho Botanical Garden. You can’t exit this way now, but prisoners would use this gate to access the farm and ball fields beyond the walls, plus the prison cemetery is way out on the edge of the property.

At the small gatehouse is a sign telling how inmates smuggled a cat through this gate. If you walk behind the large building to the right as you face the gate, you can find the 1968 grave of Dennis the cat, who “served” 16 years at the Pen and was buried with honors. Now, there’s a “ Dennis the Cat Day ” with food trucks, special merchandise, and pet food donations for the local cage-free cat shelter.

The large building along the back was (at different times) a shirt factory and a “loafing” room. Now, it houses an event space and some larger artifacts. On one side is a boxcar from the 1949 “Merci” train – a thank-you gift of homemade goods from the French people after WWII. On the other is a “Gospel Coach” from 1932 that served as a pre-RV traveling home for a family who preached the gospel at hospitals and penitentiaries like this one.

Farther along is the huge, industrial laundry facility and the second bathroom on site. Next to that is the J.C. Earl Weapons Exhibit, a frankly impressive war museum inside the penitentiary museum. To view the weapons in a mostly chronological fashion, start from the left with the swords, work your way past a recreated WWI trench, and around to the Vietnam-era machine guns and heavy artillery.

Cell Blocks

Heading back towards the front are six cell blocks, four of which you can tour. The oldest, a 1870 “Territorial Prison” (since Idaho wasn’t a state yet) stands in ruins. And the 1890 “New” Cell House with a mansard roof stands closed. You can tour the 1911 “2 House” and the 1928 “3 House” and they are as creepy as a century-old cell block can be. The oldest has these flat-grate bars and a corner cut off for the overnight “honey pot.”. (And yes, escape attempts were attempted that way.) The newer ones have the more typical round bars and proper toilets.

To the right of the entrance is the larger 1952 4 House. All of these cell blocks are furnished, in a way. Either left the way they were abandoned, or somewhat staged to look like they did when they were occupied. It’s interesting to note the individuality of the cells. The inmates were apparently allowed to decorate with paint and whatever they could make on-site. (Though everything has decayed and is peeling now and looks super creepy.) You can walk along the rows of cells in each block, and even up to the second story, though passages are narrow. One of the creepiest features in all of these cell blocks, is that the rows of cells are stacked up four levels high. It’s almost like putting men in storage, piled on top of one another.

The 1954 5 House to the far right was the maximum security facility and is only two levels high. But that’s the building that also houses a short death row, just adjacent to the gallows room. Ten men were executed here by hanging, via a trap door in the floor.

Across the cement basketball court, you can peek into the 1931 sally port, a gated vehicle entrance to the penitentiary’s inner yard.

Outside the Walls

Heading back out of the main entrance, don’t forget to look into the fun & quirky gift shop and stop to listen to inmates tell their own stories in the room behind, if you didn’t earlier.

Across from the main entrance is the separately-walled-off Women’s Ward. Women at the Old Idaho Penitentiary had a much less regimented life behind bars than the men. The few women who ended up here lived in small rooms surrounding a larger common room, in which they spent most of their days in idleness or on common household chores. Along the walls are photos and stories of some of the women housed here. Most of the stories are lighthearted, about young ladies with too much free time on their hands. One pair outright escaped as a prank, and waited patiently at home for the prison guards to come pick them back up.

The rest of the area just outside the walls is like a sweet little neighborhood. There’s an apartment-style building for the guards to live in, a beautiful turreted Bishop’s House (which you can now rent for special occasions), and a warden’s house. I don’t think you can tour any of these, but it makes for an oddly idyllic street right outside of the prison walls.

To the left of the entrance is a small, free museum of Idaho geology. It’s not the most exciting place, but if you’re into rocks, you’d probably find it pretty cool.

Hours & Admission

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is open every day from noon until 5 pm, with last entry at 4:00. In the summer – from Memorial Day to Labor Day – it’s open from 10 am until 5 pm.

Admission to the Old Idaho Penitentiary costs $8. Guided tours are an additional $2, making for an even $10, if you’re counting. You can bundle the Old Pen with the Idaho Botanical Garden next door for $15, which is an overall savings of $5.

The have special events during the year. Dennis the Cat Day (see above) is one, but they open the prison in the evenings around Halloween for ghost stories, haunted tours (cell block 4 is haunted, apparently), plus food trucks and alcohol. It sounds seriously spooky to me!

Just a note about parking – there is a small amount of parking right across from the main entrance to the Penitentiary and some parallel parking along the street. There’s a bigger lot behind the warden’s house at the head of the popular Table Rock trailhead, which winds up into the hills behind the prison. There’s another large lot in front of the Botanical Gardens.

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Old Idaho Penitentiary

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Old Idaho Penitentiary - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

This Former Idaho Prison Is Thought To Be One Of The Most Haunted Places On Earth

Courtnie Erickson

From Southern Utah to the Panhandle in Idaho, Courtnie Erickson has lived in what she believes are the best (and the most beautiful!) areas in the country. She graduated with a journalism degree from Utah State University and has more than 15 years of professional writing experience. You’ll likely see her with a Dr. Pepper in her hand and a pair of running shoes on her feet. Courtnie is a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState.

