Previous: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Jan. ’22
Welcome to the February edition 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, copy and paste, or print and send this issue to another.
Friends and families are encouraged to join the Idaho Inmate Family Support Group (IIFSG) on Facebook or contact them at idahoinmate@gmail.com.
Those looking to share their experience with Idaho’s justice system are asked to contact Erika Marshall with the Idaho Justice Project.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
It’s okay to acknowledge that Director Josh Tewalt has an impossible position. In essence, he has assumed guardianship of the redheaded stepchild the State of Idaho has allowed to shit in the house for decades. The dysfunction he’s inherited has been passed down for generations courtesy of voters, lawmakers and a number of admins. The outward ripples from his position can be felt by tens of thousands — and not just the families affected by justice, but also by those in our communities that need to feel safe. By many accounts, the man has made changes that will brighten many futures. He is compassionate, educated and possesses many of the leadership qualities I have missed reading about ever since Robertson first banned me from the library.
Do I agree with every move he makes as well as all of his policies? No. But we are both Americans and democracy allows it.
Do I give him an unusually hard time when certain problems present? Yes. Because while not every problem reported here is easy to fix, many of them are fixable with just a few minutes on the phone — and for those of us who present the same issues month after month, frustrations can build up in a ways that need vented. But that doesn’t mean I want people to hate the dude. It just means he’s the dude that once in a while I like to razz when certain shit’s not getting done and other shit just needs improved.
Let’s First Amend This!
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IDAHO WINS THE RACE TO INCARCERATE TRAUMATIZED WOMEN
Rachel Cohen with Boise State Public Radio News is reporting that Idaho incarcerated its women at a rate more than double the national average in 2020. This according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics report confirming the rate at which Idaho incarcerates women is highest of all of the United States.
Deputy Director Bree Derick acknowledges that females imprisoned in Idaho have higher rates of mental health and substance abuse issues, and are more prone to carrying childhood trauma than those in the general public.
Though Governor Little, in his most recent budget proposal, set aside $112 million for a new 848-bed women’s prison in Boise, only $2.5 million has been given to create the pre-prosecution diversion strategies recommended by Idaho’s Opioid Task Force and Behavioral Health Council.
According to IDOC, the $2.5 million will be used to help local governments establish pilot programs aimed at connecting citizens with substance use disorder or behavioral health concerns to community resources.
Source: Rachel Cohen, “Idaho has the highest female incarceration rate in the country,” Boise State Public Radio News. “Idaho Dept. of Correction JFAC Presentation,” 1-18-22.
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OUR FEMALE PRISONERS ARE UNDERFED. THE TRANSPARENCY DEPARTMENT SAYS OTHERWISE.
We first reported on it December, and then we asked IDOC’s Transparency Department to provide us with the savings the Department realizes by serving its female clients, in many cases, half the portions that they serve the men. Our public records request was returned with the statement that we are all fed the same.
The Transparency Department, informed that the information they were supplying was inaccurate, was once again asked by way of public records request to produce the food service menus the Department provides its residents. (Appearing as “MenuJpay.pdf” within the Handbook application of our JPay devices are eight separate menus whose titles begin with “IDOC Food Service Menu 7.0.”) These menus possess the serving-size details for each of the following diets: mainline, healthy choice, ovo-lacto and vegan — men and women, respectively.
Though the issue of disparate serving sizes may seem to some like a trivial matter, for the women receiving them it certainly is not. And if the Department cannot be trusted to return all public records requests with information that accurately reflects their operations, we feel our local press and prison advocates should know.
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GUMSHOE GROUP FUNDS INVESTIGATION INTO IDOC EXECUTION CONSPIRACY
In collaboration with the Idaho Capital Sun, Kevin Fixler with the Idaho Statesman explosively exposes the most censored saga this publication has encountered in all of its coverage.
Covering a story that’s unfolded for almost a decade, Fixler follows up on an incredibly awkward effort to prevent the public release of info that was recently found to contain “the covert ways that prison leadership operated to conceal any information that could reveal their execution drug sources.” His reporting was supported by the Gumshoe Group Investigative Journalism Initiative in the form of a public records grant.
Thanks to their grant and the collaboration of press, last month multiple media outlets presented to the public the code of Omerta adopted within the ranks of our Department of Correction:
” ‘This document is for staff use only. Do not release it to offenders or the general public,’ reads the memo, which includes pointers to prison staff on how to avoid the financial detection that could help identify a source of the execution drugs.”
