From the advocate group Idaho Families for Sentencing Integrity:
Greetings,
Idaho Families for Sentencing Integrity (IFSI) is a newly formed group of committed citizens with loved ones that have been impacted by incarceration in Idaho. IFSI advocates for policy changes in Idaho that decrease incarceration, reduce recidivism, and improve Idaho’s justice system–particularly for those with substance use disorders. Please join us to become a part of the solution to a problem that affects so many Idahoans.
If you, your family or a loved one has been impacted by the criminal justice system in Idaho, PLEASE take a moment to participate in this brief survey at https://TinyUrl.com/IdReformSurvey. We are in the beginning stages of collecting data from citizens who want to see changes in Idaho’s criminal justice system. As we organize our citizens group we will need information from Idahoans who are willing to work for a change. Please feel free to pass this message and survey on to anyone you know who might have an interest in getting involved in making change happen in Idaho.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. It is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
Thanks!
[Note from Patrick: Please complete the survey by Sept. 1, 2024.]
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.
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:
State and prison officials prepare for a cockfight in federal court; Idaho’s death row population increases by one; Thomas Creech interviews with local and national news outlets; attorney for IMSI resident claims IDOC retaliated in response to press attention; how Hawaii corrections handled Keefe commissary price increases at a contract facility shared with Idaho; and a new nonprofit supports local journalists’ right to analyze public records.
Let’s First Amend This!
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FEDERAL JUDGE TO DECIDE IF IDAHO HAS A VAGINA PROBLEM
The ACLU on June 28 filed a federal lawsuit in Idaho District Court against state and prison officials and Centurion Health, the health care provider for Idaho prisons, on behalf of three incarcerated transgender women over a new state law that prevents public entities from facilitating gender-affirming care.
House Bill 668, passed earlier this year by Idaho lawmakers, prohibits public funds and state property from being used to provide gender-affirming care to anyone–including government employees on state health insurance–diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
According to the Idaho Statesman, government employees who violate the law could be charged with misusing public funds and face up to a $10,000 fine and 14 years in prison.
The three plaintiffs in the lawsuit are listed anonymously as Jane Roe, Jane Doe and Jane Poe.
Idaho Capital Sun reporter Mia Maldonado writes that the ACLU intended for them to represent “all people in Idaho correctional facilities who are or will be diagnosed with gender dysphoria who would normally receive hormone therapy without House Bill 668 taking effect.” But Judge David Nye denied the ACLU’s request to incorporate all yet-to-be-identified individuals who stand to be impacted by the bill as plaintiffs in the case.
Court filings claim that the bill violates the plaintiffs constitutional right to remain free from cruel and unusual punishment because they rely on Idaho prisons to provide them with health care services
In 2017, former IDOC resident Adree Edmo similarly sued the department and its medial provider, then Corizon Health, for refusing to treat her gender dysphoria with a physician-recommended gender-confirmation surgery.
The state and Corizon together racked up more than $3,000,000 in legal fees and expenses fighting a losing battle against a roughly $75,000 surgery that was covered by insurance.
Edmo was eventually awarded the surgery and transferred to a women’s prison, from where she was later released.
According to the national ACLU, the new Idaho bill is just one of 527 anti-trans bills considered by state legislators in 2024.
[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1/2 cup — Scrambled Eggs
1 cup — Oatmeal
1 cup — Hash Browns
8 oz — Milk 1%
10 gm — Margarine
2 pkt — Sugar
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
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Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1
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IDAHO’S DEATH ROW POPULATION INCREASES BY ONE
Doomsday author and self-proclaimed messiah Chad Daybell was sentenced last month to death after being found guilty of killing his first wife and two stepchildren from his second wife.
Boise’s KTVB news spoke to members of the jury about how they processed what was described throughout the trial as extremely graphic evidence, and how they together concluded that Daybell deserved to be sentenced death.
“I got very angry,” Juror #11 told Boise’s KTVB News. “Especially the more you heard, the evidence of what emails he sent, what text he sent, what he said about children that weren’t even his . . . that he needed to raise the pain and turn up the dark. And it was like, this is unbelievable that this person is that much of a narcissist to think he was the Holy Ghost–that he was the right hand of God.”
“One of the jurors said she was disappointed Daybell did not plea for his life during the sentencing phase,” KTVB reported. “Another said the defense was given every opportunity to try and convince jurors to give him life in prison instead.”
Daybell has since been transferred into IDOC custody and placed on death row at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
KTVB says the state will reimburse jury members who require counseling services.
[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 ea — Fresh Fruit/ Banana
1 1/2 oz — Peanut Butter
1/2 oz — Jelly
2 oz — Wholegrain Bread
1 pc — Weekend Oat Bar
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Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1
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THOMAS CREECH INTERVIEWS WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES AND BOISE’S KTVB NEWS
As Idaho’s longest-standing death row resident, a serial killer by FBI standards and the state’s only condemned prisoner to survive an execution attempt, Thomas Creech possesses insight that few people ever will.
