Updates

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.

***

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!

***

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.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY TWO BREAKFAST

Men/Women
______________________________
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
————————————————

***

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.

***

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
________________________________

***

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:

• • • Mental health interventions
    • One-on-one incident response
    • Trauma-informed yoga
    • Cognitive processing therapies
    • Mindfulness techniques
    • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR)

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.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY TWO DINNER

Men/Women
________________________________
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
___________________________________

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

IMSI — Case Manager Scott Teats was awarded Employee of the Month; Lt. Dixie Hoyt received Supervisor of the Quarter.

SICI — Sgt. Felix Diaz was celebrated for his 15 years of service; Cpl. Riley Hayes was celebrated for 10 years of service.

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.

***

RESIDENT AUDITING 101

We submitted the following public records requests in January:

1. 1. January’s log of public records requests.
   2. The last four years of statements for the Inmate Management Fund.

Public records requests that have yet to be filled:

1. 1. October’s request for the current arrangement between the IDOC, ICSolutions and JPay.
   2. November’s request for all payments made from prison service providers to the IDOC in 2022.
   3. December’s request for all grant applications and awards for pre-prosecution diversion programs and trauma invention services for staff.
   4. December’s request for any proposals, requests for proposals, solicitations between the IDOC and digitized mail service providers over the last three years.
   5. A list and description of all apprentice programs offered to IDOC residents.

***

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

***

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

***

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.

***

That’s it, everybody. Thanks for checking in, I hope to see you next month.

Shout out Julia with the Idaho Prison Project!

“Fly Away”
— Tones and I

 

Previous: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Dec. ’22

Welcome to the January 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.

***

EDITOR’S NOTE

As a member of the Prison Journalism Project (PJP), I recently earned an opportunity to participate in an advanced nonfiction writing workshop led by two amazing industry professionals:

Bill Keller worked at The New York Times for 30 years as a correspondent, editor and op-ed columnist. He was the founding editor of The Marshall Project. He has taught journalism seminars at Princeton University, as well as at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York (briefly, until the COVID shutdown). He is the author of “What’s Prison For?” published in October 2022.

Shaheen Pasha is co-founder and chief education officer of Prison Journalism Project. She is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State University and a veteran journalist with over 20 years of experience at news outlets that include CNN and Thomson Reuters. She has extensive experience teaching incarcerated students throughout the country.

Having committed to devoting myself to this workshop, I will still do my best to keep you apprised in coming months of Idaho prison news by offering an abbreviated version of this newsletter.

Thank you for understanding that all changes are temporary and made in the interest of allowing me to become a better journalist.

Let’s First Amend This!

***

CENTURION SUES TO PREVENT PAYOUTS FOR PRISONERS DEATHS FROM BECOMING PUBLIC RECORD

IDOC’s current health care provider is prepared to spend big money keeping the cost of its negligence secret.

On November 14, 2022, Centurion, the health care provider for Idaho prisons, filed a lawsuit in Florida’s Putnam County court seeking to prevent the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC) from obtaining the settlement of a case filed by the estate of a prisoner killed through the company’s negligent practices.

For over three decades, the HRDC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has published legal resources, self-help guides and educational materials aimed at assisting incarcerated persons. This in addition to presenting legal challenges to policies and actions that harm prisoners and their loved ones.

HRDC founder and editor Paul Wright wrote of the lawsuit in the December issue of Prison Legal News, one of the organization’s two monthly publications, “Suits against media entities to intimidate us and prevent us from carrying out our news gathering and reporting functions are called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). In 32 years, this is the first time we have been sued by the prison profiteers we report on. We must be doing something right.”

In the short time that Centurion has acted as the health care provider for Idaho prisons, this newsletter has reported on the company struggling to distribute chronic-care medications, falsifying tuberculosis test results and excessively charging its patients.

Source: Paul Wright, “From the Editor,” PLN (Dec. ’22).

***

WEEK ONE, DAY ONE BREAKFAST

Men/Women
______________________________
Brown Flakes 2 oz / 2 oz
Biscuits 4 oz /2 oz
Country gravy 1 cup / .5 cup
Scrambled eggs 4 oz / 3 oz
Sugar packets 2 / 1
Milk 16 oz / 16 oz
Fresh Fruit 1 / 1
————————————————

***

NEW DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THE SUBJECT OF STAFF IRE

Atlas–the IDOC’s new offender management system, was implemented to streamline data and make the lives of workers easier. On the record, employees say the system has been difficult to work with; off the record, that piece of shit is a waste of time and money.

According to a survey conducted among IMSI staff, the load time is slow, the interface is challenging and the procedures for updating data require too much third-party involvement. “It kind of has the feel of an early-internet website,” reported one prison employee who prefers to remain anonymous.

Though the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole (ICPP) didn’t participate in the survey, it did post notice of problems with Atlas online. “The December 2022 Action Taken will be delayed due to technical difficulties with our Offender Management System. We are now working diligently to get this posted as soon possible. At this time we do not have an estimate when the decisions will be posted. We appreciate your patience and understanding.”

The December Notices of Action Taken were eventually posted on January 6th, 2023.

