Previous: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Jan. ’23
Welcome to the February 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, copy and paste, or print and send this issue to another.
Loved ones are encouraged to join the Idaho Inmate Family Support Group (IIFSG) on Facebook or contact the group’s admins at idahoinmate@gmail.com.
Looking to help improve Idaho’s criminal justice system? We ask that you contact Erika Marshall with the Idaho Justice Project. The Idaho Justice Project works to bring the voices of people impacted by the criminal justice system to the legislative table to work on solutions.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
A longer version of this month’s lead story, in which we consider the relationship between a former pre-hearing investigator for the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole and a former Boise police captain with ties to white supremacists, can be found online at bookofirving82431.com. If you believe as we do that the connection we’ve uncovered requires a deeper look from Idaho lawmakers and media, please take the time to send the link to those who serve your district.
Let’s First Amend This!
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WIFE OF FORMER BPD CAPTAIN TIED TO WHITE SUPREMACISTS EMPLOYED BY THE IDAHO COMMISSION OF PARDONS AND PAROLE
In 2019, Ashley Bryngelson, a pre-hearing investigation officer for the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole (ICPP), recommended that Sergio Castillo-Marquez, a Mexican citizen imprisoned for drug trafficking, be denied parole, deportation and reunification with his family in Mexico. Bryngelson’s husband, Matthew Bryngelson, has recently been in the news for his relationship with American Renaissance.
As reported by the Idaho Statesman in November, Mathew Bryngelson, who retired as a captain from the Boise Police Department (BPD) in August, appeared under a fake name on the speaker list for the American Renaissance Conference. According to Boise State Public Radio host Samantha Wright, “American Renaissance portrays Whites as superior to Black people and says people of color commit more crimes than White people.” The Southern Poverty Law Center labels the conference as one which attracts Klansmen, neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
A lawsuit filed in federal courts in 2021 alleges the ICPP is racially biased in granting parole. The plaintiff, Elias Custodio, a Hispanic male serving time on two manslaughter charges, claims his rights to due process and equal protection have been violated by the ICPP and its pre-hearing investigators. (Case Number 1:21-cv-000351-REP Custodio vs. Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole et al.)
In December, the Boise City Council set aside $500,000 to hire the Washington D.C. firm Steptoe and Johnson to investigate whether Mathew Bryngelson’s ideologies played into his police work or tainted the department. The investigation will be led by the esteemed Michael Bromwich, who according to the firm’s website, possesses 40 years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer, federal prosecutor, special prosecutor, independent monitor, and also served as associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel for the Iran-Contra investigation.
Unfortunately, Bromwich’s firm was hired only to investigate the BPD, which makes it likely that they will be looking for evidence of whether racist practices were deployed at the city level to place people in prison–and not by authorities at the state level with the power to release them.
It has yet to be identified whether Ashley Bryngelson in any way supported the pseudonymous views her husband was scheduled to espouse at the conference, or whether she may have attended others like it or promoted his posts on social.
Though her current employment status has yet to be confirmed, she appears to have been employed by the ICPP at least into 2021.
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WEEK ONE, DAY TWO BREAKFAST
Men/Women
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Oatmeal 1.5 cups / 0.75 cup
PB Pancakes 4 each / 2 each
Syrup 2 oz. / 1 oz.
Margarine patties 2 / 2
Milk 8 oz / 8 oz
Fresh Fruit 1 / 1
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IMPORTANT MEDICARE RULE CHANGE
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have recently changed the rules for Medicare enrollment. The rule change provides incarcerated citizens with a Special Enrollment Period that extends mandatory enrollment 12 months past their release date.
Effective January 1, 2023, those who become Medicare eligible during their time incarcerated will no longer face financial penalties for failing to enroll in Medicare Part B, and those who have already enrolled and are paying monthly premiums may now disenroll and then re-enroll during the Special Enrollment Period.
Unfortunately, the rule change only affects people released from incarceration after January 1, 2023, leaving what the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) estimates to be tens of thousands of people paying financial penalties in perpetuity for not enrolling in Medicare while imprisoned.
What is Medicare?
Medicare is a national health insurance program for people 65 and older, and also some who are younger and qualify with disabilities. Medicare Part A is health insurance that covers hospitalizations, usually without a monthly premium. Medicare Part B requires beneficiaries to pay a monthly premium and covers medical care received outside of hospitals. Neither provide coverage for healthcare during incarceration.
