Previous: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter Oct. ’21
WELCOME to the November issue of First Amend This!
This publication provides an insider look at issues affecting the Idaho Department of Correction community. If you wish to assist this effort, share the link, cut and paste, or print and send a copy to another.
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GET INVOLVED
IDOC will be holding monthly Townhall With Leadership Meetings all through 2021. Submit you questions to brightideas@idoc.idaho.gov using the subject line “Q’s for leadership,” and be sure to attend to keep the conversation going.
Offender friends and families are encouraged to join the Idaho Inmate Family Support Group (IIFSG) on Facebook or contact them at idahoinmate@gmail.com.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
It pains me to have issues with presenting the news lately. Creating and editing is taking a week longer. I have to purge through several pages just to whittle a few paragraphs, talk myself out of the F-bombs and dial down the tone. If I could sum it up sweetly I would say this: Continuing to watch all our efforts be ignored is like a slap in the face with a splash of saliva.
And so some of you may notice this issue is different. That’s because I did what I could to paint a picture I could publish without seeding anger and going too far rogue.
With the editing process done, I think it might actually work–but I’ll thank you nonetheless for bearing with me another month while I do what I can to work out my disgruntlement.
Let’s First Amend This!
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DEAR DEPUTY WARDEN SUSAN WESSELS,
We are all very frustrated by the lack of effort you’ve been making when it comes to reviewing grievances and policies and answering questions. Though you have asked us to pursue our issues proactively, it seems as though the only effort you are making is to see that the lot of us feel we’ve been ignored.
We have been very clear in communicating that this a problem. And yet you insist on assuming an adversarial position and reiterating inaccuracies while wielding your power.
It is almost as if you believe you’re incapable of mistakes, and able to decipher our concerns without reading them as presented.
To show you precisely the way that this frustrates: Please click on this link to Policy 319.02.01.001. Pleeeeease, Susan. For the love of Christ and all that is holy! All you have to do is click! One miniscule movement! Minimal effort, Susan! Two seconds and you will see the problem we’ve identified and attempted to present to you several times before! Pages 14-21 don’t seem to exist! The link connects to idaho.gov! The policy is dated 2018. Where the **** have you been getting all your information from!?
Susan, please stop ignoring our efforts and put aside some time to review our concerns. I am a firm believer it would do us all some good.
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WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE VRC IN OROFINO?!?
Future family mates with loved ones in Orofino have found themselves infuriated over a counseling curriculum that is allegedly being forced onto couples before they can marry.
According to IDOC Policy 311.02.01.001, “IDOC does not provide marriage counseling” and “marriage must conform [only] to the laws of the State of Idaho.”
Among the reading purportedly required by Orofino’s Religious Activities Coordinator (VRC) is a text that has many uniquely enraged.
The following review of Dr. Emerson Eggerichs’ “Love and Respect Workbook (The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs)” was forwarded from the Idaho Inmate Family Support Group.
“[T]his whole book is built around the idea that all problems in a marriage are because a woman won’t have enough sex with her husband. If a woman would just have more sex with her husband, all problems will be magically fixed… According to this book, a husband has a God-given right to rape his wife anytime he wants. According to the author, that’s what the Bible says…a wife should sexually fulfill a husband anytime he wants, but the Bible doesn’t say anything about how the wife should be sexually fulfilled, so that doesn’t matter. The author is very focused around the topic of sex, and it’s very strange… If you don’t like people suggesting your wife is the source of all problems and the fix is to rape her because God says so, then I don’t recommend this book”
According to an IDOC post titled “October is Domestic Awareness Month,” 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking during their lifetime.
Learn more about domestic awareness @ https://www.thehotline.org/resources/healthy-relationships
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DID YOU KNOW>>>
For decades, the FBI has refused to include prison-based rapes in their crime statistics.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, roughly 200,000 prisoners are victims of sexual assault every year. But according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, only 139,380 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2018.
Source: Paul Wright, Prison Legal News, Oct. ’21.