It unclear what Atlas cost or how long it will take to bring the system up to speed.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY ONE LUNCH
_______________________________
Super muffin
Men 2 each
Women 1 each
————————————————–

***

A MESSAGE FROM THE IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE CORRECTIONS

Do you suspect your child might have a disability?

The Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections is responsible to locate, refer and identify all children who are suspected of having a disability and are enrolled in our school.

If a child is having significant difficulty with vision, hearing, speech, behavior, is experiencing slow development typical for his/her age, physical impairments, or learning difficulty, he/she may be a child with a disability. Identification and intervention is essential to help ensure school success.

If you suspect your progeny of harboring a disability, please report them immediately to: juniperhills@idjc.idaho.gov or 208-334-5100.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY ONE DINNER

Men/Women
________________________________
Roast beef 4 oz / 3 oz
Mashed potato 1/2 cup / 1/2 cup
Peas 3/4 cup / 3/4 cup
Bread 2 oz/ 1 oz
Margarine patties 2 / 1
Pumpkin pie 1 / 1
Fruit 1/2 cup / 1/2 cup
Gravy 1/4 cup / 1/4 cup
___________________________________

***

IF CHRISTMAS IN THE CLINKER WASN’T ALREADY COLD ENOUGH…

Residents of the Idaho State Correctional Center found themselves showering in cold water for the second half of December after all three of the facility’s water boilers broke down in the course of a week.

Boise’s KTVB News reported receiving numerous reports from callers concerned with residents’ welfare.

Approached for comment by reporters, IDOC Public Information Officer Jeff Ray responded in an email that the first water boiler went down on December 17 and the other two followed one week later on Christmas Eve. All three boilers, he wrote, were expected to be resuscitated by early January. In the meantime, the Department would be looking to shower its residents in trailers.

Source: Tracy Bringhurst, “Idaho State Correctional Center’s Hot Water Boilers Are Busted,” KTVB.com

***

AN UPDATE ON COMMISSARY

The newest commissary pricelist for Idaho prisons can now be viewed online at bookofirving82431.com.

Presented as “The New Commissary Pricelist for Idaho Prisons and the Methodical Obstruction of Record Requests and Grievances,” the updated list reflects the return of several high-demand products at two to three times the price paid as recently as April.

In response to April’s pubic records request for the market data that Keefe was required to provide the IDOC prior to increasing its prices in May, the IDOC produced a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from December 2022.

Because the Keefe Commissary Network would have had to travel through time to supply the IDOC with December’s CPI prior to May, it appears as though the Department is either indifferent to the standards established within the Keefe contract or is simply failing to conform to the Idaho Public Records Act.

***

ISCI PROVIDES PRISONERS WITH INFORMATION TO PREPARE THEM FOR RELEASE

Thanks to the smart work of correctional case managers Dawna Clemo and Bethany Ciofalo, prisoners preparing for release from ISCI may now expose themselves to community resources in the recently opened Center of Hope.

Located in the facility’s education building, the Center of Hope provides prisoners with information on employment, aftercare, housing, mental health services and more.

Case managers Clemons and Ciofalo are now challenging other facilities to open similar centers, and they are willing to make it easy for any wardens who give them a call.

Source: ISCI Program Manager Luke Kormylo, “ISCI hosts grand opening for Center of Hope,” idoc.idaho.gov

***

DOG PROGRAM TO RETURN TO ISCC

The Education Project for Inmates and Canines (EPIC) is scheduled to return the Idaho State Correctional Center after a two year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 10-week program uses prisoners to train problematic, abandoned dogs prior to placing them back up for adoption.

Made possible in part by Meridian Canine Rescue, EPIC has long been considered by the Department, its participants, and the community a success, in that the dogs who complete their training typically postpone euthanization.

Please contact Meridian Canine Rescue to contribute to any of their many thoughtful efforts.

Source: Christinna Bautista, “Inmates and Canines Prison Program Returns to the Idaho Department of Correction,” Kivitv.com.

***

FROM THE LOG OF PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS: #R005023-111522

2021 Corizon contract needed.

For the past year, we have been having issues with Corizon paying out our 2021 patient claims for IDOC patients. Corizon has been non-communicative and/or has been delaying response to our request to get payment.

We are having a legal team review the case but they need a copy of the Corizon contract to fully ascertain our options. Would you be able to help us out with this request?

***

COVID NEWS

Since the start of COVID-19, the IDOC has administered over 82,675 tests to those of its clients it’s keeping in-state. More than 7070 are reported as positive.

Visitation remains fluid. Please view the Department’s website for updates.

This reporter requested a COVID booster and flu shot from IMSI in October. Neither have been provided and grievance is now being processed.

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.

***

COOKIES FOR CORRECTIONS A HOLIDAY HIT

The week leading into Christmas, roughly six thousand prisoners in the desert south of Boise delighted as the faces of friendly volunteers went from cell to cell delivering bags of cookies.

The confections came courtesy of Cookies for Corrections, a yearly collaboration between local area churches and hoop-jumping prison management.

In just the last two years, the effort has expanded from servicing the 550-plus people held at IMSI to everyone housed in the Kuna prison complex.

