Updates

Previous: First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, Oct. ’23 [Censored!!!]

Welcome to the November 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 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:

Centurion Health strikes again; someone scored lethal injection drugs but don’t ask who or how; the Department of Education is offering a fresh start to student loan borrowers; and the number of shootings this year involving Treasure Valley law enforcement agencies looks grim.

Let’s First Amend This!

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NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS WHEN IT COMES TO CENTURION HEALTH

With three years left on its $299.4 million five-year contract, Centurion Health is once again in the spotlight after woefully mismanaging the medical care of two residents.

Alex Brizee with the Idaho Statesman covered the story last month of how Bobby Templin waited half a year to receive the rush surgery required to repair his broken hand.

Templin documented multiple exchanges between himself and a Centurion worker who claimed that Templin was scheduled for surgery when he wasn’t.

A health service administrator for the company stated in response to a grievance filed by Templin that an extremely limited number of area specialists are willing to accept IDOC residents. (This as the former health care provider for Idaho prisons, Corizon Health, Inc. aka Tehum Care Services aka YesCare, Inc., is reported to have left tens of millions of dollars in local area hospital bills unpaid.)

Templin’s experience was not an isolated incident.

Brizee also reported last month on how Jacob Frey, a man represented by Boise attorney Craig Durham, has filed a lawsuit claiming that multiple Centurion and IDOC employees have mismanaged his diabetes for nearly three years.

According to Brizee, the lawsuit claims that at one point Frey was accused of refusing his insulin for an evening, and that an ISCC lieutenant then ordered other correctional officers not to call a medical emergency in response to Frey’s condition.

The following morning Frey’s blood glucose levels were reported to be nearly double the number at which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends calling 911.

The IDOC unambiguously states its mission on the cover of the resident handbook that it provides to all men as they are received into its facilities: “Protect the public, our staff and those within our custody and supervision through safety, accountability, partnerships and providing opportunities for resident change.”

At what point will medical practices such as those listed in this article be recognized as counterproductive to the Department’s purported mission?

Sources: Alex Brizee, “Idaho Man’s Hand Broke, Healed With Deformity In Prison. It Took Months to See a Surgeon,” Idaho Statesman. Alex Brizee, “Diabetic Incarcerated Man in Idaho Sues Medical Provider, Says Staff Withheld Insulin,” Idaho Statesman. Matte Clarke, “Corizon Executes ‘Texas Two-Step,’ Spinning Off Debt Into Bankrupt New Firm to Avoid Paying Creditors and Lawsuit Winners,” Prison Legal News, Aug. ’23.

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WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE BREAKFAST (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 pc — Banana Bread
2 oz — Bran Flakes
2 oz — Breakfast Sausage
16 oz — Milk 1%
10 gm — Margarine
2 pkt — Sugar
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
————————————————

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

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LOCKED AND LOADED: LETHAL INJECTION IS LIVE ON THE TABLE

After Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason D. Scott last month issued a death warrant for Thomas Creech, a man convicted of three murders who has sat on death row since 1983, the Department promptly served it and scheduled the execution for November 8^th.

Creech was then granted a temporary stay of execution after the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole agreed to hear his defense team make the case for commuting his sentence from death to life in prison.

According to an IDOC press release, Director Josh Tewalt filed an affidavit certifying that the agency possesses the chemicals required to perform a lethal injection.

Creech, now 73, was serving life in prison for two Valley County murders committed in 1973 when, eight years into his sentence, he used a sock full of batteries to beat fellow resident David Dale Jensen to death.

Creech was originally sentenced to death for the Valley County murders but had that sentence reduced to life in prison after winning an appeal.

Following Jensen’s murder he was again sentenced to death by Judge Robert Newhouse and has remained on death row since 1983.

Judge Newhouse is now saying, in Creech’s petition for a clemency hearing , that to execute him now–more than 40 years after the fact–would be an act of vengeance that serves no real purpose.

As of November 1^st the clemency hearing has yet to be scheduled.

Once scheduled, Jensen’s family will be allowed to speak at the hearing to the commission’s seven-member board, who will also hear arguments from the defense and the state.