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DEAR DEPUTY WARDEN NICOLAS BAIRD
Thank you for taking the time process my concerns this month, for providing constructive feedback, and for clarifying which criteria and procedures you’re using for your Ad-Seg decisions.
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REINTRODUCING JASON HODGE
Before we’re split up for all our proclivities, I’d like to thank Jason for his recent assistance. Together we’ve shared a interest in civic engagement from the most, backwards, assumptive, disappointing example of what’s expected to suborn a human’s healthy transformation–aka administrative segregation, aka restricted housing, aka intensive management, aka solitary confinement.
Those interested in helping network his concerns are invited to reach him through snail mail or JPay.
Here’s another look at the man hard at work.
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To: Sandi Frelly, Transparency Manager 10-13-21
I put in a public records request to the public records custodian on 10-4-21. I haven’t gotten a response back or request for an extension. The request was for information on how many inmates are currently being held in IDOC custody (to include county and out-of-state placement) that are passed their fixed time and eligible for parole. Please help me with this request. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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To: Correctional Case Manager Hottinger 10-15-21
Ms. Hottinger, according to policy 607.26.01.014, bullet 14-9, you are to review the parole hearing officer’s recommendation and inform me of the recommendation so I can have the option to respond to the recommendation or not. I would like to respond to the recommendation.
Re: Policy needs to be updated. Pre-hearing investigarors do not give recommendations any more and have not for over a year.
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To: Grievance/Apppeals Coordinator 10-17-21
I respectfully request a 30 day extension (or however long you deem appropriate) on my appeal deadline for Grievance #IM210000456. My current deadline is 10-21-21. Thirty days is the amount of time it will take me to ascertain where the criteria Deputy Warden Wessels used to satisfy her Level 2 response came from, as it’s currently not found in the scope of the policy cited… Thank you for your time and consideration.
Re: After confirming with the appellate authority, Warden Richardson, your request for an extension is approved.
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To: Chief of Prisons Chad Page 10-17-21
I was informed you are in charge of SOP management and content. I have a question about the criteria and scope of published SOPs. If the criteria for an SOP is clearly outlined, like for an assessment, can for any reason criteria outside the SOP be used? Thank you for your time and consideration, sir.
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To: Warden Richardson 10-18-21
I just received my appeal back, sir, and I find it concerning that you didn’t address the body or points within. The Violent Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) assessment and its scope of criteria is a part of policy. …The whole SOP would have to be revised and published in accordance with SOP 103.003.01.003 to see VRAG applied as it was in my case. To apply it any other way violates Idaho Administrative Code and IDOC’s policy regarding policies. Per existing policy, I do not meet the criteria for a VRAG assessment.
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“Parole Hearing Interview Packet, Concluding Statement” 9-27-21
[I]t sets a horrible example when those in charge of our corrections can’t even abide by their own rules. The problem has gotten so bad, we are down to just one level of review for our appeals–the warden. We use to have multiple levels of review, one of which was outside the facility in the downtown, central office. Why everything is now only handled in-house and kept from the outside is no mystery…
…That day cost me visibility in my eyes. I have to wear glasses to read now, and my mental health has never been worse! This is a very tense and stressful environment–people are dealing with serious issues–that’s why it’s important for staff to stay calm and professional, and follow policy and procedure. It just happened so fast. I was caught completely off-guard. It has me seriously reevaluating my mental health. These conditions make it hard to focus on healthy transformation.
My mental health is my biggest concern right now. When I got to prison, July of 2017, I was told by IDOC medical provider Corizon that the combination of medications I was placed on at State Hospital South (SHS) isn’t available to me here. So they were discontinued, due to cost constraints–or so I was led to believe. I have to start all over now, settling for whatever the provider can afford. I am actively talking to the B-Block clinician, Mr. Baumgarter, about options for future treatment. He can’t find records or reports from SHS, or any information confirming the medications they put me on. This has me concerned because I would like the use of those medications to be reevaluated in future assessments to see if they may still be an option–or if a generic substitute can be provided–because those medications worked very well, and I just don’t see why I’d have to become a guinea pig again.