To learn more, please inquire at svdpid.org.

***

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 St. Vincent de Paul, shares what it’s like to live incarcerated in Idaho and then come out of incarceration to live on parole.

As a former IDOC religious activities coordinator, Darrell Taylor has worked closely with justice-involved individuals in and out corrections. Last month he joined Mark to discuss the importance of providing returning citizens mentorship and opportunity.

In a separate interview, St. Vincent de Paul reentry career development manager Tim Leigh spoke of upcoming plans to expand reentry employment opportunities and the importance of providing returning citizens with community support and mentorship .

Visit svdpid.org for more information on reentry resources in southwestern Idaho.

***

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Correctional Peace Officer Academy Session 90, the biggest in IDOC history, closed with a graduation ceremony at Boise State University. A total of 57 students celebrated the accomplishment.

ICIO–staff, residents and University of Idaho staff and students celebrated the completion of the 9th round of the Inside Out program.

ISCC–Sgt. Peter Bakotich was awarded Supervisor of the Quarter,
Lt. Travis Coffman was acknowledged for 10 years of service, Cpl. James Huffield was acknowledged for five years of service.

Nampa CRC–FSO Patty Vega-Lopez, Cpl. Rosalinda Ramos and Ofc. Joshua Hughes were honored for 15 years of service each.

Probation and Parole–Patrick Williams, a long-time District 4 parole officer, celebrated graduating to become a Boise Police officer.

Cpl. Aaron Streb was recognized as one of the reentry center Atlas Change Champions.

Sources: idoc.idaho.gov. @idcorrections on Instagram.

***

RESIDENT AUDITING 101

The following public records requests were submitted in December:

1. 1. Grant applications and awards for pre-prosecution diversion programs and trauma invention services for staff.
   2. December’s log of public records requests.
   3. A list and description of all apprentice programs offered to IDOC residents.
   4. The latest Board of Correction meeting minutes.
   5. Any proposals, requests for proposals, solicitations between the IDOC and digitized mail service providers over the last three years.

The following public record requests have yet to be filled:

1. 1. October’s request for the current arrangements between the IDOC and ICSolutions, and the IDOC and JPay.
   2. All payments made from prison service providers to the IDOC in 2022.

***

RESOURCES FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS

“Get Clemency Now: A Guidebook to Everything A Person in Prison Needs to Know About Clemency and How Families Can Help” by Jason Hernandez.

After successfully petitioning President Obama for clemency, author Jason Hernandez set out educate others on the process. Though much in the book pertains to federal commutations, state prisoners and their loved ones will also find it helpful. Free PDF versions are offered online and others can be ordered through Hernandez or Amazon.

www.getclemencynow.org
getclemencynow@gmail.com

Special thanks to the Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative for sending us a copy!

***

INMATE SERVICES AT WORK

Ritchie Eppink
Wrest Collective
Boise, Idaho

12.19.22

Dear Ritchie,

Thanks for dropping in with holiday wishes, a congratulations on publishing and an intro to your new project. It sounds like you and the Wrest Collective will be doing some very cool community work this year, and I appreciate being asked for ideas on where to direct your time and talent.

Additional information will certainly help, but what immediately comes to mind are concerns brought to me by a Treasure Valley woman living in transitional housing. It seems there have been problems with owners abusing their authority, and some women are hesitant to report inappropriate behaviors and safety issues for fear of retaliation through Probation and Parole. Not so long ago it posed enough of a problem that those women began to strategize. Is this something you might be interested in?

Thanks again for dropping by. Best of luck this year!

Your friend,
Patrick Irving 82431

***

SUGGESTION BOX

I suggest supplying all 2,100 residents of the Idaho State Correctional Center with shoes that fully encapsulate their feet, as opposed to the rubber Crocs that welcome frostbite in the winter.

***

That’s it for this months, folks. Please continue keeping tabs…

Shout out from Shipwreck to the Wonder Twinz in Strong Island!

“On My Way / Somebody To Love (Acoustic Version)”
— Valerie June

Next: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Feb. ’23

Scripps Howard First Amendment Center
School of Journalism and Media
University of Kentucky
102 Blazer Dining Hall
Lexington, KY 40506-0012

Freedom Forum Institute First Amendment Center
9893 Brewers Court
Laurel, MD 20723

First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37240

Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
475 Riverside Dr., Ste. 302
New York, NY 10115

Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment
308 James Building
University Park, PA 16802

Center for the First Amendment at UVA Law
580 Massive Rd.
Charlottesville, VA 22903

1.5.23

Hi folks,

Yesterday I published a fair and informative piece titled “Wife of Former Boise Police Department Captain Tied to White Supremacists Employed by Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole” @bookofirving82431.com. Today I was censored, for the first time in a long time, from receiving a newsfeed from SolitaryWatch.org. And so it’s in an act of peaceful defiance that I now reach out to you and other First Amendment Centers with a free online subscription to my First Amend This! newsletter [complementary issue enclosed].