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Idaho is full of haunted places. From schools to hiking trails , you can easily find a place to be spooked in the Gem State. However, a historic building in Boise is believed to be one of the most haunted, creepy locations in the state — the Old Idaho Penitentiary. In fact, a visit to this former prison is sure to leave chills down your spine.

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For more information on the history of the Old Idaho Penitentiary, guided tours, and the haunted history tours, visit the Idaho Historical Society website .

Have you been to this former prison in Idaho? Do you believe it is haunted? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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A Tour Within The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

On my Oregon Trail journey I had arrived in Boise, Idaho and took an interesting tour of The Old Idaho State Penitentiary.

It was to turn into a very thought provoking tour that would take me back to time when prisoners were treated in a very different way; to a time when the state of Idaho was just a Territory.

I found the tour gave incredible insight into the justice of the 19th and 20th century of this part of America.

20 years before Idaho became a state, the first building here, a Territorial Prison, was built for the Territory of Idaho in 1870. In fact, Idaho had only been a territory for 7 years at that point.

It became a functional prison from 1872 and it surprised me, looking at the condition of the place, that it was used for 101 years and still had inmates in 1973.

Imagine being thrown in here without knowing if or when you would get out.

Many were lucky to spend only a few days or weeks continuously locked up in Siberia. Some, though, were kept in these cells for up to 18 months!

Yes, up to 18 months! The result was often absolute insanity or suicide. Graffiti on the walls here and tales of mad screaming from ex guards tell of a harsh, very harsh reality.

A witness room had been built too so you could see the hanging, but not the body suffering as you would do in the image above.

Paul is the founder and editor of BaldHiker. A passion for hiking, walking, nature and dogs. Sharing walks, places, photography, reviews and some recipes to keep you going especially on keto

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Wow, the word Siberia just took on a whole new meaning! What an incredible experience

Hi Lynne, Very thought provoking seeing it I can assure you.

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The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

The Old Idaho Penitentiary operated for over 100 years as the first prison in Boise, Idaho. Over the years it has housed over 13,000 inmates, hosted 36 wardens, and was the site of numerous escapes, riots, and executions. Today, it stands as one of only four territorial prisons open to the public and has been converted to a museum detailing the prison’s history.

Located between the heart of downtown Boise and the Boise Foothills, the Old Idaho Penitentiary serves as a reminder of Idaho’s territorial past. Inmates quarried the distinctive sandstone that makes up the prison’s buildings and walls from the nearby Table Rock area, a well-known Boise landmark. The penitentiary first opened in 1872 and was originally known as the Territorial Prison. It was later renamed the Idaho State Penitentiary when Idaho achieved statehood in 1890.

The prison was constructed in the Second Empire architectural style with guard turrets and thick walls reminiscent of a castle or fortress. Architects intended the construction to evoke a “somber, dark environment deemed appropriate for prisoners.” Wardens and guards encouraged inmates to work to reduce idleness and the penitentiary became almost entirely self-sufficient. Inmate labor carried the added benefit of reducing construction fees, costs, and wages significantly, saving the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, the prison lacked modern amenities, a problem that would cause discontent and riots in later years.

As the number of inmates increased, the compound expanded significantly. The inmates quarried sandstone and constructed most of the buildings themselves. By 1973, the penitentiary’s walls had housed multiple cell blocks, several administrative buildings, the warden’s house, a dining hall, library, commissary, blacksmith and carpenter shop, shirt and license plate factory, women’s ward, an apiary, a garden, and a steam plant. The prison also contained several isolation and punishment cells, known as the “Dungeon,” “Cooler,” and “Siberia,” as well as a gallows that was used to execute ten prisoners. Additionally, the penitentiary owned several ranches and farms that utilized inmate labor to produce the prison’s food.

Harry Orchard was the penitentiary’s most infamous prisoner. He had assassinated Frank Steunenberg, the former governor of Idaho, with a bomb as revenge for the government’s role in the 1890 mining conflicts in Coeur d'Alene. Although he confessed to killing at least 17 men, Orchard remained a model prisoner. Other prisoners were not, and the penitentiary experienced over 500 escape attempts. Prisoners escaped by running away from work assignments, digging tunnels, climbing walls, or lowering themselves down makeshift ropes. Some succeeded, but the majority were caught soon after their escape. 

There were also several riots in the later years of the penitentiary's history, reflecting inmate discontent with outdated prison conditions. One of the most notable riots occurred in 1952, when nearly 250 inmates seized the Multipurpose Building and severely damaged it. In 1971, two prisoners were stabbed, inmates set fire to several buildings, and others raided the commissary and hospital. A similar riot occurred in 1973 and caused significant fire damage.  The riots were all put down, some using tear gas, but the increasing frequency worried prison officials. 