Should the Board vote in favor of granting Creech clemency, Idaho Gov. Brad Little reserves the right to overrule them (but only in cases of murder and treason).

Idaho law prevents correctional officials from being compelled to disclose any information related to the procurement, storage, testing and delivery of lethal injection drugs.

Clark Corbin reported on the Idaho Matters radio show that Director Tewalt sent a letter out to his staff stating that anyone who feels uncomfortable participating in the execution procedures may opt out without facing future repercussions.

Sources: “IDOC Serves Death Warrant to Thomas Creech”. Rebecca Boone, “Idaho’s Longest-Serving Death Row Resident Is Scheduled for November Execution by Lethal Injection,” apnews.com. Julie Luchetta, “Attorneys for longest serving death row inmate in Idaho ask for clemency”, Boise State Public Radio.

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WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE LUNCH (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
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
————————————————

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

A FRESH START FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS

The Department of Education (DOE) has launched a one-time temporary program that offers special benefits to all borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans.

The Fresh Start program can be accessed by incarcerated students who are seeking to restore their Pell Grant eligibility and remove student loan default from their credit reports.

Those who qualify must apply no later than August 31^st, 2024. They will then be expected to make scheduled payments toward their loans to avoid going back into default.

By asking for an income-driven repayment plan, monthly payments for people applying from incarceration could be as low as zero dollars.

Those with a possible release date of more than 10 years away may be able to qualify for a write-off, which would prevent them from receiving future federal student aid loans or Pell Grants.

People who are incarcerated can access Fresh Start by writing “I would like to use Fresh Start to bring my loans back into good standing” to:

Default Resolution Group
P.O. Box 5609
Greenville, TX 75403

Incarcerated applicants should include their name, social security number, date of birth, mailing address and a note that they are currently incarcerated.

Fresh Start can also be applied for by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or by signing a Fresh Start acknowledgement with one’s school.

For more information about a student loan write-off, contact:

U.S. Department of Education
Attn: Ombudsman Office
830 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
ombudsman@ed.gov

Source: Charlotte West, “Student Loan Debt is a ‘Massive Reentry Issue’,” College Inside. Federal Student Aid Office of the Department of Education, “Getting Out of Student Loan Default with Fresh Start.”

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WEEK ONE, DAY FIVE DINNER (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 cup — Chili
1 1/2 cup — All-Shapes Pasta
1 pc — Cornbread
.75 cup — Vegetable Blend
10 gram — Margarine
1/2 cup — Ice Cream
8 oz Vitamin Beverage
————————————————

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

A LOOK AT THIS YEAR’S LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOOTINGS

As of early October, Treasure Valley law enforcement agencies have been involved in 10 separate shootings that have taken seven lives.

Here, Shaun Goodwin with the Idaho Statesman maps the location of each incident and provides a related story: “Boise Area Has Had 10 Police Shootings This Year. Here’s Where, What Happened.”

***

THE IDAHO PRISON ARTS COLLECTIVE APPEARS IN THE BOISE WEEKLY

The Boise Weekly shared the story last month as to how beloved IDOC volunteer Michael Richardson came to form the Idaho Prison Arts Collective, a non-profit organization that works in collaboration with the IDOC to bring creative and educational programs to people who are incarcerated in Idaho prisons.

In addition to helping establish four currently running programs at three different institutions, Richardson has also worked with current and former residents to publish two different books.

• • • “Dear Me, (Writers in Idaho Prisons Reach Out to Their 12-Year-Old Selves)” features 50 different writers in and out of incarceration.
    • “Twenty to Life: Essays of a Man’s Journey to Change Through His Incarceration” by David Steece. (Winner of a 2023 Independent Publisher Book Award.)

The Collective states on its website that its mission is to “provide as many opportunities as possible for residents of the Idaho prison and re-entry communities to have transformative arts experiences–and to advocate for the humanity of those in and affected by the carceral system.”

Visit https://IdahoPrisonArts.org to learn more.

Source: Kate Jacobson, “Art=Justice: Local Nonprofit Brings Art Into Idaho’s Prison System,” Boise Weekly.

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SIGN UP FOR THE ISCI “HOPE NEWSLETTER”

ISCI residents who are preparing for a successful release are encouraged to sign up for the new Hope Newsletter.