Upon release I will be working in recovery and on the board of my family’s nonprofit, Soldiers of Hope. My main focus will be on treating my dual-diagnosis. I have learned I have mental health issues and drugs aggravate my conditions, causing drug-induced psychoses–and so I wish to remain drug free and get my mental health figured out. I want to be as stable as possible, and with all my mental faculties.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
sincerely,
Jason Hodge
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DEAR DIRECTOR JOSH TEWALT,
Our thoughts are with you and your family. Thank you for sharing your recent experience. We wish you all the best as you work towards convalescence and we hope that you’ve been able to take all the time you need.
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IN AD-SEG NEWS
The Ad-Seg Step-Down Program, a program used to prepare long isolated residents for general population, has been terminated over an incredibly, horrific and brazen [censored per IDOC policy. If I were to say it, they’d likely censor this transmission, as that has been the case when reporting prior incidents. Though it’s never been hard to fix it in editing, maybe this way you’ll make a few calls.]
Staff have been working hard to see that B-Unit rec cancellations happen less frequently.
Without the staff needed to perform in-person quarterly hearings, case managers have resorted to using the the following questionnaire:
Notice of Hearing
Your are scheduled for an Administrative Segregation hearing this month. Due to the recent COVID-19 concerns and staffing levels, I wanted to give you an opportunity to give me your comments on paper instead of coming up to the office to have a hearing. If you choose to provide me with your comments, you will not be invited to attend the hearing. If I do not hear back from you, it will not be marked as a refusal and an officer will ask you to attend you hearing when we are able to schedule them.
What brought you to Ad-Seg?
What do you hope to happen at this hearing? Where is the best place to house you?
If you were released to general population, would others be safe from you? Would you be safe from others?
Additional comments that you would like us to know:
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RESIDENT AUDITORS TO PUSH FOR AN OMBUDSMAN
With policies still being used to prevent families from exchanging reports following disturbances and incidents, and the Office of Professional Standards continuing to delay their response to our concerns of misconduct*, our resident auditors have decided to lobby Legislature for an ombudsman.
What they’ll be presenting in addition to the above:
— Disciplinary hearings and appeals aren’t being processed according to policy. For years, residents have been complaining that those who are required to deliberate impartially have openly stated that their practice is not to–that it’s simply not an option to rule against staff. Recorded in hearings and outlined in appeals, this dereliction of duties must come to an end.
— The Department’s ongoing refusal to file signatures of receipt for charitable donations. To file a signature that verifies a charity has been donated to, they say, amounts to an incredibly impractical and monumental task. An estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars have been made in donations, with not one signature filed to show where they went.
— Concerns with public records request. Discrepancies have been identified so frequently that our residents auditors have taken it upon themselves to review all public record requests made by other entities, and share with those entities their questionable findings. Such as this response to a request that returned from Central Office:
“At this time, all facilities have opened up their visiting departments since the Governor Order in March 2020, with the exception of St Anthony Work Camp. St. Anthony Work Camp Visiting Department has been closed since March 2020 and is only remaining closed due to construction. Temporary facility closures can occur due to a variety of health and safety reasons, but visiting has opened in all other facilities.”
What about this response is questionable? It has been confirmed many times over that IMSI has not opened visiting once since the beginning of covid. (The response was returned in such a manner that it couldn’t be sourced. Another request had to be made to identify its origins. We are still waiting for that request to be filled.)
It is also the case that the same public records request, made three different times, is capable of returning three different sets of records. And that specific documents requested have a way of being withheld without the mandatory notice that states they’ve been denied. (Requests for unimplemented versions of policy, for instance, have returned with peripheral information substituted instead.)
If you support the call for a DOC ombudsman, please click here to contact your district reps.
*Ref: Exhaustive Grievances In Summary, FAT Dec. ’19.