The 73-year-old last month spoke to Boise’s KTVB News and The New York Times about the events leading up February’s failed lethal injection attempt and how his life has changed during his five decades in prison.
KTVB also spoke to family members of Creech’s victims, who candidly shared how they feel knowing he’s still alive.
[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1.25 cup — Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
1 cup — Garden Salad #3
1 oz — French Dressing
1/2 cup — Fruit Crisp
2 oz — Whole Bread
10 gm — Margarine
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
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HOW IDAHO RANKS AMONG STATES THAT KILL AS PUNISHMENT
Number of states where the death penalty is legal: 27
Number of people now on Idaho’s death row: 9
Number of execution methods legal in Idaho: 2
Average number of years a person waits on Idaho’s death row to be executed: 27
Number of people executed by Idaho since 1976: 3
Number of states who have executed fewer people than Idaho since 1976: 3
State with most per capita executions since 1976: Oklahoma, 124
Number of people executed by Texas since 1976: 580
Factor by which California’s population surpasses Idaho’s: 21
Factor by which California’s death row population surpasses Idaho’s: 80
ATTORNEY CLAIMS IDOC RETALIATED AGAINST HER CLIENT, SEEKS TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED FOLLOWING PRESS ATTENTION
Seven weeks after the Idaho Statesman covered the story of how the IDOC and its medical provider, Centurion Health, refused to schedule IMSI resident Bobby Templin the surgery required to mend his broken hand, the Ada County Sheriffs Office stepped in with criminal charges.
Unfortunately for Templin, it was he who was criminally charged.
Templin’s trouble stems from a chaotic January 2023 incident that involved more than a dozen Idaho State Correctional Center residents and was seemingly forgotten about until the Statesman story ran.
Attorney Mike French, who represents Templin, has since filed a motion to dismiss all charges, claiming that the IDOC pressed its law enforcement partners to single him out in an act of retaliation.
HAWAII CORRECTIONS INVESTIGATES KEEFE COMMISSARY PRICE HIKES AT IDAHO CONTRACT FACILITY
Honolulu Civil Beat reporter Kevin Dayton last month covered the story of how Hawaii’s prisoners housed at Saguaro Correctional Center (SCC) in Eloy, Ariz. were recently subjected to Keefe Commissary price increases that reached upwards of 300%.
SCC is a CoreCivic contract facility where Idaho, Hawaii and Montana currently house their prison overflow. Commissary prices at the facility differ by population.
Hawaii Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (HDCR) director Tommy Johnson said in a Hawaii Correctional Oversight Commission hearing that his department, after investigating the price increases, worked with Keefe to lower its rates for the facility’s Hawaiian residents.
“For items where the price increases were 200% or 300%, they found substitutable items that cost less that are now going to be on the menu,” Johnson said. “For those items where they could not find a replacement that cost less, we take them off the list altogether.”
Johnson also said that the number of prisoner complaints dwindled following HDCR’s involvement.
According to Dayton, Hawaii corrections generally caps Keefe’s commissary markups in state facilities at 10% plus delivery and storage fees.
A resident who recently returned from SCC told me under the condition of anonymity that Keefe appears to be marking up the items most frequently purchased by each DOC population. He said that residents of the facility have responded to the company’s tactics by placing orders on one another’s behalf at the cheapest available prices.
IDAHO FIRST AMENDMENT ALLIANCE SUPPORTS (SOME) JOURNALISTS’ RIGHT TO INSPECT PUBLIC RECORDS
Melissa Davlin, the Idaho Press Club president and lead producer for Idaho Reports, recently launched a nonprofit organization designed to protect local journalists’ right to inspect public records.
The organization is called the Idaho First Amendment Alliance. Idaho Capital Sun reporter Mia Maldonado writes that its aim is “to provide funding for training, workshops, and court fees for Idaho journalists challenging a public agency’s lack of transparency.”
Longtime Gem State reporters say that inconsistent understandings of law, understaffing and memory problems can all factor in to a public agency’s inability to meet public records requirements.
After sharing in last month’s newsletter how the IDOC refused my public records request for information on its proposed opioid abuse medication pilot program, I sent Davlin copies of the requests and refusals, along with a heartfelt thanks for supporting us Idaho journalists in our shared effort to ensure government transparency.
With over 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 the Southwest Idaho advocacy arm of https://www.svdpid.org, shares what it’s like to live incarcerated in Idaho and then to come out of incarceration and live on parole.
6.1.24. Mike Perry firmly believes that listening to people in recovery to understand what works best for them is an art form. He shares how his past experiences informed his work as a St. Vincent de Paul recovery coach, and why he has decided to move on from the job.
6.8.24. Kimbra Shaw is the interim director for RO116, an investment group that gathers to fund local gospel spreading strategies. Shaw discusses the how the organization has helped start-up ministries prosper through its local, annual event.
6.22.24. Certified drug and alcohol counselors Jenivee Hardcastle and Dray Markovetz from Idaho’s District 4 Probation and Parole talk addiction recovery and the importance of wraparound services.