The Hope Newsletter is written by an ISCI resident who also works at the facility’s Center of Hope.

The Center of Hope provides those preparing for a successful reentry with assistance for enrolling in transitional housing, Day One services, prison apprenticeship programs and more.

Those who wish to receive the new Hope Newsletter can do so by requesting it through their case manager or by visiting the center’s location in the Robert Janss School.

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ICI-O STAFF AND RESIDENTS CONTINUE PLACING SUPPORT BEHIND LEWIS CLARK ANIMAL SHELTER

Lewis Clark Animal Shelter representatives Ayanna Barrera and Abby Seward were greeted by a surprise last month when delivering a new canine cohort to ICI-O’s Paroling Animals with Skills program (PAWS).

When handed a container that had been collecting donations from the facility’s lobby, the two discovered inside it more than $400, including the total amount of the prize-money won by residents who participated in competitions at this year’s Clearwater County Fair.

To help further ICI-O’s support for the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter, please visit the PAWS Program or call (208) 746.1623.

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RENICK ON THE RADIO

With six years of episodes available for streaming, Mark Renick hosts Victory Over Sin on Boise’s KBXL 94.1FM, Saturdays at 12:30 pm. The program, funded by 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.

10.7.23 — Prison reform advocate Dave Fisher found his experience with incarceration counterproductive to public safety. This inspired him to pull from his experience as an engineer and propose an ambitious overhaul to corrections. View Fisher’s proposal at Prisonreform.info.

10.21.23 — From an early age Terry Kilfian was exposed to an outcast lifestyle. A spiritual awakening three years ago led him to surrender his pride and start Breaking Addiction Ministries. Contact Terry through Facebook or at 775-508-6063.

10.27.23 — Keri Raby and Jessica Gomez have a new transitional housing option for women in Canyon County. With three houses and growing, they offer live-in house managers, resource assistance and weekly meetings. Call or text 208-900-8674 for more information.

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

***

RECENTLY ACKNOWLEDGED

District 4 — Supervisor Seth Radimer with a service award for 14 years on the Correctional Emergency Response Team

District 5 — Section Supervisor Jayone Fitzhugh as employee of the quarter.

PWCC — CCM Preston, CO Deanna Blair and Nurse Holly Gault as employees of the quarter

Unclaimed — Sgt. Erein Saldaña for 10 years of service.

Source: Idaho Department of Correction on Facebook

***

RESIDENT AUDITING 101

IDOC Policy 503.02.01.001 states that residents are to provided with an Electronic Message Contraband and Denial Form for every incoming or outgoing correspondence that is censored over JPay.

The Resident Auditing Committee has confirmed that multiple IDOC facilities are not adhering to this policy.

Every time an Electronic Message Contraband and Denial Form is not completed and delivered according to policy, a resident is denied the information they need to challenge the reason for censorship–a due process right that is protected by 14th Amendment.

Residents who have not been provided the requisite form after receiving a JPay censorship notification may compel the form’s production by initiating the grievance process.

Non-residents with questions or concerns regarding IDOC policy may contact IDOC Policy Coordinator Jack Fraser at jfraser@idoc.idaho.gov or 208-672-3430.

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A RECOMMENDED RESOURCE FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS

The Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC) is an all volunteer organization that is largely funded by small donations from individuals. The center’s 24-page National Prisoner Resource Directory is updated twice a year and is free upon request.

PARC does its best to respond to individual letters but cannot provide legal advice or referrals. Nor can it perform individual advocacy for prisoners experiencing rights violations.

The organization asks that those who find its directory helpful share it with as many people as possible.

Prison Activist Resource Center
PO Box 70447
Oakland, CA 94612

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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK

10.26.23

Hello Dr. Hulbert,

[R]egarding your offer to supply our residents with a few more copies of your book, I appreciate knowing that we are in your thoughts and I will be more than happy to help.

Because I’m now at ISCI, I’m unable to easily connect with IMSI staff and I’m restricted from communicating with the facility’s residents. What I would suggest, if you’re interested in exposing our more problematic residents to your teachings, is reaching out with my referral to IMSI correctional case managers (CCM) Scott Teats and Ms. Hottinger.

