First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, April ’24

Previous: First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, March ’24

Welcome to the April 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 Erica 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

In this issue:

Two corrections officers are shot during an off-site escape, another when Boise Police respond to the scene; a judge orders the IDOC to disclose new information on the source of its lethal injection chemicals; Nez Perce County Jail is prepared to scan your can; Mary Ann Kojis’s Story Link keeps incarcerated parents connected with their children; ICI-O and LC State celebrate Bryan Middleton’s education achievements; and my suggestions to one prisoner’s father who is pursuing systemic change.

Let’s First Amend This!

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TWO CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS SHOT DURING ASSISTED ESCAPE, A THIRD BY BOISE POLICE RESPONDING TO THE SCENE

Three IDOC transport officers last month were shot during and after an IMSI resident’s assisted escape from Boise’s St. Alphonsus hospital.

Idaho Statesman reporter Kevin Fixler writes, “Skylar Meade, 31, a prisoner at the Idaho maximum security prison south of Boise, required emergency medical care the evening of March 19 after self-inflicted injuries, prison officials said. He was treated and discharged just after 2 a.m. the next day. Former maximum security prisoner Nicholas Umphenour, 28, fired a gun at accompanying officers, hitting two of them, police said. Meade and Umphenour fled in a grey sedan before their capture Thursday in Twin Falls, according to the police.”

Boise Police claimed responsibility for shooting the third transport officer while responding to the scene.

According to Fixler, four investigations surrounding the escape are now underway, including one into the police shooting of the DOC transport officer and another into the homicides of James L. Mauney 83, of Julietta, and Don Henderson, 72 of Orofino. Both men were killed along the path that Meade and Umphenour are suspected to have traveled while eluding capture.

IDOC Director Josh Tewalt says that his department is reviewing its prisoner transport protocols and implementing changes as needed.

Source: Kevin Fixler, “Idaho Prison System Changes Medical Transport Policies After Boise Hospital Escape,” Idaho Statesman.

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WEEK ONE, DAY FOUR BREAKFAST (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
3 pc — French Toast
1 cup — Farina
2 oz — Ham
2 pkt — Sugar
10 gm — Margarine
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
8 oz — Milk 1%
————————————————

Click here for video.

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

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MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS IN IDAHO PRISONS

CBS2 reporter Savannah Hankard last month spoke with IDOC Chief Psychologist Walter Campbell about the department’s system of treating residents with mental health issues.

“IDOC psychologists and other officials say their treatment can help cut down relapses into criminal activity, however, there are other factors at play,” Hankard writes.

Campbell said that roughly one-third of people in IDOC custody enter the system with mental health struggles, and more are diagnosed during their time incarcerated. He also said that it can be difficult to determine whether those who are diagnosed with mental health issues while incarcerated have pre-existing conditions or are having difficulty with adjusting to the prison environment.

Solitary Watch is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit watchdog organization that reports on the use of solitary confinement in jails in prisons. According to the organization, “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.”

“We have a hard time with the resources for the needs that are out there,” Campbell said. “Treating mental illness doesn’t really fix the criminal problem.”

On Feb. 15^th, I submitted a Health Service Request to be seen by a mental health clinician amidst growing health concerns. Days later I was notified that I would be seen within two weeks, but it wasn’t until Mar. 19^th that I was called to the clinician’s office. We confirmed at the end of my appointment that I would return on Apr. 2^nd. The day came and I arrived on time, but a correctional officer shooed me away. My name was not on the list, she said, of people with scheduled appointments.

I immediately informed the clinician via Resident Concern Form that I showed up to our appointment as planned and, though feeling better, would still like to be seen.

It’s now Apr. 22^nd and I have yet to receive a response.

Sources: Savannah Hankard, “Mental Health Management for Those In Prison,” IdahoNews.com. Solitary Watch, “The Psychological Effects of Solitary Confinement,” SolitaryWatch.org.

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WEEK TWO, DAY FOUR LUNCH (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 ea — Fresh Fruit/ Banana
1/2 cup — Ham Salad
1-1/2 oz — Tortilla Chips
2 oz — Whole Grain Bread
1 ea — Cookie #5 (Oatmeal Raisin)
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Click here for video.

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

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DEATH ROW PRISONER SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGES IDOC’S APPLICATION OF IDAHO’S 2022 SECRECY LAW

Gerald Pizzuto Jr.’s legal team last month successfully challenged the IDOC’s use of the secrecy law established by Idaho’s 2022 Legislature to cloak the agency’s process of procuring lethal injection chemicals.