Prior to the rule change, incarcerated people were obligated to enroll in Medicare upon turning 65 or otherwise becoming eligible.
What are the penalties for those who fail to enroll in time?
According to Emily Wildra with the Prison Policy Initiative, “For every 12 months that someone was eligible for Part B coverage but was not enrolled, their future monthly premiums increased by 10%. Someone released in 2022 who enrolled late in Medicare Part B at age 67 is expected to pay a minimum of approximately $204.10 every month, a surcharge of 20% on top of the minimum Part B premium of $170.10.”
Wildra also points out that where most Medicare beneficiaries pay for their coverage from their Social Security payments, these payments are suspended during a person’s imprisonment.
Interested in learning more about the Medicare rule change, who and how it benefits? Visit the Prison Policy Initiative online for a brief and recommendations for taking action.
Source: Emily Wildra, “How A Medicare Rule That Ends Financial Burdens for the Incarcerated Leaves Some Behind,” Prison Policy Initiative.
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WEEK ONE, DAY TWO LUNCH
Men/Women
_______________________________
Turkey or Tuna 4 oz / 3 oz
Bread 4 oz/ 2 oz
Tortilla chips 1 oz / 1 oz
Cookie 2 oz / 2 oz
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SEARCH FOR TRAUMA TREATMENT PROVIDERS CONTINUES
“Correctional staff experience high levels of stress, burnout and other mental health-related consequences. They also experience higher rates of PTSD and suicide compared to those of the general working-age population. Additionally, we know that many of our residents experience abuse, stress and trauma before entering prison and that many can be exposed to the same during incarceration.” — Idaho Department of Correction
“A 2014 Treatment Advocacy Center report found that more than 350,000 individuals with severe mental illnesses were being held in U.S. prisons and jails in 2012, while only 35,000 were patients in state psychiatric hospitals.” — SolitaryWatch.org
Last year the Idaho Legislature allotted for $500,000 for the IDOC to deploy trauma treatment services and interventions for staff and residents. The money was made available to qualified providers through a grant application process overseen by the Department.
With the grant funding required to be expended by June 30, 2023, and with what currently appears to be an absence of interest from applicants, the Department again is reaching out to professionals interested in providing trauma treatment programs.
Requested services include, but are not limited to:
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- Mental health interventions
- One-on-one incident response
- Trauma-informed yoga
- Cognitive processing therapies
- Mindfulness techniques
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
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Applications and questions can be sent to contracts@idoc.idaho.gov.
Sources: “The Psychological Effects of Solitary Confinement Fact Sheet #3, solitarywatch.org.” idoc.idaho.gov. @idcorrections on Instagram.
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WEEK ONE, DAY TWO DINNER
Men/Women
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Mac and cheese 1.5 cups / 1.5 cups
Broccoli 0.75 cup / 0.75 cup
Bread 2 oz/ 1 oz
Margarine patties 2 / 1
Fruit 1/2 cup / 1/2 cup
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A MESSAGE TO RESIDENTS FROM THE IDOC
Avian Flu Affecting IDOC Menus
As you may have heard, we are still in the middle of one of the worst avian flu pandemics on record, with nearly 60 million poultry birds lost in the USA. As a result, the egg supply is very unreliable, and we are regularly seeing shortages from our vendors. For menus prepared in-house, you may see substitutions for eggs (when we don’t receive the amount of product necessary to prepare the menu as written).
For common fare participants, the egg meals have been replaced with bean meals. The changeover provides a similar calorie and protein profile as the egg meals.
Thank you for your patience with this issue that is beyond our control.
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COVID NEWS
Since the start of COVID-19, the IDOC has administered over 82,955 tests to those of its clients it’s keeping in-state. More than 7,075 have been reported as positive.
In response to a grievance regarding delays in receiving COVID boosters, Health Services Administrator Chris Johnson writes, “Since the new COVID bivalent booster was just approved by the Food and Drug Administration on August 31, 2022, it’s taking some time to roll it out to the pharmacies and providers. Currently, Centurion has already placed a large order of the bivalent but it is still waiting arrival.”
Residents experiencing issues related to COVID are invited to forward exhausted grievances to:
ACLU Idaho
PO Box 1897
Boise, ID 83701
View IDOC’s COVID report here.
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VISITATION
Idaho Falls Community Reentry Center has new visiting hours — from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
South Boise’s Women’s Correctional Center is now offering visitation on Friday in addition to Saturday. The schedule for both days is the same.