I don’t know for certain whether CCM Hottinger is still active but she did work in restricted housing during the time that I passed through.

CCM Teats may remember that he logged my participation in your course just before I transferred. He should also be able to connect you with any of the facility’s other case managers. I would recommend asking whether any residents in C-Unit, IMSI’s mental health unit, may be interested in working through your book.

Here at ISCI, Unit 16, another mental health unit, likely has the highest concentration of candidates for your materials. But you may have a better chance than I of floating the idea that unit staff could keep and refer copies of your book to select residents.

It’s my understanding that we are soon to start two mentor programs at this facility. Surely it would benefit participants of both programs to know your book as a resource and have a few copies on hand.

The same could be said for our mental health clinicians. Chief Psychologist Walter Campbell and ISCI GP Clinical Supervisor Matthew Roy would undoubtedly appreciate your interest.

As for individuals here who would absorb your materials, I’m still in the process of meeting people, but I do know one young man who would be thrilled to receive a copy. IDOC policy prevents me from sharing his information but I can direct him to request one through your center–with your permission of course.

Just some thoughts for now. Please let me know what you think.

With reverence,
Patrick Irving

***

SUGGESTION BOX

I suggest the IDOC encourage all case managers to log the efforts and accomplishments of the individuals who makeup their caseload, especially those who aren’t eligible for behavioral programming options.

***

Shout out to Paul Wright and the Human Rights Defense Center!

“The Fox (What Does the Fox Say)”
— Pickin’ On Series

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

Patrick’s article is a non-fictionalized account of his recent experience with JPay tech support. Here it is!

[Publisher’s note: I have worked in both internal and customer-facing tech support teams at a couple of large companies you may have dealt with. I’ve also helped design and provide the comms infrastructure for many of the call centers  with whom you may be forced to engage.

Sorry about that.]

I’m writing this update from my new home at the Idaho State Correctional Institution, a medium security facility. Prior to my transfer earlier this month from the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, I wondered how staff at this facility would respond to my efforts as an outreach journalist.

It didn’t take long before I found out: By accusing me of coding secret messages to my father in First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, Oct ’23.

The monthly prison newsy, as always, was sent to my father through the prison messaging service JPay to be given a light edit and published to my blog. This is how we’ve done it for going on four years–provided a public service to the IDOC community and beyond. (Copies of the newsletter can also be found through JSTOR, a free academic database made available to the world online.)

The allegation arrived with a censorship notification over JPay on October 12th, 10 days after my initial attempt to send out the October issue.

Here’s a look at the Editor’s Note, which highlights the month’s stories:

Wrongfully convicted Joseph LaCroix to be reimbursed for his time incarcerated; Money, Inc. reopens old wounds while wafting over facts; a prison nurse and a former prosecutor are brought up on criminal charges; the Idaho Prison Arts Collective is holding a benefit fundraiser; and why the hell won’t NAMI respond to requests for information from within our facilities?

The decision to censor the newsletter was the decision of one IDOC employee. By failing to identify themselves and provide me with an Electric Mail Contraband and Denial Form, that employee is in violation of IDOC policy 503.02.01.001 (Telephone and Electronic Communications — Resident).

Not only has the latest newsletter been censored but my latest assignment for the Prison Journalism Project Advanced Nonfiction Writing Workshop–into which I gained admission by virtue of my writing–is now experiencing a serious and mysterious delay in transit, all while feedback from my previous assignment has yet to be granted safe passage through JPay…

Because the threat carried by allegations of coding messages can range from returning me to max (and possibly ad-seg) to imposing long-term restrictions on my limited family contact, I now have much to deliberate.

I welcome any advice from my readers, fellow advocates and journalists.

— Patrick Irving 10.18.23

The Prison Journalism Project published an article that Patrick wrote as a follow-up to his Zoom discussion with instructor Henny Hearn and her class of criminal justice students at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. You can find it here.

The Idaho Prison Arts Collective, a non-profit organization that works closely with Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC), will be holding a benefit fundraising event on October 7 at the Boise Rock School. The funds raised will be used to cover the costs of the transformative art programs the collective offers IDOC residents.