Ruth Brown with Idaho Reports covers the story: “Idaho U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued an order [Mar. 28^th] that will require the Idaho Department of Correction to disclose some additional information regarding the chemicals it planned to use in the execution of Gerald Pizzuto Jr.”

According to Brown, Winmill gave the IDOC two weeks from the date of his order to disclose:

• • • The date on which the department obtained the chemicals
    • Whether they were purchased from a veterinary source, a hospital, a wholesale distributor or pharmacy
    • Whether they were imported and the geographic origin from where they were obtained
    • Whether they were manufactured by the now-bankrupt pharmaceutical company Akorn
    • An unredacted copy of the certificate of analysis done on the chemicals

Pizzuto was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1985 killings of Berta Herndon and her nephew Delbert Herndon, two gold prospectors who were brutally bludgeoned to death in a cabin outside McCall.

Pizzuto was issued a temporary stay of execution after filing a lawsuit against the IDOC in 2021, claiming that to execute him by lethal injection could amount to cruel and unusual punishment, the potentially painful effects of the lethal chemicals on his medical conditions unknown.

Sources: Ruth Brown, “Judge Orders IDOC to Disclose More Information On Execution Chemicals,” IdahoReports.com.

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WEEK TWO, DAY FOUR DINNER (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
10 oz — Lasagna
1 cup — Garden Salad #4
1 oz — Vinaigrette
2 pc — Garlic Bread
1 pc — Bread Pudding #2
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
————————————————

Click here for video.

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

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ANOTHER CIVILIZED DISCUSSION ON THE SANCTIFICATION OF HOMICIDE

In an article published last month by Fox News, Michael Ruiz reports on how the search for more humane and reliable ways to execute U.S. prisoners has led to gruesome experimentation and the revival of projectile punishment squads.

Citing Fordham Law School Professor Deborah Denno as a leading expert on capital punishment, Ruiz explains how Thomas Creech, Idaho’s longest-standing death row prisoner, is the fourth condemned prisoner in the last few years to survive a lethal injection attempt. “The method spiraled into chaos after 2009,” writes Ruiz, “when the last U.S. manufacturer of one of three drugs closed down, making it difficult for states to obtain, especially since its leading manufacturer, an Italy-based company, opposes the death penalty.”

Some states are now turning to different methods to execute condemned prisoners.

Alabama in January executed a man using the experimental method of nitrogen hypoxia. Ruiz, referencing claims made by the ACLU, writes, “Veterinarians won’t even use the method to euthenize animals due to uncertainty about its effects, according to the organization.”

Others states, including Idaho, have turned to time-tested methods like the firing squad, which last year attracted the attention of one wannabe corporate sponsor. Chris Eger covers the story in an article published by Guns.com:

[F]lorida-based Liberty Ammunition this week made no bones about the fact that it “has offered to donate ammunition to the firing squads of the great state of Idaho, assisting them in a time of budget constraints and increased violence in our nation.”

Curious as to how the company presented its offer to the IDOC, I submitted a public records request for all communications between the company and the agency, and also for all related invoices and orders. The request produced one targeted spam email from the company to Deputy Chief of Prisons Amanda Gentry:

Subject line: “Get 25% OFF All Products!”

Contents: Liberty featured in Well Armed Woman. Liberty Ammo is gaining a lot of press as the premier USA self-defense ammunition brand. The Well Armed Woman recently wrote about Liberty Ammo as a game changer…

I reached out to the company through a JPay-email relay, to ask how the agency responded to its offer and to gauge the company’s interest in extending its support. “Any chance you might also be willing provide similar support to victims of violent crimes–donations of ammunition or firearms, personal protection training, victim support services, etc.?”

Liberty Ammunition declined to respond, leaving then-IDOC spokesperson Jeff Ray alone to deal with my inquiry.

Ray informed me through a JPay-email relay that the IDOC receives a large amount of solicitations and keeps no written record of incoming or outgoing calls. This makes it difficult, he said, to nail down what business is done on the phone.

Ray also confirmed that there that there is no overall policy guiding donations to the IDOC, which offers two questions for much-needed discourse:

Should corporations and other entities be allowed to sponsor U.S. executions? And at what amount of savings to the State would the voting majority encourage the government to commercialize court-ordered homicide?