The number of suspected drug overdoses in Idaho prisons that were treated with opioid reversal drugs in 2023:
North Idaho Correctional Institution: 1
South Idaho Correctional Institution: 2
Idaho State Correctional Center: 2
Idaho State Correctional Institution: 3
Idaho Maximum Security Institution: 10
Yearly commissions payments from Keefe Commissary Network to the IDOC:
Calendar Year 2021: $ 3,097,218.54
Calendar Year 2022: $ 3,929,731.20
Calendar Year 2023: $ 3,965,638.89
Yearly commission payments from IC Solutions to the IDOC:
Calendar Year 2021: $ 1,534,536.77
Calendar Year 2022: $ 1,537,505.20
Calendar Year 2023: $ 1,435,324.45
Sources: Public records requests submitted by the Resident Auditing Committee to the IDOC .
***
RESOURCES FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS
Level is an organization dedicated to providing people incarcerated in U.S. prisons with free printed educational, job training and personal development guides. Send all requests to:
[Sent June 21 over JPay to a person investigating the impact of House Bill 668.]
Here’s one more for you: [redacted for privacy]. We’re a little worried about her because she’s a cutter. She quit her job a couple weeks ago to be moved to a unit where she’ll have more support when they withdraw her medications. I interviewed her last year for a story on the need for trauma-informed care in prisons that I never finished. She won’t mind me sharing this with you. She gets out soon, which means that she will be struggling to transition into the community while abruptly adapting to the change in her hormone regimen. She’s not been on the therapy for long, maybe since November. About the same time that she came out as transgender to her family. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Tell her that I referred you with her situation and I’m sure she’ll be happy to chat.
***
SUGGESTION BOX
I suggest you not throw Kevin in the hole when his mom flies in to visit.
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.
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.
***
EDITOR’S NOTE
In this issue:
As Idaho scores another round of lethal injection drugs, Gerald Pizzuto, Jr.’s attorneys file to preserve Thomas Creech as evidence; a former PWCC resident is suing after being sexually assaulted by staff; the family Milo Warnock signals intent to sue over his murder; man’s death at Saguaro Correctional Center is being investigated as homicide; and it ain’t nobody’s business how the IDOC spends its drug money!
Plus: a link to Crystal Avilla’s informative article on how to apply for FASFA from prison, and the Prison Policy Initiative newsletter is a must subscribe for incarcerated researchers.
Let’s First Amend This!
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IDOC SCORES ANOTHER ROUND OF LETHAL INJECTION CHEMICALS. GERALD PIZZUTO, JR. FILES A MOTION TO KEEP THOMAS CREECH ALIVE.
According to public records obtained by the Idaho Statesman, the IDOC has secured three more doses of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital. A redacted receipt published by the Statesman shows that the agency paid $100,000 for the same amount of the drug it purchased for $50,000 in October, prior to spoiling two doses in the February attempt to execute Thomas Creech.
The Office of the Attorney General, the Ada County Prosecutors Office and the IDOC have yet to indicate whether a second attempt to execute Creech is in the works.
Meanwhile, writes Statesman reporter Kevin Fixler, Gerald Pizzuto, Jr.’s attorneys have filed a motion with U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill to preserve Creech as evidence in Pizzuto’s battle to avoid execution by lethal injection.
With a total of nine separate murder convictions spanning four states between them, Pizzuto and Creech are Idaho’s longest-standing death row residents. Creech has avoided execution at least a dozen times, and Pizzuto’s execution has been postponed at least three times. Both are represented by the nonprofit Federal Defender Services of Idaho.
Pizzuto’s legal team is currently litigating the claim that a lethal dose of pentobarbital could painfully mix with his existing medical ailments — terminal bladder cancer, heart disease and diabetes — for which he has been receiving hospice care the last three years. Such a reaction, they argue, would result in a violation of Pizzuto’s constitutional right to remain free of cruel and unusual punishment.
Pizzuto’s attorneys say that Creech, having survived February’s unsuccessful lethal injection attempt, is now qualified to testify as a material witness in their case.
Creech’s attorney, Deborah A. Czuba, told the Statesman, “Thomas is still struggling with severe mental health trauma due to the botched execution.”
In a response to the unprecedented motion to preserve Creech as evidence, the attorney general’s office inferred that Creech isn’t familiar enough with intravenous catheters to be able to weigh in on the medical conduct of the IDOC’s anonymous volunteer executioners. The office further argues that Pizzuto’s legal team can preserve Creech’s testimony through other means, like a recorded deposition, according to Fixler.
IDOC spokesperson Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic told the Statesman via email that the department is close to completing a review of its execution policies and procedures in consultation with its medical team. “There is a legal process that needs to play out,” she wrote, “but our efforts are oriented toward being ready to carry out the sentence of death in a professional, respectful and dignified manner when ordered to.”
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 pc — Tortilla Frittata
2 lg — Pancakes
8 oz — Milk 1%
1 cup — Oatmeal
10 gm — Margarine
1 1/2 oz — Maple Sugar
2 pkt — Sugar
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
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Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1
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FORMER PWCC RESIDENT SUING AFTER BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY STAFF
During an August 2022 interview with Idaho State Police, IDOC Food Service Officer Derek Stettler admitted to sexually abusing a woman who was incarcerated at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center (PWCC).