Founder and executive director of the Collective, Michael Richardson, discussed the event Saturday on Victory Over Sin, a Christian radio show hosted on 94.1fm KBXL by Mark Renick.

Richardson, an avid community volunteer, says that he conceived the Collective after volunteering to teach a prison writing class. That class, he says, evolved into a collage class, and from there he was inspired to identify more ways to introduce creative opportunities to IDOC residents.

The Collective currently spreads music, mindfulness, painting, dance, writing and computer coding programs across several IDOC facilities.

The benefit fundraiser will include an auction and raffle with multiple prizes donated by community members and businesses, including gift baskets, a Boise staycation, a cabin stay in the Sawtooths, gift certificates and more.

People are welcome to pledge their support at the $1 and $5 level.

View idahoprisonarts.org for more information.

Saturday, October 7 from 6PM to 9PM

Boise Rock School
5022 Fairview Ave
Boise, Idaho

[Editor’s note: Everyone who donates $5 in my name earns a free online subscription to First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter. Subscription must be claimed at bookofirving82431.com.]

Previous: First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, Aug. ’23

Welcome to the September 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 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:

Bringing to attention drug overdose deaths; Dave Fisher proposes a programming model for true rehabilitation; a condemned man excessively served with death warrants has filed a lawsuit against the state; the former health care provider for Idaho prisons is using Texas law to stiff Boise hospitals for millions; and a handful of other newsworthy items to entertain you before you flush.

Let’s First Amend This!

***

IDAHO JOINS INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO SPREAD DRUG OVERDOSE AWARENESS

On August 31, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) hosted International Overdose Awareness Day at the Idaho Capitol Building.

Representatives from Full Circle Health, Magic Valley Paramedics, and Waapi Kani Cedar House Mental Wellness and Recovery Services joined community leaders and people impacted by addiction to reflect on the lives lost to fatal drug overdoses, and to amplify the harm-reduction and recovery efforts taking place in Idaho.

The IDHW website shows that 2,800 Idahoans died from drug overdoses between 2012 and 2022, and fentanyl-related deaths tripled between 2020 to 2022.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 110,000 lives were lost nationwide to drug overdoses within the 12-month period ending in March ’23, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Multiple states, including Idaho, have now legalized over-the-counter sales of the opioid-overdose reversal drug naloxone, brand name NARCAN^®*.

But the nasal spray by itself isn’t always enough to reduce the effects of a fentanyl overdose. Jacob Evans recently explained on the radio show Christian Living Spotlight (94.1 KBXL, Boise) that, because the drug can cause the body’s organs to shut down, CPR must be used before and after administering naloxone to treat fentanyl overdoses .

Evans discussed an outreach effort organized by the Nampa Fire District and his addiction recovery group HOPE Guides, to provide Idahoans information on opioid addiction and treating opioid overdoses, and to match those in need with compassionate, community resources.

Idaho has also joined other states in establishing laws that protect those who seek or apply emergency assistance for drug overdoses.

[In summary]

Medical Assistance Law — Idaho Code 37-2739(C)

Any person who acts in good faith to seek medical assistance for any person experiencing a drug-related medical emergency shall not be charged or prosecuted for possession of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia, or for using or being under the influence of drugs.

Any person experiencing a medical emergency shall not be charged or prosecuted for possession of controlled substance or drug paraphernalia if evidence for the charge was obtained as a result of the medical emergency and the need for medical assistance.

The protections in this section shall not be grounds for suppression of evidence in other criminal charges nor used to protect individuals from receiving technical violations from their probation or parole officers.

Good Samaritan Law — Idaho Code 5-330

Any person who, in good faith and without compensation, offers and administers first-aid or medical attention to a person in need of assistance is protected from civil lawsuits, unless they administer treatment in a grossly negligent manner. This protection ends when the person is taken into an ambulance or a generally recognized medical facility.

Visit samhsa.gov or realdealonfentanyl.com for more information on addiction, recovery and reversing drug overdoses.

