Previous: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Apr. ’23
Welcome to the May 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.
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
It’s been a busy month on my side. Good for the long term, bad for the length of this issue…
Let’s First Amend This!
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KEEFE GOES FOR THE GOOCH!
The Keefe Commissary Network is raising its prices again.
The commissary provider for Idaho prisons notified residents on April 10th over JPay that, effective May 1st, a price increase of 5.7 percent would be applied to all products, to reflect recent activity with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Absent the threat of competition, the company assured its most loyal patrons:
“Keefe does understand the strain that this puts on you, our customers. Please note that we are taking every step to identify new items from producers to decrease our cost and maintain the pricing we are offering you the consumer.”
Weeks later, Keefe presented a sample of the steps it was taking to minimize consumer strain and maintain its pricing structure.
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- Pepsi products will replace Coke products at a 65 percent price increase (from $1.36 to $2.25 for 20 oz).
- Generic non-dairy, non-flavored creamer ($1.38 for 8 oz.) will be replaced by Coffeemate ($6.00 for 11 oz.) for a per-ounce cost increase of 216 percent.
- A similar switch with white rice will raise the price from $1.38 for 8 oz. to $2.00, for a 45 percent increase, nearly eight times more than the CPI adjustment.
Last year Keefe announced a similar 8.5 percent increase, only to be observed over the months that followed replacing multiple products with similar options, marked up in some cases by 200 percent.
Per IDOC’s contract with Keefe, the Department is required to approve all Keefe product placements. The contract further requires the company to keep its prices comparable to those found in Treasure Valley convenience stores and any western U.S. state prison system with similar full-service commissary programs.
With the current revenue sharing arrangement between Keefe and the Department–a minimum annual guarantee (MAG) of $1,250,000 plus 40% of all sales beyond the net annual goal of $6,150,000–the Department lacks any incentive to scrutinize Keefe’s methods.
IDOC/Keefe MAG invoices obtained through public records requests show that from January to December of 2019, the company increased its monthly sales from $8,221,322.53 to $9,165, 897.57. That’s an increase of more than $940,000 (11%) in one year–and that’s prior to stimulus checks for its resident customers and inflation playing a factor.
(This reporter’s request for more recent records has yet to be filled.)
Source: Concessions Services Agreement for Full Service Commissary Services and Account Management Services.
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WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE BREAKFAST (MAINLINE)
Men/Women
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Farina 1.5 cups / .75 cup
Pumpkin Bread 1 piece / 1 piece
Margarine patties 2 / 2
Sugar 2 pkts / 1 pkt
Milk 8 oz / 8 oz
No-pork sausage 2 oz /2 oz
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TRAUMA SERVICES STARTED IN JANUARY
IDOC spokesperson Jeff Ray shared with this reporter over an electronic messaging relay that the Department has awarded eight contracts for staff services and five for resident services; the first of the staff services came online in January, the first of resident services in March.
“We are viewing these services as pilot tests,” wrote Ray, “and are collecting data to determine if people prefer one type of service over others and if some services translate to more wellbeing.”
“Generally,” Ray continued, “we are pleased to be able to offer mental health services that help staff and residents enhance their psychological wellbeing. Our only concern right now is that we’d love for more folks to avail themselves to these critical resources.”
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WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE LUNCH W/SNACK (MAINLINE)
Men/Women
______________________________
Peanut Butter 2.5 oz. / 2 oz.
Jelly 1 oz. / 1 oz.
Bread 4 oz. / 2 oz.
Fresh Vegetables 3 oz. / 3 oz.
Potato chips 1 oz / 1 oz
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IDOC CONSIDERS MAIL DIGITIZATION SERVICES
“The IDOC seeks solutions to drug contraband secreted in the physical mail and other contraband by using a turn-key off-site postal mail scanning service that will reduce costs, streamline IDOC operations, eliminate contraband and provide valuable investigative intelligence not currently available.” — RFI-20220415-IDOC
Most digitization services divert resident mail to off-site locations, some as far away as Florida, to be inspected for contraband and processed for intelligence. Once scanned, some services allow the mail to be viewed over a tablet or kiosk, others provide printed copies with potential fees attached. All providers maintain record of incoming correspondence, in some cases storing scans and original copies, for years.
Documents obtained through a public records request show that four companies specializing in mail digitization services responded last year to a request for information (RFI) put out by the Department.
This reporter reviewed information submitted in response to the RFI from Dual Draw, Pigeonly Corrections, Smart Communications and Konica Minolta Business Solutions (KMBS).
At least one company, Pigeonly Corrections, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the threat of all incoming communications by scoring them for sexual content, toxicity, obscenities and insults. The company also tracks all sender information, the frequency at which they send out, and the amount of connections shared between prisoner correspondents.