Months later he committed suicide.
His victim is now suing.
Idaho Statesman reporter Alex Brizee writes, “Police reports filed by Idaho State Police, and obtained by the Idaho Statesman, detailed a months-long investigation into the accusations against Stettler–with several people telling law enforcement that he wasn’t the only employee accused of inappropriate sexual conduct.”
The assault reportedly took place November 2021 in a prison kitchen bathroom. Records reviewed by the Statesman show that Stettler was charged November 2022 with three counts of sexual contact with an adult inmate and one count of rape. By then he was no longer working for the IDOC. The department didn’t provide the Statesman with a reason for his May 2022 departure.
Stettler killed himself December 2022, and his victim filed the lawsuit nearly one year later. Stettler’s estate, the IDOC, PWCC and a corrections officer accused of failing to file timely reports of allegations made against Stettler are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Police reports reviewed by the Statesman say that at least two other employees–both no longer with the department for unspecified reasons–were accused of having sexual contact with PWCC residents.
IDOC public information officer Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic told the Statesman that the agency has zero tolerance for sexual abuse and harassment, and investigates all claims. “These investigations are important to uncover wrongdoing and/or exonerate individuals who are wrongfully accused,” she said.
The IDOC didn’t respond to the Statesman’s request to comment on the lawsuit, though it did say that it was taking steps to improve security for residents and provide more guidance to staff.
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 ea — Fresh Fruit/ Apple
3 oz — Deli Meat Pastrami
1 pkt — Mayonnaise
1 pkt — Mustard
1 1/2 oz — Tortilla Chips
2 oz — Wholegrain Bread
1 ea — Cookie
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Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1
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FAMILY OF THE LATE MILO WARNOCK SIGNALS INTENT TO SUE OVER HIS MURDER
The family of Milo Warnock last month filed a tort claim (used as a precursor to lawsuits) listing the IDOC, Centurion Health and several state employees as defendants over Milo’s Dec. 10 murder.
Milo was killed while locked in a shared close custody cell at the Idaho State Correctional Center. His family is asking for roughly $465,000 in damages. They are also seeking explanations surrounding his death, including why criminal charges have yet to be filed.
Idaho Statesman reporter Nicole Blanchard writes, “The tort alleges that prison guards were more than 30 minutes behind on patrols when Warnock was attacked–a symptom of understaffing. Warnock had no way to communicate to staff that there was an emergency, the claim said.”
According to Blanchard, the tort says that Centurion Health and IDOC employees refused to provide Warnock with emergency treatment after he was discovered mortally wounded in his cell.
It is the IDOC’s policy to not discuss matters that are actively being litigated.
Those listed in the claim as defendants have until August to respond.
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1/2 cup — Burrito Filling
1 ea — Flour Tortilla (large)
3/4 cup — Vegetables #4
1/4 cup — Salsa
1/2 cup — Mexican Rice
1/2 cup — Refried Beans
1/2 oz — Cheese
1 pc — Cake #4 (chocolate)
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
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Click here for video of the Justice Alito Burrito.
Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1
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SAGUARO RESIDENT DIES FROM SUSPECTED ASSAULT
Anton Myklebust, 46, was pronounced dead May 4 at a hospital after being found injured and unresponsive in his at cell Saguaro Correctional Center (SCC) in Eloy, Ariz.
According to Civil Beat reporter Kevin Dayton, Myklebust was scheduled for release in October after serving 20 years on charges of kidnapping, trafficking methamphetamine to a minor, credit card theft and second degree robbery.
SCC is owned by CoreCivic, a private prison corporation that operates for a profit. The facility currently manages prison overflow for Idaho, Montana and Hawaii. Myklebust was one 1,036 people sent by the Hawaii Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (HDCR) to serve time at SCC.
HDCR Director Tommy Johnson released a statement saying that the Eloy Police Department and Hawaii corrections officials are investigating the incident as a homicide.
AIN’T NOBODY’S BUSINESS HOW THE IDOC SPENDS ITS DRUG MONEY!
In January I submitted a public records request to determine whether the IDOC is seeking to apply any portion of the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund towards opioid overdose prevention and mitigation.
The state is projected to receive $218 million of the $54 billion national settlement that is scheduled to be paid out over the next 18 years by pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers found responsible for America’s opioid crisis.
My public records query returned documents showing that the IDOC requested $600,000 from initial settlement payments “for purposes relating to opioid abuse or recovery programs.” The same documents show that Idaho Gov. Brad Little responded to the department’s request with an adjusted recommendation of $597,100.
In an effort to follow the money, I submitted another public records request for all IDOC-involved memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and proposals to treat people in the agency’s custody for opioid use disorder. The IDOC refused to fulfill my request, stating that all related records contain trade secrets, and per Idaho, are exempt from public disclosure.