When attempting to direct a JPay contact to this story, this reporter received notice that his message censored. The censorship notice arrived with an awful accusation: by attempting to share the story I was an advocate for hatred.
“The Department of Correction seems to have very little respect for the law, and certainly almost no respect for democracy and public transparency.” — Ritchie Eppink, ACLU Idaho, Legal Director
It’s a story so explosive we dare not summarize it here, less concerned about our safety than the safety of your drawers.
“When a government responds to a problem by hiding the evidence, that should not give anybody confidence that they’ve addressed the problem. — Dunham, Death Penalty Information Center
Please take your time to visit the links provided and, once you’ve reassembled the fragments that are blown from your mind, remember to come back and read the rest of our humble newsletter!
“Cash buys, private flights, changing rules: How Idaho hides from execution oversight“, Kevin Fixler.
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CENTURION HEALTH IS EXCESSIVELY CHARGING FOR COPAYS
Several who’ve sought the services of Centurion Health in recent months are reporting their trust accounts have been charged multiple times in error.
Upon coming aware of the issue, this reporter submitted several health service requests to see what charges they triggered to his inmate trust account. As those charges began to appear, one was quickly identified as a duplicate error while another was for an appointment that never took place.
In the time of Covid, IDOC clients are typically to be charged no more than two dollars by the prison health provider. The payment, which acts a copay, covers immediate treatment and follow-up care, to whatever extent the provider deems necessary.
Requests to be refunded for erroneous charges have not been enough to elicit a response. Along with several others, this reporter has been ignored while seeking some form of solution. In at least one case, a grievance was finally filed after an client’s trust account was charged as many as fourteen times without explanation.
With ACLU Idaho currently keeping an eye on all Covid concerns within our Corrections, it is recommended that those who’ve seen Medical any time since October review their trust accounts and follow up on questionable charges.
Upon exhausting all relevant grievances, copies should be made using facility paralegals before forwarding those grievances to the following address:
ACLU Idaho
PO Box 1897
Boise, ID 83701
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PASSING OUT PAROLE PACKETS: WHOSE F***ING JOB IS IT?!
Imagine being given approximately two hours to collect a comprehensive personal and family history and then present them both, along with other details of a still uncertain future, within the fields of a packet marked “THIS D***HEAD WANTS PAROLE!” You have zero access to the Internet, you can’t use the phone, and your electronic messaging service can take anywhere from hours up to a week. Should you fail to impress the intended recipients, you’ll be kept in prison for at least another year — possibly three, depending on their mood.
Per policy 607.26.01.014, pre-hearing interview packets are to be passed out four months prior to parole hearings. Yet, somehow in December, my neighbor was given only two hours to collect 16 pages of requisite information and present it as a plan that makes a case for his parole.
For months now we’ve watched parole packets arriving late. The issue was first brought to the attention of management in September. It’s unfortunate they’re comfortable with letting it continue.
If you know someone in Idaho nearing parole, we’ve transcribed the IDOC pre-hearing parole packet and made it available here.
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All OF US GOT COVID, ONLY A FEW GOT TESTED
On January 2 my neighbors got sick, and it quickly spread throughout our whole unit. Coughing and cold sweats, fevers and sore throats, we were in agony and it was apparent. Within a few days a memo was issued, informing us all that Covid was present: masks would be required and some restrictions enforced, but only those who tested positive would be required to quarantine.
The person from my cohort who reported his symptoms immediately tested positive and found himself in quarantine.
His cellies and neighbors weren’t tested behind him. No one was asked to and no one complained. We were more concerned with having access to the dayroom than receiving the level of care our prisons’ medical service provides.
Of the staff that stayed to work, some were symptomatic and made the best they could out of an unusually bad situation. (Kudos to IMSI A-Unit staff for making sure our needs were met in extremely respectable fashion.) After last year’s employee exodus, management’s options were undoubtedly dismal. Forcing all our facility’s workers to quarantine after exposure would have left our facility without any workers.
Unfortunately, for residents housed in Ad-Seg, where, for up to years at a time, one can hardly enjoy any time away from their cell, catching Covid from staff who came to work sick left little in the way of work ethic to be admired.