May the force be with you as you share me with your fellows…

In friendship and incarceration,
Patrick Irving 82431
IMSI
PO Box 51
Boise, ID 83707
bookofirving82431.com

“Sorry Not Sorry”
— Demi Lovato

[This interview has been edited for clarity and length.]

Patrick: By responding to the following communication, you, the responder(s), hereby acknowledge that as a representative of JPay, Securus, and/or all peripheral/parent companies that this exchange will be published in a series investigating the abusive practices of your employer(s), and that by choosing to respond, you, the responder(s), consent to the release of all communications initiated by Patrick Irving and, furthermore, fully indemnify Mr. Irving, as well as any and all collaborators and publishers working with his consent, of any and all liabilities that result from your ongoing participation in this investigative series.

In all the complaints that I, Patrick Irving, author of the New York Times essay “Prisoners Like Me Are Being Held Hostage to Price Hikes,” have personally filed with your company over its defective VideoGram service–specifically, the way it cuts VideoGrams down to as few as 14 seconds after customers are billed for 30–your customer service department continues to claim that your company is in fact providing the 30 seconds promised, and that I, investigative reporter Patrick Irving, have had the ability to ensure prior to purchase that every video I’ve ever sent is a full 30 seconds long. But even after confirming that I have recorded for 30 seconds, the recording, once paid for, is frequently reduced to half that time, and sometimes even less.

Not long ago your company was fined millions of dollars by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for excessively charging consumers after forcing them to use your service. Yet you insist that it is company practice to not issue refunds even when you have accepted payment for services you cannot provide. Please explain the logic that drives your company to continue defrauding its customers with micro-scams similar to the one it is captured in now.

Sanchez: Hi Patrick. Thank you for contacting Ticket Support. We understand the frustration with your VideoGram messages and I am happy to help. While all VideoGram messages are allowed 30 seconds, they are able to be reviewed prior to sending to the select contact. If you do not like the video or you are unable to record the full 30 seconds, you are able to review the VideoGram before sending. Unfortunately, the system will not allow a refund.

Patrick: To be clear, you do understand that I am complaining about VideoGrams being cut in half after I review them to verify that I have recorded for 30 seconds?

In fact, in at least one of our prior communications, your company acknowledged this as a software issue.

So what purpose does it serve to continue placing blame on customers when your company has already acknowledged that it is at fault? Is there perhaps some policy that requires Securus employees to shit on as many people as humanly possible throughout the course of their work shift?

Faye: The issues you are experiencing with the video recording feature have been reported to our customer service developers and they are working towards a resolution–once the issue has been found. Pease keep checking back for its return to functionality.

Patrick: I see. And to your credit, acknowledging the problem is always the first step. But the next step, Faye, as I suspect you already know, is to be proactive in preventing future harm from being caused to your customers, and then, to begin making amends for all the harm you have caused in the past.

In this particular case, that would mean: 1) ensuring all of your customers are aware of the software issue; 2) not encouraging your customers to spend even more of their money to test if the problem is fixed, and; 3) refunding all those affected by your admittedly defective service.

As this is now the fifth time I have requested a refund for every one of my VideoGrams that has been cut short of 30 seconds–and by now we must presume that number to be reaching over 50–how about you begin with refunding me and save us both a bit of a hassle?

Monroe: Hi Patrick. Thank you for contacting Ticketing Support. We understand how frustrating it can be to have VideoGram issues. Please respond back with the name of the kiosk to escalate the issue.

Patrick: As you’ll note, Monroe, in complaints CCI-IMSI499470, CCI-CCI-IMSI493336 and CCI-IMSI539504, I inform your company that the problem persists on multiple kiosks, and to this the response is always the same: “The issues you are experiencing with the video recording feature have been reported to our software developers and they are working toward a resolution…”

And so I say to you again, your company is charging for services it is unable to provide as advertised and refusing to issue refunds to customers who complain. Please explain the policy that guides you to defraud your customers in such a way.

Sydney: Hi Patrick. Thank you for contacting Ticketing Support. We understand the frustration with your VideoGram messages and I am happy to help. While all VideoGram messages are allowed 30 seconds, you are able to view the VideoGram before sending. Unfortunately, the system will not allow a refund.

(Round 2)

See also:

• • • New Complaints Filed Against JPay Prison Service Provider: Three Abusive Practices You Probably Ought to Know
    • ANOTHER JPAY CHRISTMAS: RIPPING INMATES OFF IN THE NAME OF BABY JESUS

Patrick Irving writes from the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, often cramped behind a desk, on the starboard side of the toilet, not infrequently rubbing shoulders while his cellie is taking the throne. His experimental advocacy model–developed and refined with the help of his father–can be studied along with the scope of his work at bookofirving82431.com.

Working the ones and the twos for this week’s post: Ed Sheeran with “Bibia Be Ye Ye.”

***

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA (Home of America’s first penitentiary. Thanks, Quakers.)

“I am going to help them fry that N****r!” remains a perfectly acceptable sentiment in the courtrooms of Philadelphia, where Court Clerk Terri Maurer Carter and Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Kline are alleged to have heard Judge Albert Sabo promise to do just that during his first week of overseeing the 1982 trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal.