I responded to the agency’s refusal by submitting another request, this time for the contact information of the entity whose trade secrets are being protected. “At this time,” I wrote, “I also wish to request all information not defined as ‘trade secret’ — operational standards and guidelines, approving signatures, projected timelines and budget, etc. — within any MOU or proposal for IDOC-involved opioid use disorder treatment/medication pilot programs. Per Idaho Code 74-107(1), the department is only allowed to redact information defined as ‘trade secret,’ not entire contracts or arrangements containing trade secret information.”
This request, too, was denied, again citing trade secret exemptions.
Per the secrecy law passed by the 2022 Idaho Legislature, the IDOC is only allowed to cloak the names and contact information of those with whom it’s doing business when their business is to help execute people who are sentenced to death in Idaho.
And according to Idaho Code, any writing that “(1) contains information relating to the conduct or administration of the public’s business and (2) was prepared, owned, used or retained by a government agency” is subject to public inspection.” This includes memos, unfinished documents, emails and handwritten notes.
That the agency is unwilling to share any information on the people with whom it’s partnering to spend the funds is unfortunate. Along with Idaho’s press, public and lawmakers, those of us who fell under the foot of Big Pharma would like to know if the department intends to return the money to the companies responsible for helping to propel the opioid crisis.
Click here to view the public records requests and responses mentioned in this story.
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CRYSTAL AVILLA EXPLAINS HOW TO APPLY FOR FAFSA FROM PRISON
Crystal Avilla has published an article in Prison Journalism Project Inside explaining how to apply for federal aid to participate in select prison education programs.
“As a college clerk,” Avilla writes, “I have witnessed the confusion and panic in the eyes of many potential students when they are handed the FAFSA. I don’t blame them. The 10-page form, which asks 100 questions about your personal finance and background, is intimidating if you’ve never seen it before.”
Click here for Avilla’s article “Completing the FAFSA from Prison.”
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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.
5.11.24. Michael Richardson, the executive director for the Idaho Prison Arts Collective, and Jenny Hardcastle, a drug and alcohol counselor for Probation and Parole, announce a series of art programs made available to supervised individuals in District 4.
5.18.24. Treasure Valley artist Misty Monster knows some people who have experienced incarceration. She discusses her passion for painting and how it keeps her closely tied in to the community.
Graduates of IDOC Academy 5.24. Vanessa Day as Class President; Sage Moore with the Top of Class Award; Brandon Andrade with the Tactical Edge Award.
Graduates of Probation and Parole Academy No. 37.
Two unnamed ICI-O residents with a commencement ceremony celebrating the associate degrees they earned from Lewis-Clark State College.
Ofc. Emeron Geiser for fulfilling the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training requirements for the basic correction training certificate set.
South Boise Women’s Correctional Center residents for nursing sick cats and young kittens back to health with around-the-clock care in the the Women Inmate Social Kitty Retreat (WISKR) program.
All IDOC staff with celebrations, games and early bedtimes for residents during Correctional Professionals Week.
The following public records requests have yet to be filled:
1) January’s request for all memorandums of understanding (MOUs), or agreements, and policies for the All American Publishing call center now operating in Idaho prisons. (Submitted to Idaho Correctional Industries.)
2) March’s request for any MOUs, 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.
3) March’s request for the materials used to train residents participating as mentors for the forthcoming Restoring Promise Program at ISCI.
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RESOURCE FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS
The Prison Policy Initiative’s quarterly newsletter lists its most recent reports and shares available resources. Those interested in criminal justice reform will find value in its accurate data/analysis. To subscribe for free from incarceration, write:
Prison journalists who wish to sign up for regular PPI reports may ask to be placed on the journalist mailing list.
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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK
Scott McIntosh is the opinion editor for the Idaho Statesman.
[This message forwarded from a resident of the Idaho State Correctional Institution.]
5.28.24
Hi Scott,
Almost a year since your series on Idaho’s opioid settlement–how do you feel about the Idaho Department of Correction now refusing to disclose its plans to spend nearly $600,000 from the state’s settlement fund? Maybe it’s just me, a former interstate drug trafficker turned aspiring solutions-oriented journalist, but I find it irksome…
Below are a few works that I’ve recently published, intended to provide you with additional context. I am now looking at the potential costs and methods available to me to petition for the release of records. Thought you might be interested.
Those interested in comparing the commissary prices in Idaho prisons with prisons in 45 other states can do so by visiting the newly unveiled national commissary database created by The Appeal.
While Idaho’s prison system received notable mention for the price residents must pay to enjoy the luxury of denture adhesive, Georgia prisons were reported to be marking up denture cups by 600%.
The money collected from these types of arrangements is often funneled through inmate welfare funds.
Idaho’s Inmate Welfare Fund is described in documents that I obtained through a public records request as a fund used to promote the welfare of residents through programs and activities. But when I attempted to follow up in accordance with Idaho’s sunshine laws, the IDOC was unable to produce policies and balance sheets detailing the fund’s use.
A 2024 Prison Policy Initiative report describes how inmate welfare funds are commonly used by U.S. jails and prisons. “In reality, poorly written policies and lax oversight make welfare funds an irresistible target for corruption in jails and prisons: in many cases, corrections officials have discretion to use welfare funds as shadow budgets for subsidizing essential facility operations, staff salaries, vehicles, weapons and more, instead of paying for such things out of their department’s more transparent and accountable budget.”