No mention was made of whether the AI also keeps track of the most common problems associated with the services it offers:
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- Delayed deliveries
- Blurred photos
- Unreadable letters
- Missing pages
- Privacy concerns
- Service fees that stress prisoner support systems
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In a report released last year by the Prison Policy Initiative, Leah Wang wrote, “[M]ail scanning doesn’t work to make prisons safer. In fact, early analyses in Pennsylvania and Missouri suggest that mail scanning is having little to no effect on the frequency and overdoses of drug use, the type of issues that prisons claim mail scanning will address.”
“Missouri banned physical mail to prisoners, but nonetheless saw overdoses increase,” reports Olivia Ensign in an article published by Human Rights Watch.
The public records reviewed by this reporter didn’t specify what arrangements, if any, the Department made to follow up with companies who responded to its RFI.
Sources: Correctional Mail Scanning and Electronic Delivery Service (RFI-20220415-IDOC). Andrea Marks, “Digitized Love: How Prison Mail Bans Harm Incarcerated People” Rolling Stone. Leah Wang, “Mail Scanning: A Harsh and Exploitative New Trend In Prisons,” Prison Policy Initiative.
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WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE DINNER (MAINLINE)
Men/Women
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Burrito 1 / 1
Salsa 1/4 cup / 1/4 cup
Mexican rice 3/4 cup / 3/4 cup
Corn 1/2 cup / 1/2 cup
Pudding 1/2 cup / 1/2 cup
Lettuce, onion, tomato 1 cup / 1 cup
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RENICK ON THE RADIO
With six 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.
4.1.23. Stacey Tucker and Maddie Broome both enjoy their jobs as reentry career development specialists for St. Vincent de Paul. Their organization, now a federally recognized apprenticeship sponsor, has been busy expanding its services throughout Southern Idaho. View https://www.svdpid.org for more info.
4.8.23. After Judge Tom Kohl visited his daughter’s killer in prison to offer his forgiveness, he began a quest to honor his daughter who struggled with addiction. After writing Losing Megan Kohl, made it his mission to start Paid In Full Oregon, an organization pays to put people through bible college while they are incarcerated.
4.22.23 Just Leadership USA is the only national nonprofit founded by and operated by formerly incarcerated individuals. President and CEO Deanna Hawkins joins Renick to discuss the importance of training those closest to the problem to be part of the solution, and how her organization is empowering people to do so.
4.29.23 As a radio operations manager and co-host of Morning Light on Salt and Light Radio, Bryan Arhowel, with his passion for inspiring and entertaining audience, encourages his audience to consider returning citizens from a perspective of faith and grace.
Contact Mr. Renick at 208-477-1006 or visit https://www.svdpid.org for more information on reentry resources in Southern Idaho.
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RECENTLY ACKNOWLEDGED
ICIO — Correctional Case Manager (CCM) Jeff Anderson as Employee of the Quarter.
ISCC — CCM Yvette Viramontes as Employee of the Quarter; Sgt. Christopher Honn as Supervisor of the Quarter; Sgt. Bethany Seeger, Ofc. Anthony Albritton, Ofc. Christopher Romriell and Cpl. Daniel Burton with Department’s Silver Cross.
SICI — Ofc. Leonard Holmquist Jr. by Gov. Little for 25 years of service with the Department; Ofc. Tyler Reninger and Sgt. Angela Parrish both with an Exceptional Service Award.
PWCC — Ofc. Dan Grady for 10 years of service, Ofc. Jacob Torres for 5 years of service.
District 5 — Probation and Parole’s Ryan Mathews as Employee of the Quarter.
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RESIDENT AUDITING 101
Our wait for the following public records requests continues:
1) Commission payments made in the last 24 months from IDOC’s communication and commissary service providers.
2) All grant applications and awards for pre-prosecution diversion programs and trauma invention services.
3) A list and description of all apprentice programs offered to IDOC residents.
4) Idaho’s prison capacity, the number of people on state supervision, the number of people in custody, and the number of IDOC clients currently housed in Arizona.
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RESOURCES FOR INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS
The Prisoners Literature Project (PLP) is a grassroots organization powered by volunteers who have made it their mission to send free books to prisoners within the U.S.
The PLP fulfills requests for types of books and not specific titles. It is unable to accommodate requests for Christian books or legal texts.
The Prisoner Literature Project
c/o Bound Together Books
1369 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
www.prisonlit.org
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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK
Inmate Services devoted its energy last month to improving itself instead of other departments.
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SUGGESTION BOX
I suggest we all do like Inmate Services once in a while.
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Shout out to Clara at NYU Press!