On October 26, 2022, Common Pleas Court Judge Lucretia Clemons denied Abu-Jamal a new trial. This despite the question of Judge Sabo’s bias, evidence that trial witnesses received promises of money and favorable treatment in pending criminal cases to provide damaging testimony, and claims that the original prosecutor systematically prevented Black jurors from performing their civic duty.

View here: “Court Update For Mumia Abu Jamal, December 16th, 2022” by Noelle Hanrahan, prisonradio.org.

***

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (The Empire State)

Legendary prison journalist John J. Lennon takes you on a tour of conjugal visits in New York. New York is one of the last states to support the practice of family rejuvenation by allowing loved ones to spend time bonding in privileged, private settings.

View here: “Sex, Love and Marriage Behind Bars. What are Conjugal Visits Really Like?” by John J. Lennon, published in Esquire.

***

BOISE, IDAHO (Little Rock of the West)

Idaho’s Governor Brad Little has had the hardest time attempting to execute Gerald Pizzuto, Jr. The fourth and most recent attempt, scheduled to kick off the ten-day countdown to Christmas, appears have been no more than Little’s wishful thinking, as the state’s new extreme secrecy law, passed to protect the identities of lethal injection drug dealers, has yet to convince one solid connection that Idaho can keep from squealing under pressure.

View here: “Christmas-Countdown Execution Won’t Be Saved by Santa” by Patrick Irving, First Amend This!

***

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Beth Schwartzapfel with the Marshall Project spent months interviewing a wide range of incarcerated individuals to provide you with a look at prison economics and the lengths that some must go to procure basic essentials.

View more: “Prison Money Diaries: What People Really Make (and spend) Behind Bars” by Beth Schwarzapfel with The Marshall Project.

***

NEWS FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

Thanks to the legacy left behind by the amazing James Ridgeway, we are now able to highlight hundreds of reporters who have experienced being treated for behavioral problems by inflicting extreme demoralization in America’s tiniest torture chambers–aka “one of the many ways we’re striving to make our school-shooters saner.”

View more: “Seven Days in Solitary: A weekly roundup of news and views on solitary confinement,” published by Solitary Watch.

***

-fin-

13:06 12.20.22

Previous: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Nov. ’22

Welcome to the December 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.
…

EDITOR’S NOTE

In December 2019, I wrote and published the first edition of the First Amend This! newsletter as way to call attention to issues affecting Idaho prisoners and their loved ones.

Two issues, to be specific: 1) flaws within IDOC’s grievance system enable staff to investigate themselves for misconduct and; 2) the Department wasn’t holding itself or its contractors to the standards established in legally-binding contracts.

You might say that I was suffering from delusions of grandeur (supported by the fact I that I had no prior experience in journalism) as I presumed it would take sixty days, tops, before someone at Central Office put a stop to my monthly missiles by addressing those two concerns.

Unfortunately, as they say of presumptions: “You can’t just run around spewin’ all your ‘umptions at everyone whose job it is to see the job gets done!”

And so it goes–

Let’s First Amend This!
…

CHRISTMAS-COUNTDOWN EXECUTION WON’T BE SAVED BY SANTA

On November 16, Idaho District Court Judge Jay Gaskill issued a death warrant for Gerald Pizzuto, Jr., 66, who has remained on Death Row for the last 36 years, convicted of the 1985 murders of Berta Herndon and her nephew Delbert Herndon.

With the warrant promptly served to Pizzuto at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, the IDOC scheduled the execution for December 15.

On November 30, unable to procure the chemicals required to put Pizzuto to death, the Department announced that his execution would, for the fourth time, be delayed .

Earlier this year Director Josh Tewalt testified before Idaho’s House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, not as a proponent of the ultimate penalty but as a state employee tasked with ensuring its implementation. “We’ve been unable to secure the necessary chemicals and potential suppliers have expressed concern that the language in our administrative rules is insufficient to protect their identities.”

Following his testimony, the Idaho Legislature passed into law House Bill 658, a widely criticized secrecy bill designed to protect the identity of any person or business who compounds, synthesizes, tests, sells, supplies, manufactures, stores, transports, procures, dispenses, prescribes or gets high from selling the substances used in an execution.

A few months prior to the passing of H.B. 658, the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole voted to commute Pizzuto’s sentence to life without parole–a sentence they likely expected to have been fulfilled by now, as terminal bladder cancer, heart disease and diabetes have been working hard to stamp Pizzuto out au naturel.

Citing the brutality involved in Pizzuto’s crime, Governor Brad Little opposed the Commission’s recommendation; but it wasn’t until after several battles through the courts that Little was able to reverse the Commission’s clemency.

Pizzuto’s legal team has filed a claim through federal courts, seeking a preliminary injunction to further postpone the execution and force the IDOC to unveil the measures it takes to procure and ensure the quality of lethal injection chemicals. They’re concerned that Pizzuto may experience severe levels of pain when the execution drugs mix with with those that treat his other ailments.

Following these concerns, Pizzuto has now thrice requested to be placed in front of a firing squad.