Ever wonder why people complain about the cost of commissary when prison food is free?
Had New York Focus reporter Chris Gelardi last year not exposed a directive issued by New York corrections department to severely inhibit the flow of art and writing leaving its facilities, the department may have inspired carceral agencies across the U.S. to adopt its short-lived blueprint.
To understand the public safety benefits of encouraging incarcerated artists and writers to work with the organizations that support them, view my May 20 op-ed, “Both Prisons and the Public Rely On Incarcerated Writers,” published by the award-winning Prison Journalism Project.
In January I submitted a public records request to determine whether the IDOC is seeking to apply any portion of the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund towards opioid overdose prevention and mitigation.
The state is projected to receive $218 million of the $54 billion national settlement that is scheduled to be paid out over the next 18 years by pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers found responsible for America’s opioid crisis.
My public records query returned documents showing that the IDOC requested $600,000 from initial settlement payments “for purposes relating to opioid abuse or recovery programs.” The same documents show that Idaho Gov. Brad Little responded to the department’s request with an adjusted recommendation of $597,100.
In an effort to follow the money, I submitted another public records request for all IDOC-involved memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and proposals to treat people in the agency’s custody for opioid use disorder. The IDOC refused to fulfill my request, stating that all related records contain trade secrets, and per Idaho, are exempt from public disclosure.
I responded to the agency’s refusal by submitting another request, this time for the contact information of the entity whose trade secrets are being protected. “At this time,” I wrote, “I also wish to request all information not defined as ‘trade secret’ — operational standards and guidelines, approving signatures, projected timelines and budget, etc. — within any MOU or proposal for IDOC-involved opioid use disorder treatment/medication pilot programs. Per Idaho Code 74-107(1), the department is only allowed to redact information defined as ‘trade secret,’ not entire contracts or arrangements containing trade secret information.”
This request, too, was denied, again citing trade secret exemptions.
Per the secrecy law passed by the 2022 Idaho Legislature, the IDOC is only allowed to cloak the names and contact information of those with whom its doing business when their business is to help execute people who are sentenced to death in Idaho.
And according to Idaho Code, any writing that “(1) contains information relating to the conduct or administration of the public’s business and (2) was prepared, owned, used or retained by a government agency” is subject to public inspection.” This includes memos, unfinished documents, emails and handwritten notes.
That the agency is unwilling to share any information on the people with whom it’s partnering to spend the funds is unfortunate. Along with Idaho’s press, public and lawmakers, those of us who fell under the foot of Big Pharma would like to know if the department intends to return the money to the companies responsible for helping to propel the opioid crisis.
The public records requests and responses mentioned in this story are found in the downloadable PDF below.
References:
IDOC Public Records Request numbers R017548-012824, R019828-042324, R020308-051624.
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.
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:
Idaho edges towards the end of an archaic era in modern medicine; a downward trend in death penalties indicates more high-road traffic; the Idaho Innocence Project is suspending legal services; JPay and Securus get banned from church and school; the Keefe Commissary Network’s annual price increase continues; Sean Carnell makes the dean’s list for two semesters in row; four easy steps to in-person visits in Idaho prisons; and one chapel worker’s request to procure a Satanic bible.
Let’s First Amend This!
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THE END OF AN ARCHAIC ERA IN MODERN MEDICINE
Idaho Gov. Little last month signed a bill into law that will allocate $25 million for the state to construct a new 26-bed secure forensic mental health facility.
What this means for Idaho is that individuals who are deemed by the court to be dangerously mentally ill will no longer be sent to prison without an arrest or conviction. The Idaho Security Medical Program for the last five decades has used state prisons to restore Idaho’s most problematic psychiatric patients back to health in a process called civil commitment.
Despite last year working with a $1.4 billion record-breaking surplus, Idaho’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) refused Little’s 2023 request to fund the facility.
ProPublica reporter Audrey Dutton in December wrote that state officials and lawmakers have been notified a minimum of 14 times since 1954 that Idaho needs a secure mental health unit apart from its prison system. “They have also been told publicly at least eight times since 1974 that Idaho may be violating people’s rights by locking them away without an arrest or conviction, and that the state could be sued for it,” Dutton wrote.
Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, co-chairs the budget committee. She credits Dutton and ProPublica with bringing attention to the problem and influencing her vote to fund the new facility.
Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt, too, acknowledged Dutton and ProPublica’s impact on state lawmakers. “The reporting seemed to create among policy makers almost a sense of urgency to understand this issue better, to figure out they could try to be helpful in solving,” he said. “And you know, fortunately, it came at a time when it’s not because we’re being ordered by the courts to do something.”
The state has yet to offer a timeline of completion for the facility that is set to be constructed south of Boise, near the Kuna desert prison complex.
Boise’s KTVB news last month followed up on February’s failed execution of Thomas Creech by asking the IDOC whom of Idaho’s eight death row residents will executioners queue up next.