The riots, outdated facilities, and lack of space for expansion led to the construction of a new correctional facility in 1972. This facility was built near Kuna, Idaho, and officials gradually transferred inmates there. By 1974, the recently renamed Old Idaho Penitentiary earned a spot in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it has been converted into a museum run by the Idaho State Historical Society. Boise residents refer to it as the “Old Pen,” and local legend claims it is haunted by the ghosts of former guards and executed inmates.

Related Resources

• Beierle, Amber, Ashley Phillips, and Hanako Wakatsuki. Old Idaho Penitentiary. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014.
• Clapp, Jerry. The Warden’s Son: Growing up at the Idaho State Penitentiary . McCall, ID: Hidden Shelf Publishing House, 2021. 
• Idaho Department of Correction website. “History,” available at https://www.idoc.idaho.gov/content/about_us/history .
• Idaho State Historical Society website . “Old Idaho Penitentiary Facts and Questions,” available at https://history.idaho.gov/old-pen-faq/ .
• Just, Rick, from the Idaho Press website. “A Little Slice of History: Prison Riots at Old Idaho Pen,” available at https://www.idahopress.com/community/community_columns/a-little-slice-of-history-prison-riots-at-old-idaho-pen/article_c861c715-7b52-5a0d-b754-f5b8c3bfcd9e.html .
• Lewiston Morning Tribute. “Inmates Move to New Prison,” 4 December, 1973, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dnZfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2371%2C745461 .
• New York Times. “Tear Gas Thwarts Boise Prison Riot,” 25 May, 1952, https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/05/25/110061698.html?pageNumber=54 .
• Tydeman, William E. “The Landscape of Incarceration: Idaho's Old Penitentiary.” Idaho Yesterdays 38, no. 2 (September 1994): 2-12.

Citation Info

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• Government, Politics, and Law
• Architecture
• Boise Idaho

Men described as Idaho prison gang members appear in court on hospital ambush and escape charges

B OISE, Idaho (AP) — Two men charged in a brazen prison escape and ambush at an Idaho hospital that left three correctional officers with gunshot injuries were arraigned in Boise on Monday.

Skylar Meade, the escaped inmate, and Nicholas Umphenour, a former inmate who used to live in the same cell block as Meade, are members of the same white supremacist prison gang , according to police. The pair are also suspected of killing two people in northern Idaho, police say, though no charges have yet been filed in connection with the deaths.

The arraignment focused on the felony escape charges filed against both men, as well as an additional three counts of felony aggravated battery on an officer and using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony filed against Umphenour. Prosecutors say he shot at correctional officers Elijah Jackson, Daniel Lopez and Christopher Wilskie as part of a plot to help Meade escape custody. Two of the officers were injured by the gunshots, according to police. A third officer was shot and injured by a police officer who opened fire after seeing an armed person near the hospital entrance.

The hospital attack early Wednesday morning was “essentially a pre-planned violent ambush-assisted escape,” Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Heather Reilly told Magistrate Judge Michael Dean.

Dean agreed to keep the bond for both men set at $2 million after prosecutors said they were a danger to the community and flight risks.

Officials say the case began when Meade injured himself in prison last week and was transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise for emergency treatment. Correctional officers were preparing to return Meade to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution a few hours later, at about 2 a.m., when police say Umphenour ambushed the officers in the hospital's ambulance bay.

Police say two of the officers were shot by Umphenour and sustained serious injuries. A third correctional officer also sustained non-life-threatening injuries when a responding police officer — mistakenly believing the shooter was still in the emergency room — opened fire. All three officers were hospitalized with serious injuries. Idaho Department of Correction spokesperson Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic said Monday that two of the officers have been released and the third was expected to be released by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, police say Meade and Umphenour fled. While a search was underway, authorities found the bodies of two men in Clearwater County and Nez Perce County, which borders Washington state. Shackles were found at the scene of one of the killings, and Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley said that was part of what led investigators to believe Umphenour and Meade may be connected to the deaths. A vehicle belonging to one of the victims was spotted in Filer, an Idaho town roughly 400 miles (644 kilometers) to the south.

An FBI agent was watching the area where the vehicle was found, according to court documents, when he said he saw the suspects drive away in separate cars. The agent and other law enforcement officers gave chase, and both men were arrested.

Police say both Meade and Umphenour are believed to be members of the same white supremacist prison gang, but authorities have not suggested that the escape or other charges are connected to gang activity.

Meade and Umphenour wore orange and yellow jail uniforms for their court appearance on Monday, with Umphenour appearing by video from a jail conference room and Meade appearing by video from a jail cell. They did not have an opportunity to enter a plea, but were scheduled for preliminary hearings early next month.

Meade is represented by Ada County public defender Savannah Bell and Umphenour is represented by Ada County public defender Brian Marx. Neither attorney could be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

Associated Press reporters Gene Johnson and Mark Thiessen contributed to this report.