When asked during the committee hearing whether this would be possible, Director Tewalt demurred: “I don’t think you could expect fewer legal challenges to a firing squad. And more importantly, I don’t feel as the director of the Idaho Department of Correction the compulsion to ask my staff to have to do that.”

Lethal injection is currently the only form of execution legal in Idaho, a state that currently counts eight people on Death Row.

The Department neither comments on ongoing litigation nor notifies clients other than those to be executed that a homicide is scheduled to take place on facility grounds.

The Department has neglected to proactively recommend mental health services for residents who are feeling stressed by this execution that, for many, strikes very close to home.

Sources: Kevin Fixler, “Execution of Pizzuto Delayed by Lack of Lethal Drug,” Idaho Statesman. Ruth Brown, “IDOC Says It Doesn’t Have Lethal Injection Chemicals After Court Schedules Death Row Inmate’s Execution,” Idaho Capital Sun. Kevin Fixler, “Unable to Buy Lethal Injection Drugs, Idaho Seeks to Shield Potential Suppliers from Scrutiny” Idaho Statesman. Keith Ridler, “Idaho Governor Signs Law Shielding Sources of Execution Drug,” Associated Press. Clark Corbin, “Idaho House Passes Bill Granting Confidentiality in Executions. Identities of Lethal Injection Drug Suppliers and Manufacturers Would Become Secret Under House Bill 658” Idaho Capital Sun.
…

IDOC CHRISTMAS DINNER

Roast Pork Loin 5 oz
Corn Casserole 1/2 cup
Mashed Potato 1 Cup
Brown Gravy 1 Cup
Spinach Apple Salad 1 Cup
Dinner Roll 2oz
Margarine 1 pkt
Angel Food Cake/Strawberries 1 slice
…

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR PRISON TELECOM PROVIDERS

On September 29, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules that require prison telecom companies to provide communication-disabled customers with Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS) at no additional cost by 2024.

The rules apply to all carceral systems–including youth, immigration and severe-mental health facilities–that use broadband services and count more than 50 people incarcerated in the entire system at one time.

The rules also require service providers to do the following:

• • • Lower the ancillary fee caps on all charges for single-call services.
    • Lower the cap on provider charges for processing credit card, debit card and other payments to calling services accounts.
    • Discontinue the confiscation of funds from inactive calling accounts until at least 180 days have passed without account activity, and then refund the balance or dispose of the funds in accordance with applicable state law.
    • Report more information about TRS and disability access.

Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf (HEARD), a DC-based advocate organization, wrote in a letter to supporters that the rules were a victory for hundreds of communication-disabled, incarcerated individuals who, over the course of a decade, have written the FCC to detail their daily struggles. “We offer humble and deep thanks to our currently and formerly incarcerated loved ones–all of whom have lost so much from the injustice and sacrificed and risked so much to force these changes for themselves and future generations.”

Prisoners and loved ones with communication disabilities are encouraged to contact HEARD and ask how to get involved:

HEARD
P.O. Box 1160
Washington, D.C. 20013
202.436.9278
contact@heardadvocates.org

Sources: Notice from HEARD (11.11.22). FCC News, “FCC Acts to Ensure Access to Communications Services for Incarcerated People With Disabilities.”
…

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE IDOC REGARDING JPAY VIDEO VISITS

We are aware that video visits are not being scheduled to the proper kiosks. We are actively working with JPay for a quick resolution. This is our top priority and we hope this will be resolved by Monday, December 19.

We apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you are experiencing. If you missed a visit and were charged, please call the help desk at 1-800-574-5729 and request a refund.
…

DIVISION OF PUBLIC WORKS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FROM CONTRACTORS TO BUILD NEW PRISON AND ADDITION

The Division of Public Works is now seeking bids from construction and design firms for the new 848-bed women’s prison and the 280-bed addition to the Idaho State Correctional Institution (ISCI) that Idaho Legislature approved earlier this year.

With a combined budget of $155.8 million, the two projects are predicted to relieve county jails of IDOC overflow and enable the return of state prisoners currently housed in a privately run, CoreCivic prison in Arizona.

Both structures will be erected in the Kuna prison complex south of Boise. The location is expected to help the IDOC reduce costs associated with shuttling females to and from the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center for classification, intake and medical purposes.

The addition to the men’s facility will be used to better meet the medical and ambulatory needs of an aging prisoner population–the inevitable consequence of Idaho’s extreme sentencing structures.

The Division of Public Works is accepting applications through January 18 and expects to finalize a contract by March.

Source: Ian Max Stevenson, “Idaho Plans to Build Two New Locations for Prisoners. Where Will They Be Located?” Idaho Statesman.
…

SIX SIGNIFICANT STRIDES TAKEN THE LAST TWO YEARS

Over the course of the last two years, the IDOC has worked with the support of the Idaho Legislature to better address the needs of its workforce and clients.