Back on my unit, two lucky souls, as sick as the rest, were seen rolling their property one morning to be transferred to better facilities. I couldn’t help but wonder how they would be greeted and how long it would take to get everyone sick.
I also wonder how many of us were waiting for booster shots when Covid came through. I asked for my booster with a flu shot back in November and, as this issue goes to print, have yet to receive either.
To be fair, I find myself wondering whether it would’ve even mattered. It was impossible to discern the statuses now issued with Covid among the makeup of my unit and cohort. The only one among us who wasn’t writhing around in agony was boasting of the fact that he’d already caught it twice. Even then, he wasn’t asymptomatic. In fact, the asymptomatic percentages widely presented conflicts with the data now kept in our notes.
As for our restricted housing units — used to isolate residents for extended periods of time — with “preventative measures,” they should’ve been practically impenetrable. Perhaps the protection words alone offer equal null.
Or perhaps it was a matter of decision that was forced upon the guard. Some might understand how one could consciously decide to open up the gates for a formal frontal assault, get the worst of it over and go on with their lives.
Out with the cloud of Covid, in the cloud of confusion…
Authors note: Nothing above is a recommendation or basis from which to argue — it’s just what I experienced.
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COVID NEWS
Everyone is getting sick, not everyone is being tested, some people have died, the numbers can’t be trusted.
Visiting for the South Boise Complex isn’t looking good.
The Idaho National Guard has been brought in to assist with daily operations.
Though the Department is encouraging booster shots, the majority who’ve requested them have yet to receive them.
View the numbers as reported here.
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SEWAGE LAGOONS SET TO BE MODERNIZED
It’s said the doo-doo ponds that make our prison landscape will soon be losing their natural charm.
While $10 million dollars has been allotted to afford them a modern-day makeover, it’s best to taper expectations for that splash of decorations we’ve been waiting on for years of putrid pinkeyes, stink and tears.
On February 15, all residents are asked to place tea lights in their windows and pray to their Higher Powers that $10 million is enough to offer protection from the breeze and the remnants wafting in it.
Source: “Idaho Dept. of Correction JFAC Presentation,” 1-18-22.
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JOURNEYMEN WANTED AT $3 AN HOUR
IDOC is on the lookout for journeymen-level licensed electricians and tradesmen apprentices with a minimum of one year experience working in a commercial or industrial settings. An upcoming project will pay $3.00 per hour plus free food and lodging to qualified applicants. The project is anticipated to last four to eight weeks and a $250 bonus will be offered to selected applicants upon final inspection. After completion, those selected are welcome to remain employed with the Southern Idaho Correctional Institute Maintenance Department at the prevailing wage of $2.00 or pursue other employment opportunities with SICI Vocational Work Projects. To include:
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- Heavy Equipment Operators
- Welders / fabricators
- Concrete workers
- Plumbers
- HVAC technicians
- Electricians
- Automotive technicians
- Farming and wastewater
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Please send applications and/or concern forms to SICI Maintenance.
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A MESSAGE FROM THE INSIDE-OUT ORGANIZING WORKING GROUP
More than 70 national organizations have launched the #EndTheException campaign to pass the Abolition Amendment. Already backed by 32 members of congress, the amendment simply reads: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as punishment for a crime.”
Though the Thirteenth Amendment is celebrated for abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude, it includes an exception clause that allows both to continue as punishment for a crime. During Reconstruction, the exception perpetuated criminalization, incarceration and re-enslavement. 150 years later, incarcerated and detained people across our country are forced to work for little-to-no pay under the threat of additional punitive measures, such as the loss of family visits and solitary confinement.
Not only does this affect our incarcerated population, but it also hurts the wages set within our local communities.
Those interested in joining the #EndTheException campaign are asked to contact Maddy at:
Inside-Out Organizing
1915 Fulton Street, Unit 563
Brooklyn, NY 11233
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RENICK ON THE RADIO
With over 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 David Lund from Reentry Idaho, a service arm of Bar None that operates in District 1. David discussed some of the unique challenges faces by the formerly incarcerated in northern Idaho and the services now being offered by his organization. Those interested in reentry services are encouraged to contact him. Bar None 208-900-9075, reentryidaho.org/referral.