An IDOC spokesperson responded that there is no particular order the state’s distinguished extinguishers must follow, the determining factor for finalization depends on the individual case status of those eligible.
KTVB reports that death remains a legal form of punishment in 27 states, but six of those have paused their rendering operations through executive action.
Robin Maher is the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. He says that half of the population has lost confidence in the government’s ability to justly distribute the decadent demise. He points to the decreasing number of people being sentenced to death as an indication that juries increasingly object to up-thumbing the ultimate penalty. “But more than that,” Maher says, “we’re seeing isolated use of the death penalty in just a few places around the country. And those are decisions that are largely made by elected prosecutors and not by the American public.”
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
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1 ea — Fresh Fruit (orange)
2 oz — Peanut Butter
1 oz — Jelly
2 oz — Whole Grain Bread
3 oz — Fresh Vegetable
1 oz — Potato Chips
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The Idaho Innocence Project (IIP) is temporarily suspending its legal services. The project that over the years has exonerated multiple wrongfully convicted individuals will focus only on DNA research while continuing to search for ways to fund its legal services.
According to a Boise State University news release, the IIP will still provide forensic DNA consulting in select post-conviction cases through the Forensic Justice Project. But only for clients who have obtained their own qualified legal counsel.
“We are seeking funding and partnerships that will allow us to provide legal services for Idaho applicants in the future,” the release said.
Dr. Greg Hampian is the executive director of the project. “It’s unnerving to have spotty funding,” Hampian told KIVITV. “It’s been crazy, and it’s been that way the whole time I’ve been here.”
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
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1/2 cup — Sloppy Joes
2 oz — Wholegrain Bread
2 ea — Ketchup Packet
2 pc — Hashbrown Patties
1/2 cup — Coleslaw with Carrot
1 pc — Cake #8 (gelatin)
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
______________________________ Click here for video.
Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1
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JPAY AND SECURUS BANNED FROM ISCI CHAPEL AND SCHOOL
JPay and Securus devices are no longer permitted in at least one Idaho prison’s education building and chapel.
Notices posted to message boards throughout the Idaho State Correctional Institution describe the ban as a necessary step to ensure that residents’ access to computers remain open. The notices offered no indication as to why residents’ access to computers was ever in jeopardy.
According to the notices, any JPay, Securus or MP3 device discovered by staff within the buildings will be confiscated. The devices will then be handed over to prison investigators, to determine whether the player has been altered or loaded with unapproved content.
If at a later date the investigating officer clears the player, it will be returned to the resident with a written warning and a demerit in their file. A second offense will result in a disciplinary charge for disobedience to direct orders.
Residents found in possession of an altered player or unapproved content will be subject to disciplinary infractions and punishment.
Sources: Education PM Smith, “JPay Media Players in Education,” ISCI Memo. Sgt. Gresick, “Players in Education and Chapel,” ISCI Memo.
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KEEFE COMMISSARY CONTINUES ANNUAL PRICE INCREASE
Keefe Commissary has once again increased its rates, this time by 3.2%, in accordance with the Consumer Price Index.
Those interested in comparing the commissary prices and items offered in Idaho prisons with prisons in 45 other states can do so by visiting the new prison commissary database unveiled last month by The Appeal.
The Appeal describes itself as a nonprofit news organization whose work “shows the human and economic costs of our expansive carceral system, equips people with the tools to make change, and elevates solutions that seek to create a safer society without clinging to punitive responses.”
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CONGRATULATIONS SEAN CARNELL
Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino (ICIO) resident Sean Carnell has now twice made the dean’s list at the University of Idaho (U of I).
Carnell is a participant of the Department of Education’s (DOE) Second Chance Pell Grant program. He studies alongside a mixture of students–some incarcerated, some not–in classes made possible by a collaboration between the IDOC, the DOE, U of I and Lewis-Clark State College (LC State).
“This is the first time in corrections that I’ve felt that I’ve been valued as a human being,” Carnell told Idaho Capital Sun reporter Mia Maldonado. “Most of the time we are the sum of our failures. This [program] gives us the opportunity to try to achieve these levels of success that we never thought possible.”
In fall 2022, the U of I and LC State joined 198 other colleges in participating in the DOE program.
“Like Carnell,” writes Maldonado, “more than 90 residents at the Orofino prison registered for the spring semester through the Second Chance Pell program, keeping themselves busy while in prison while also aiming to enhance their resumes in preparation for their eventual release.”
The dean of University of Idaho’s College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, Sean Quintan, told Maldonado that providing incarcerated individuals with access to higher education is one of the surest ways to keep them from continuing to cycle through the criminal justice system. “I believe that this is a really important way at serving our state–to help people improve their lives and have safer communities,” Quintan said.
HOW TO SCHEDULE IN-PERSON VISITS WITH A RESIDENT OF IDAHO PRISONS
1) First submit a visiting application to the IDOC. Anyone under 18 years old must be related to the resident as an immediate family member or a step-child in an existing marriage. All others must provide proof of an existing relationship prior to incarceration. (Tip: Do not submit altered photos as proof. The department uses software to determine a photo’s authenticity.)