Here are the six most noteworthy moves as viewed from a cell at IMSI:

1. 1. 1.  A $4.5 million investment into Connection & Intervention Stations provided supportive services for people on supervision, presumably preventing revocation and extending time at liberty.
      2. The Idaho Legislature, the IDOC and the Behavioral Health Council made funding available for pre-prosecution diversion programs (PPD), thereby encouraging Idaho districts to work with community partners in creating alternatives to incarceration. Though public records requests for PPD grant applications and awards continue to come up empty, the funding that was made available implies that Idaho’s higher-ups are at least expressing an interest in the damage being done by our current sentencing system.
      3. Amidst an ongoing staffing crisis, the IDOC implemented pay raises, hiring and retention bonuses, and committed to providing a significant percentage of staff with career development opportunities. Later, in what was openly billed as an employee wellness program, the Department offered grants to behavioral health professionals capable of delivering staff treatment services for corrections fatigue and trauma. Though public records requests reflect an absence of applicant interest, the IDOC is being seen as proactively searching for a solution to their staffing issue.
      4. The new women’s prison is not the perfect solution, but its construction does align with Director Tewalt’s December 31, 2020 assertion that the Department is “currently assessing our practices for incarcerated women so that we can provide help and support that is more targeted to the unique needs of women.” We take it as a positive that these needs have been acknowledged and are being acted upon.
      5. This year, a collaboration between the University of Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College and the Department of Education brought postsecondary for-credit classes to select groups of residents. The Department then announced its intent to expand educational opportunities throughout all facilities. This is a significant move that will likely improve many lives.
      6. By participating in events like Recovery Out Loud, held annually in Eastern Idaho, and the Convicted Conference, premiered this year in Meridian, the IDOC projected a willingness to form stronger ties with the community. For example, at the Convicted Conference, in the interest of developing solutions and networking new resources*, the Department invited incarcerated speakers, parole and probation officers, volunteers, mentors and justice-affected families to speak with a mixture of organizations and agencies. Both events were seen to inspire hope and collaboration, ingredients necessary to the process of moving the community forward.

For more information on the Department’s strategic vision, goals, programs and initiatives please visit idoc.idaho.gov.

*Unfortunately, multiple efforts to make complementary issues of this newsletter available to attendees were dismissed by the event’s organizer without explanation. This was unfortunately seen as a contradiction to the message of the conference: that all should be included. We apologize to anyone who, as a result of our helping AccomplishED Venture’s promote the Convicted Conference, shared in our experience and found themselves excluded.
…

NOT FOR NOTHIN’, WE TRIED: EDITOR’S NOTE, MAY ’22

The Convicted Conference is coming in June and the following issues could still use attention. Should anyone find an opportunity to introduce these items at the conference, those of us who can’t make it would greatly appreciate it:

1. 1. 1. IDOC’s current use of administrative segregation is placing unnecessary risk upon Idaho communities. Without more action taken towards ad-seg reform, the Department will continue returning their most problematic prisoners back to their communities without programming or supervision. (FAT! Apr. ’21, May ’21, Aug. ’21, Nov. ’21)
      2. Per policy, pre-interview parole hearing packets are to be delivered four months prior to all scheduled hearings. For some time now, this has not been happening. These packets are portals that lead to one’s future; the information they request can take weeks to put together and the Parole Board tends to notice when the details are left blank. (FAT! Nov. ’21, Feb. ’22)
      3. The betterment materials being donated by prisoners belong on their prison library shelves and not sent by the Department to unknown organizations. Unknown, due to the absence of transaction records. (FAT! Aug. ’21, Mar. ’22)
      4. IDOC clients are encouraged to articulate their issues and be patient when approaching their problems through policy. Too often, their efforts are dismissed by staff who don’t take an appropriate amount of time to review that which is being presented. More attention needs to be given to the organized efforts, grievances and concerns of the resident population. (Ref: “Exhausted Grievances In Summary“)

On behalf of all held in IDOC facilities, thank you for helping our voices be heard.

…

PULLED FROM THE LOG OF PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS: #R002143-071022

I am requesting all records and information relating to a JPay eMessage that I sent to resident [redacted] on 7/7/2022 3:16:13 am and that was censored on July 7th at 6:37 am.

Said records should include but not be limited to:

1. 1. 1. Names/Associate #’s of all persons involved in the flagging, censoring viewing (or similar) of said eMessage.
      2. All reasons, views, opinions or similar for flagging, censoring,
         viewing (or similar) the eMessage.
      3. All actions taken by all above persons in this matter (examples–communications with other staff, documentations, notes, c-notes, information reports… etc.
      4. All measures taken in this matter to ensure the protection of my Constitutional Rights to Free Speech.

I do not need a copy of the eMessage I sent or the email notification sent to me notifying me of the censorship, as I already have this info.

…

SICI STAFF HOLD MOCK ELECTION, PROVIDE RESIDENTS VOTING EXPERIENCE

Last month, Education Instructor Kimberly King recruited staff and residents from the Southern Idaho Correctional Institution to celebrate Election Day with an exciting civic exercise.

Together, they transformed the education building into a voting station with American-themed ephemera and highly surveilled privacy booths.

Roughly a dozen residents assumed the position of poll workers, kindly distributing the feel of freedom through non-hackable paper ballots.

With local media summoned to witness, several participants expressed their deep appreciation for being able to partake in the time-honored tradition celebrated by Americans who are more than 3/5 human.