Following a January 29 incident, in which a woman was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle meth into IMSI during visitation, the Department would like to remind all that introducing contraband into its facilities is punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
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RENICK ON THE RADIO
With five years of episodes available for streaming, Mark Renick hosts Victory Over Sin on Boise’s KBXL 94.1FM, Saturdays at 12:30 pm. The program, funded by an advocacy arm of https://www.svdpid.org, shares what it’s like to live incarcerated in Idaho and then come out of incarceration to live on parole.
Once a participant in an alternative sentencing program, Casey Gonzalez identified a community need and designed a program of his own. Last month he joined Mark to discuss how he has been working with others to provide citizens returning from incarceration to District 3 with the materials they need to reenter the labor force.
For more information on reentry resources available in southwestern Idaho, visit svdpid.org or email systemicchangeofidaho@gmail.com.
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RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Statewide — Twenty-six staff completed Emerging Leaders training.
According to the Department, Emerging Leaders is an introductory course that “provides insight into the roles and responsibilities of a supervisor and empowers staff to connect with their teams in ways that promote communication and collaboration.”
District 2 — Twelve clients graduated treatment through Lewiston’s Connection and Intervention Station.
ICIO — Ofc. Kelly Meisner was selected as ICIO Employee of the Quarter; Cpl. Barrett Hills, Ofc. Devon Griffith, Sgt. Scott Knutson, Taylor Henson, Jaci Beegle, Ofc. Serena Henson, Cpl. Barret Hills and Cpl. Chad Fernald recently received the Department’s Silver Cross.
According to the IDOC, the Silver Cross is awarded to correctional professionals who display prompt or alert action resulting in a life being saved or the prevention of serious injury to others and for demonstrating exceptional care for other individuals.
Central Office — The following were celebrated for their respective years of service: Brett Kimmel, 25; Brenda Lamott, 20; Cheri Campbell, 15; Aida Marshall, 15; Zarah Martin, 15; Pamela Parker, 15; Cody Carlson, 10; Kari Nusgen, 10; Rusty McNeill, 5.
Sources: Idoc.idaho.gov, @idcorrections on Instagram. Kaylee Brewster, “One Changed Life Helps Many. Reentry Grads Celebrate Their Progress and Look To the Future,” Lewiston Tribune.
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RESIDENT AUDITING 101
We submitted the following public records requests in January:
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- January’s log of public records requests.
- The last four years of statements for the Inmate Management Fund.
Public records requests that have yet to be filled:
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- October’s request for the current arrangement between the IDOC, ICSolutions and JPay.
- November’s request for all payments made from prison service providers to the IDOC in 2022.
- December’s request for all grant applications and awards for pre-prosecution diversion programs and trauma invention services for staff.
- December’s request for any proposals, requests for proposals, solicitations between the IDOC and digitized mail service providers over the last three years.
- A list and description of all apprentice programs offered to IDOC residents.
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RESOURCES FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS
The National Hepatitis Corrections Network (NHCN) serves as a hub of information about hepatitis C in prisons and jails and will provide Hep C educational materials and publishing resources to incarcerated individuals anywhere in the nation.
HPCN
1621 South Jackson St., Ste. 201
Seattle, WA 98144
206-732-0311
hcvinprison.org
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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK
Michael Bromwich
Steptoe and Johnson
1330 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-5-23
Dear Mr. Bromwich,
Idaho prison reporter here, offering information you may already be aware of yet unable to pursue, based upon the scope of which you were hired to investigate the Boise Police Department: Mathew Bryngelson’s wife, Ashley Bryngelson, was employed for years as a pre-hearing investigator for the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole. I broke the story yesterday @ bookofirving82431.com, along with news of a lawsuit filed over claims of racial bias in Idaho’s parole system.
Thank you for considering this information to whatever extent you are capable.
Respectfully,
Patrick Irving 82431
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SUGGESTION BOX
In effort to reduce the spread of hepatitis-C in its prisons, the Minnesota Department of Correction began advertising in April for a professional tattoo artist. The position pays between $59,000 to $87,000 per year, considerably less than the cost of treatment for 80 to 100 new cases a year (at $20,000 to $75,000 each).
I suggest we do the same.
Source: Jacob Barrett, “Minnesota Department of Correction Searching for Tattooist for New Prison Program,” Prison Legal News Jan. ’23.
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That’s it, everybody. Thanks for checking in, I hope to see you next month.
Shout out Julia with the Idaho Prison Project!