Sources: Michael Ruiz, “Idaho Serial Killer Survives Lethal Injection Attempt, Prompting Renewed Push for Firing Squad,” Fox News. Chris Eger, “Ammo Maker Offers Donation for Idaho Firing Squads,” Guns.com.

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NEZ PERCE COUNTY JAIL’S NEW BODY SCANNER: 1.
MAN’S PLOT TO KEISTER IN DRUGS: 0

Those planning on reporting for their IDOC commitments through the Nez Perce County Jail have a new reason to refrain from packing their booties with contraband.

The Nez Perce County Prosecutors Office last month announced in a press release that shortly after receiving a new body scanner in August, jail deputies captured images of drugs and paraphernalia attempting to tunnel into the jail through the natural cavities of man.

Lewiston Tribune reporter Kaylee Brewster reports that the accused individual, a 39-year-old male, was granted a four-hour furlough prior to being transferred into IDOC custody.

Court documents and testimony from Nez Perce Detention Deputy Kael Brink reveal that a review of inmate communications led jail deputies to believe that the man was arranging prior to furlough to pick up and return with contraband, according to Brewster. Deputies claim to have observed the man exhibiting drug-related behaviors before asking and receiving his permission to scan his body.

The Prosecutors Office said the man was the first person to be searched by the jail’s new scanning technology.

He has since been charged with introducing contraband into a correctional facility.

Source: Kaylee Brewster, “Judge OKs Evidence From Body Scanner at the Nez Perce County Jail,” Lewiston Tribune.

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IDOC CELEBRITY SPOTLIGHT: STORY LINK’S MARY ANN KOJIS

Mary Ann Kojis, 80, is the creator of Story Link, a program that records incarcerated parents reading a bedtime story and then sends a copy of the recording and the story to their children. “As a former First-Grade teacher, I know the value of children listening to their parents reading to them,” she says.

Kojis was featured in the Idaho Catholic Register’s March/April issue for the volunteer service that she has performed since 2001

Mary Hersley-Kaineg reports that Kojis was inspired after reading a news article about a Missouri couple who had started a similar program. “She visited community resource fairs to seek funds and volunteers. She hosted fundraisers, thank-you parties, and an annual Tea and Auction. Her friends in the Idaho Gem Jesters Clown Alley (a professional organization supporting and training clowns) made the first donation. Soon, volunteers spread the word among their churches, workplaces and friends.”

After rallying her troops, Kojis obtained the necessary recording equipment and the DOC clearance required to see her mission through.

By Kojis’s last count, Story Link has since delivered 11,142 recordings and books to children statewide.

For more information, please write:

Story Link Idaho
PO Box 4372
Boise, ID 83711

Source: Mary Hersley-Kaineg, “Undaunted Senior Brings ‘Story Link’ to Idaho Prisons,” Idaho Catholic Register.

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CONGRATULATIONS BRYAN MIDDLETON!

A Lewis-Clark State College (LC State) press release recognizes former ICI-O resident Bryan Middleton for making President’s List honors, which requires a student to maintain a 3.75 grade point average or higher. Middleton enrolled to LC State through the Second Chance Pell Program last spring. He has since paroled, and plans to continue pursuing his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, according to the release.

LC State says 62 ICI-O residents participated last fall in the online and in-person classes made available through the college’s prison education project.

The college now plans to expand its program to prisons in Boise and Pocatello, where it is already offering a one-credit college prep course.

Idaho Capital Sun reporter Mia Maldonado writes, “According to the Vera Institute of Justice, incarcerated people who have participated in postsecondary education in prison are 48% less likely to re-offend than those who do not. Additionally, every prison dollar invested in prison education results in four to five dollars in tax-payer savings from reduced incarceration costs.”

IDOC Director Josh Tewalt appeared in the press release saying, “Education is one of the most well-researched and most important practices we facilitate that reduces recidivism. We are grateful to President Pemberton and LC State’s faculty and staff for helping us in our mission to make Idaho safer,”

LC State credits Middleton for using his prison education experience to advocate for others incarcerated.

Source: “LC State Sees First of What It Expects To Be Many Prison Ed Graduates,” Lewis & Clark State College News Release. Mia Maldonado, “Federal Grants Offer Idaho Prison Students a Second Chance At College Education,” Idaho Capital Sun.