2) The resident will receive notice once the application is processed and is responsible for informing the visitor of the outcome. If the application is denied, the resident can appeal the decision by completing an appeals packet, available through their facility’s Visiting officer.
3) Once approved, the visitor must create an account at ICSolutions.com. Call ICSolutions Support for assistance: 1-800-506-8407.
4) After creating an ICSolutions account, the approved visitor must contact the appropriate facility’s Visiting staff to activate the account. Once the account is activated, they will be able to use it to schedule visits in accordance with IDOC rules.
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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.
4.6.24. IDOC Deputy Director Bree Derrick is optimistic about the department’s current trajectory. She discusses new partnerships, collaborations, a new statewide mentor program and planned women’s facility, and how those who are eager to better themselves in IDOC custody now have more opportunities to do so.
4.13.24. Pastor T.J. Hanky moved his family from Florida to start Refresh Church in Meridian. He has since made it his mission to help others in the Treasure Valley area discover how they are uniquely wired by God.
4.20.24. Ray Garcia is a career development specialist with St. Vincent de Paul. He reports to work every day from a community reintegration center, designed to help ease him back into the community from incarceration. Garcia discusses how his experience with incarceration powers his ability to assist others.
4.27.24. Douglas Smith is the owner of D-Degree Coaching and Training. Once incarcerated himself, he now actively advocates for people involved in the criminal justice system in Texas. Smith shares how he and others are working towards real reform.
Newest graduates of the Courageous Leadership 200 class.
Twenty-seven graduates of Probation and Parole Academy No. 37; James Deatrick with the Top of Class Award; RJ Williams with the Tactical Edge Award; Nick Christiansen with the Top Instructor Award.
Forty-four graduates of CO Academy 4.24; John Palmer with Top of Class; Garrett Mobray with Tactical Edge Award; Skyler Irvin with Top Instructor Award.
East Boise Community Reentry Center residents for raising $882.50 to donate to Bustin’ Out Boise, a local organization that helps women undergoing cancer treatment.
The following public records requests have yet to be filled:
1) March’s request for any memorandum of understandings (MOU), 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.
2) March’s request for the materials being used to train residents participating as mentors for the forthcoming Restoring Promise Program at ISCI.
3) April’s request for all IDOC-involved MOUs/proposals to create an opioid disorder medication pilot program.
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RESOURCE FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS
Prisoner Express promotes rehabilitation by providing free information, education and creative opportunities for self-expression to individuals who are incarcerated throughout the U.S. Those incarcerated can sign up for a free subscription to Prisoner Express News and request a list of available programs by writing:
CTA/Durland Alternatives Library
PO Box 6556
Ithaca, NY 14851
My name is Patrick Irving. I am currently incarcerated at the Idaho State Correctional Institution and I run a prison project that can be viewed at bookofirving82431.com. I was asked by my prison’s chapel for help locating a Satanic bible and/or other related materials for some gentlemen here who are looking to study and worship together. From what I understand, they are a little shy of resources and support. Any chance you can aid my quest to supply them with their bible? And, would you happen to have a resource guide that I can place in our chapel?
The Appeal is described on its website as “a nonprofit news organization dedicated to exposing how the U.S. criminal legal system fails to keep people safe and, instead, perpetuates harm.” The news organization works to show “the human and economic costs of our expansive carceral system, equips people with the tools to make change, and elevates solutions that seek to create a safer society without clinging to punitive responses.”
In another recent newsletter, Doctorow describes why the prison tech provider Securus, with over $1.3B in debt, is now facing bankruptcy, and how the brilliant guerrilla activist campaign of the New York organization Worth Rises exemplifies “using the master’s tools to dismantle the master’s house.”
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.
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.
***
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.
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
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3 pc — French Toast
1 cup — Farina
2 oz — Ham
2 pkt — Sugar
10 gm — Margarine
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
8 oz — Milk 1%
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“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. 15th, 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. 19th that I was called to the clinician’s office. We confirmed at the end of my appointment that I would return on Apr. 2nd. 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. 22nd and I have yet to receive a response.
[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)
———————————————— 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. 28th] 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.
[Fruit and whole grain bread may be substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
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10 oz — Lasagna
1 cup — Garden Salad #4
1 oz — Vinaigrette
2 pc — Garlic Bread
1 pc — Bread Pudding #2
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
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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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
***
Shout out to Annie with Aston University! Thanks for inviting me to speak and for the post card from Vienna!
Alien observer, tasked with providing the Galactic Cooperative with a few good reasons to leave your Earth alone. So far, it’s not looking good. Were it not for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas“, “The Big Lebowski” and oatmeal cookie dough, I would have already rendered your dimension on compassionate grounds.
Seeking: Verification that reverence and laughter are present. Cultural enlightenment is possibly your last beacon of hope.
Interests: Science, music, literature, philosophy, competitive challenges with nunchuks and cartwheels.
Hobbies: Practicing medicine without a license, stochastic tinkering, assisting combustion, sensual karate.