According to the Idaho Statesman, over 590,000 ballots were processed in Idaho this election year.

At the time of Election Day, due to their involvement with the criminal justice system, approximately 25,381 Idahoans were restricted from voting .

Idaho is one of 14 states that restore the voting rights of citizens convicted of felonies once their sentencing requirements are fulfilled. But voting restoration varies from state to state; some states reinstate a person’s voting rights once they are paroled, some revoke the right entirely, and others discriminate based on a person’s crime.

Sources: Alex Brizee, “Who Couldn’t Vote? How Idaho’s Incarcerated Learned to Participate in Mock Election,” Idaho Statesman. Emily White, ” ‘It Gives Me Goosebumps’: Idaho Correctional Residents Get to ‘Vote On Election Day’,” Idahopress.com
…

COVID NEWS

Since the start of COVID-19, the IDOC has administered over 80,753 tests to those of its clients it’s keeping in-state. More than 7,012 are reported as positive.

Visitation remains fluid. Please view the Department’s website for updates.

On November 10, ktvb.com reported the IDOC aims to add 73 correctional officers to its staff through a “double-training academy” to alleviate staff-based issues.

Requests for COVID boosters and flu shots have now taken months to fill. According to one IMSI nurse, a shipment of shots arrived but never made it into the refrigerator, leaving them to spoil before they could be distributed.

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.
…

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Ofc. Jayden Bentley and Corporal Golden Maverick were awarded employees of the month last month at IMSI.

University of Idaho graduate and Givens Hall case manager Becky Lynn was recently celebrated with a 15 Years of Service Certificate.

IMSI resident and First Amend This! author Patrick Irving published a guest essay last month in the New York Times, an accomplishment he credits to the Prison Journalism Project, a non-profit initiative that counts him as member. Click here to read “Prisoners Like Me Are Being Held Hostage to Price Hikes.”
…

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 St. Vincent de Paul, shares what it’s like to live incarcerated in Idaho and then come out of incarceration to live on parole.

Off-air, with St. Vincent de Paul, Mr. Renick and his team support individuals returning from prison to the greater Treasure Valley by offering day-one services, recovery and employment programs.

Those expecting to be released without a ride from the Kuna complex south of Boise can ask their case manager to contact Mark’s team for a pickup. A volunteer will arrive and provide a limited shuttle service, including trips to one of two reentry outposts where individuals may receive bus passes, clothing vouchers, food assistance, telephone service and more.

District 3
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am – 2pm (closed Wednesdays)
Canyon County Probation and Parole Offices
3110 Cleveland Rd.
Caldwell, ID 83605

District 4
Monday – Friday, 9am – 12pm
3217 Overland Blvd.
Boise, ID 83705

Visit svdpid.org for more information.
…

RESIDENT AUDITING 101

The following public records requests were submitted in November:

1. 1. 1. All pre-prosecution diversion program grant applications and awards.
      2. November’s log of public records requests.
      3. All payments made from Keefe to the IDOC from 2020 to present.
      4. The market data Keefe presented, as required, to the IDOC to justify the price increases the company implemented in May.
      5. A complete list of payments made from prison service providers to the IDOC in 2022, and a complete list of activities from all financial accounts those payments were funneled through.

October’s request for the current arrangement between the IDOC, ICSolutions and JPay has yet to be filled.

…

INMATE SERVICES AT WORK

Re: Interview request, KTVB-TV

11.6.22

Dear Ms. Romero,

Thank you for reading my NY Times essay and for reaching out regarding an interview. While I am certainly willing to appear in your story, I’d like to clarify the scope and direction of your coverage to prepare, and possibly to ensure that I am not missing an opportunity to address other interesting topics. One area for possible focus that is closely related to my essay is the trauma to families who are caught in our juvenile justice system, which allows third-party collectors to pile on exorbitant fees. Another possible topic is the questionable nutritional guidance affecting Idaho’s female prisoners, who in many cases receive half the food portions served to men. There is also an issue with those of our IDOC residents with better-paying jobs who have some trouble saving for needed expenses during reentry.

You can contact me…

I realize that much or your focus right now is on elections. Please take your time in responding.

Sincerely,
Patrick Irving
…

RESOURCES FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS

The Prison Journalism Project (PJP) is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan national initiative that works to educate and empower incarcerated writers and train others impacted by incarceration in journalism. PJP counts among its membership an expansive vault of talent. In addition to sharing their stories through PJP publications, the initiative also publishes their work through collaborations with mainstream media.

Prison Journalism Project
2093 Philadelphia Pike #1054
Claymont, DE 19703

www.prisonjournalismproject.org

Click here to read: “A PJP Contributor’s First Byline in the New York Times. Here’s How the Sausage Was Made.” by Mason Bryan
…

SUGGESTION BOX

How about we try placing the next delivery of IMSI flu shots and COVID boosters directly into the refrigerator, where they belong, so that we might distribute them before the facility gets sick again?
…

And there you have it, folks. Come back and see us next year.

Shout out from Patrick to that pigeon-loving peach worm living in Berlin!

“Bang!”
–AJR

Next: First Amend This!: An IDOC Newsletter, Jan. ’23