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BIG-UPS TO THE EASTER BUNNY FOR VISITING NCRC

According to the IDOC’s Facebook page, the Easter Bunny last month stopped by the Nampa Community Reentry Center during an egg hunt with residents and their families. Staff and residents filled over 400 eggs and 50 treat bags for visitors, and those at the event were allowed to take pictures with the elusive creature. For some children in attendance, it was their first time meeting the bunny.

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RENICK ON THE RADIO

With over six years of episodes available for streaming, Mark Renick hosts Victory Over Sin on Boise’s KBXL 94.1FM on Saturdays at 12:30 pm. The program, funded by a Southwest Idaho advocacy arm of https://www.svdpid.org, shares what it’s like to live incarcerated in Idaho and then come out of incarceration and live on parole.

3.2.24.William K. Sansing Jr. is the author of “Beyond Prison: Finding Second Chances Through Grace, Resilience and Community.” He discusses how during his first night in federal prison, the kindness of fellow prisoners triggered a spiritual shift.

3.16.24. Chris Shanahan is a speaker, a writer, a peer-mentor program developer and a member of the board of directors for the nonprofit Helpful Solutions Inc. Having conquered mountains throughout his 26 years incarcerated, he discusses how he is continuing to reshape the criminal justice system from within.

3.23.24. Stacy Tucker is a reentry career development specialist for https://www.svdpid.org. She discusses finding her passion in her current line of work and the importance of inclusion in the solution-building process.

Contact Mr. Renick at 208-477-1006 or  visit https://www.svdpid.org for more information on reentry resources in Southwestern Idaho.

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RECENTLY ACKNOWLEDGED

Statewide — Graduates of CO Academy 3.24. Bridger Daniel with the Top of Class Award. Jon Linger with the Tactical Edge Award. Skyler Irvin with the Top Instructor Award.

ICI-O — All female staff by their male counterparts on International Women’s Day. Sedona Cappellaro as employee of the quarter.

Nampa CRC — Residents for raising over $800 for the Idaho Food Bank, an amount that will place over 2,400 meals on the tables of food-insecure Idahoans.

Sources: IDOC on Facebook

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RESIDENT AUDITING 101

Residents may submit public records requests by addressing a resident concern form to the Records Custodian. By providing as provide as much information as possible when submitting your request, you can help the records custodian to ensure that it’s filled properly.

Example:

This is a public records request for any memorandum of understandings, contracts or proposals between the IDOC and Day One Plus, the organization working with department officials and residents to create a facility-wide, standardized peer-mentor program.

To reduce potential costs, try narrowing your request to under 100 pages or ask for a waiver of fees in accordance with IDOC Policy 108.00.01.001 (Pubic Records Requests).

Should this request return in excess of 100 pages, please limit it to the first 100 pages or consider a waiver of all fees, as this request is being made for non-commercial purposes and in the interest of educating the public.

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RESOURCE FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS

The Children of Incarcerated Parents Library (CIPL) makes pamphlets on parenting from incarceration available for download without charge at the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated (NRCCFI) website: www.nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu.

Unfortunately, the NRCCFI lacks the funding to provide free copies by mail. Please ask your clinician, case manager, prison library or loved ones for assistance obtaining copies.

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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK

3.8.24

Hi Bob,

Thank you for updating me on the most recent incident with your son. If you’re considering appealing for action through social media, you may try circulating a petition requesting an ombudsman to oversee complaints regarding the close custody population, and also call for a progress report on IDOC’s ad-seg reform. (If I recall correctly, reform has been “in the works” with no action since 2017.) It may help to draw attention to that petition by resurfacing some of the more concerning news stories starting from a decade back.

To push the progress report, I would reference the ongoing absence of a long-term restrictive housing policy, and start requesting high-level communications of any documents discussing this “in-progress” policy.

Were you or a helper to sweetly sum up and circulate your findings, you may pique somebody’s interest.

Depending on how much work you’re looking to take on, you might also start a group that works together to tactically unveil public records information–including video, grievances, incident reports and statistics from Close Custody–by submitting public records requests and then incrementally publishing your findings under a group or profile.

The public records requests are easy to submit and I’ll be happy to help get you started, if you’d like.

Let me know if this helps.

Take care,
Patrick

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SUGGESTION BOX

I suggest we charge the mice rent to offset the costs of warehousing humans.

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Shout out to Annie with Aston University! Thanks for inviting me to speak and for the post card from Vienna!

“Who Do I Catch”
— Tech N9ne Collabos

Next: First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, May ’24