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DEAR CHIEF OF PRISONS CHAD PAGE
Many of your staff go out of their way to treat us with dignity. If you could convince those that don’t to give it a shot once in a while, I’m sure we all would find ways to appreciate it.
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COOKIES FOR THE INCARCERATED!
For several years fan favorite Mark Renick has worked with St. Vincent de Paul and Team to bring big bags of holiday cookies to those currently residing in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
In an extremely classy maneuver, this year Mark and friends have decided to expand Cookies For Max and deliver cookies throughout all Idaho prisons!
With the logistical difficulty of this feat still unknown, we ask that you join us in supporting Mark and his team in whatever way possible.
While volunteers will likely be needed to sort, pack, and deliver bags of cookies, we suspect those unable to physically assist will still be offered the opportunity to transform loose change from their pockets into cheer for our holiday bellies!
Having taken some liberties with this promotion, I must ask that you contact Mark and crew yourself to uncover the means by which this is done. Though I am able to offer to the following contact information, you may also wish to check in with IDOC’s Central Office and ask for recommendations on how to assist this project.
Mark Renick’s Cookies for the Incarcerated (formerly Cookies for Max)
208-477-1006
svdpid.org
systemicchangeofid@gmail.com
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COVID NEWS
Since the start of COVID, over 48,000 tests have been administered to IDOC residents housed in-state, with no testing taking place throughout 2021 for Idaho prisoners outsourced to Arizona.
Roughly 5,000 residents (a large majority) have tested positive. Some have died–the number is debatable.
Those who missed the first round of vaccinations have been offered another chance. Booster shots are now also being offered, but only for those match a criteria.
The visiting situation remains fluid. Please view the IDOC website for cancellations and closures.
Those with COVID concerns are invited to forward their grievances to:
ACLU Idaho
PO Box 1897
Boise, ID 83701
A MESSAGE FROM KEEFE COMMISSARY NETWORK
We apologize for not getting property orders out to ISCI, NCRC, EBCRC, IMSI, ISCC, SCC, SAWC, NICI AND ICIO.
Like all companies, COVID-19 struck our resident labor force and we had to make the tough decision of whether property was more important than commissary. In the end, we decided that it was more important to process commissary orders than it was property items.
Thank you for your patience as we work through this pandemic together. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
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RENICK ON THE RADIO
With almost five years of episodes available for streaming, Mark Renick hosts Victory Over Sin on Boise’s KBXL 94.1Fm, Saturdays at 12:30 pm.
This month Mark welcomed Cindi Real, a reentry advocate working out of the District 3 office with St. Vincent de Paul’s RECON team and Day One Services. Cindi is now coordinating employment opportunities with several businesses suffering from staffing shortages. Those planning on returning to District 3 in the near future are encouraged to contact her through their case managers.
St. Vincent de Paul’s Marketing and Communications Director Mareesa Rule joined Mark to discuss lasting acts of kindness and the importance of listening to people’s experience. Mareesa is looking forward to educating others with informative presentations and a wonderful team.
Learn more about Mark’s advocacy projects @ svdpid.org.
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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK
10.31.21
Dear Representative Monks,
Trick or treat? I am among the thousands counted as constituents in your district without the right to vote, serving some time in an Idaho prison. Though I am without the ability to mark up a ballot, I happen to be resourceful enough to pursue logical solutions by organizing others within the community. It is with this talent that I appear before you now, to ask as the editor of our Idaho Department of Correction newsletter: To what extent are you interested in the concerns of our corrections community? And, given the opportunity to message our prison families and workers, what would your message be?
Your response will be appreciated.
Thank you for serving Idaho,
Patrick Irving 82431
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SUGGESTION BOX
I suggest implementing a COVID-proof reflective reading program. One that could be launched for less than a few hundred dollars. One that allows community participation, encourages resourcefulness and rewards critical thinking. Much like the one that I recently designed.
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Shout out to all our turkeys in Berlin and Frankfurt!
Never again!: “All the Leaves are Brown: A Thanksgiving Origin Story”