Once a reporter for the Idaho Press Tribune, Tommy Simmons is now working with the Center of Fiscal Policy. From there he’ll be educating the public on the costs and effects of incarceration in Idaho. All are invited to follow his work at idahofiscal.org and Twitter @IdahoFiscal.
Longtime organizer and advocate Ronald Simpson-Bey with Just Leadership USA is bringing to Idaho his leadership development training. With two separate formats emerging from his leadership program, there is now talk his of his training being offered in select IDOC facilities. His work can be found on Youtube and by search.
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PROPOSED FOR NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET
Governor Little has released his executive budget recommendations and Director Josh Tewalt has submitted a financial overview to Idaho’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC). Here are some of the highlights:
$339,338,300 has been requested for next year’s operating budget. This represents an 8.3% increase over the current correctional budget.
$10.7 million will be used to pay off the bond for the CAPP building. This will transition the property and facility to state ownership. The facility will continue to be operated by Management Training Corporation.
$7.3 million will be used to annualize the most recent change in pay rates for correctional security while addressing compression in Probation and Parole.
$3.2 million will be used to upgrade institutional radios to a digital ultra-high frequency system.
$1.6 million will be used add 20 new specialists for Probation (amp) Parole and Reentry Services throughout Idaho.
$1.4 million will be used to support the “Reducing Violent Crime” and “Innovations in Supervision” grants.
$1.3 million will be used to add 12 new positions to help support increased vocational work opportunities and expand correctional labor programs.
$500,000 will be used to develop and implement trauma interventions for correctional staff and residents. This program will be one of the first of its kind to pilot interventions to address the underlying trauma for people working and living in correctional facilities.
$67,000 will be used to bring our educators’ pay up to par with their counterparts in public schools.
As part of the Division of Public Works budget, $150 million will be used to build a new 848-bed female facility and add a 280-bed housing unit to ISCI and remodel Unit 7 at ISCI.
Also from Public Works is $12 million that will be used build a new Community Reentry Center in Pocatello.
Sources: Josh Tewalt, “IDOC Budget Details (email),” 1.11.22. Josh Tewalt, “Idaho Department of Correction JFAC Presentation,” 1.18.22.
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RESIDENT AUDITING 101
In regards to the inmate donations they’ve collected for years, the Department is still refusing to provide any proof that their clients’ charitable contributions are actually going to charities. With an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of prisoner property at stake, the Idaho Center for Fiscal Property and the Department of Justice are soon to be notified.
As already mentioned, the Transparency Department has been observed returning inaccurate information to a public records request made for food service data. They have been notified and asked to try again.
It has been found that IMSI Educator Mr. Robertson’s indefinite library suspensions are a product of his own creativity and not supported by any policy. A grievance addressing the issue is now nearing exhaustion.
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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK
1-31-22
Dear Deputy Chief of Prisons Amanda Gentry,
CC: Janeena White
After three months of patiently waiting for your response to Grievance #IM 210000467, I find myself upset that the concern I presented was not the one addressed. I was simply seeking some form of proof to show our “charitable donations” are going to actual charities.
Throughout the month of December this department touted the cash donations they collected from their inmates to feed families in the community and provide them with a Christmas experience. Were no records kept of these moneys as well?
It should matter little that our year-round donations are made in the form of inmate property. The money coming from our pockets is many times that of anything done around Christmas time. Nearly every time we sign a confiscation/property disposition form, we’re told we’re giving to charities. Certainly you can understand how we would like some proof?
With all due respect, I feel this was an incredibly easy issue to attend to. Because I am extremely disappointed with how it has been handled, along with my previous public records requests and a copy of this communique, I will be forwarding this grievance to the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, as well as the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy. These items will accompany my request that an inquiry be made into how this Department chooses its charities and the reason why signatures of receipt aren’t kept from those that are actively benefitting.
In friendship and incarceration,
Patrick Irving
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SUGGESTION BOX
It is once again worth suggesting that all take the time to read and share Kevin Fixler’s article “Cash buys, private flights, changing rules: How Idaho hides from execution oversight.”
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My cellie deserves a shout-out this month, for enduring an excessive amount of awkward exposure to the emotions and intensity I filter through for weeks, all in an effort to articulate a somewhat presentable offering.
And shout-out from my cellie to his madre in West Covina. Is that all you get for putting up with him for 27 years?!
That’s it for me. See you next month.