Sources: Shirah Matsuzawa, ” ‘I Will Never Get Over Losing Him’: Idahoans Share Stories of Loss and Triumph on Interational Overdose Awareness Day,” KTVB.com. “Gov. Little to Commemorate International Overdose Awareness Day,” Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Laura Guido, ” ‘Left in the Shadows Amidst the Crisis’: Officials Honor Idahoans Who Died, Highlight Ways to Prevent Overdose Deaths,” Idahopress.com. Miriam E. Deplhin-Rittmon, Ph.D, “Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Increasing Overdose Prevention Awareness,” SAMHSA.gov.

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WEEK ONE, DAY THREE BREAKFAST (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
2 each — Cinnamon Rolls
2 oz — Breakfast Sausage
2 oz — Bran Flakes
16 oz — Milk 1%
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
2 pkt — Sugar
______________________________

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

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DAVE FISHER RE-IMAGINES CORRECTIONS

In an article published last month by the Boise Weekly, Kate Jacobson shared the story of former resident Dave Fisher, a family man who worked for 26 years as an Idaho engineer prior to experiencing Idaho’s prison system.

Fisher tells the Weekly that not long after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013, he was charged with multiple counts of intimidating a witness and sent to prison to serve a total of seven years in two installments.

“The amount of rehabilitation I went through in prison isn’t just zero, it’s a negative number,” Fisher said. “Prison separated me from my children, home, pets, jobs and friends. The prison system is a warehouse where you are stored with absolutely no guidance on how to become a better person–I left prison far worse than went I went in.”

Pulling from his experience and the experience of others incarcerated, Fisher set out to design a better model for carceral rehabilitation.

His approach is unique in that it combines peer support components and continuous cognitive programming with slightly augmented 12-step principles, whereas the majority of Idaho prisoners are funneled through requisite programming months prior to being released. Fisher also proposes using frequent psychological testing to track participants’ progress and determine their criminal risk levels. This, he explains, to more accurately gauge when they’re ready to return to their communities.

I spoke to Fisher over phone as an admirer of the time and effort that he has invested in his proposal. The next difficult task to conquer, he says, is finding the right people to introduce his model into a setting where it can be tested and adjusted accordingly.

View Fisher’s proposal or contact him at prisonreform.info.

Sources: Kate Jacobson, “Local Man Designs His Own Prison Reform Proposal for ‘True Rehabilitation’,” Boise Weekly. Dave Fischer, “A Prison Reform: A Solution for True Rehabilitation and Timely Release from Prison,” Prisonreform.info.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY THREE LUNCH (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 each — Fresh Fruit/Orange
2 oz — Peanut Butter
1 oz — Jelly
2 oz — Whole grain Bread
3 oz — Fresh Vegetable
1 oz — Potato Chips
______________________________

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

CONDEMNED PRISONER BACK IN COURT AFTER BEING SPAMMED WITH DEATH WARRANTS

After being served in February with yet another impotent death warrant, GP Jr., 67, will be allowed to pursue a claim of cruel and unusual punishment through federal courts .

Pizzuto has now been served a total of five death warrants during his time on death row, where he has sat since being convicted for the brutal 1985 murders of Brenda Herndon and her nephew Delbert Herndon.

The last two death warrants were served to Pizzuto within a period of three months despite the state knowing that it lacked the lethal chemicals required to carry it through.

Like other states where the death penalty remains legal for egregious criminal acts, Idaho has struggled to obtain lethal injection drugs as a growing number of manufacturers and suppliers refuse to supply them for the purpose of homicide.

Pizzuto, who is represented by the Federal Defenders Services of Idaho, claims the State has violated his Eighth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights. (The Eighth Amendment guarantees protection from cruel and unusual punishment. The Fourteenth Amendment protects people from the deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process.)

Both claims were presented last month before Idaho U.S. Federal District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, who reiterated in a written statement the nature of Pizzuto’s concerns:

As Pizzuto describes it, defendants’ repeated rescheduling of his execution is like dry firing in a mock execution or a game of Russian Roulette. With each new death warrant comes another spin of the revolver’s cylinder, restarting the thirty-day countdown until the trigger pulls. Not knowing whether a round is chambered, Pizzuto must re-live his last days in a delirium of uncertainty until the click sounds the cylinder spin again.

Though Winmill rejected the argument that the state violated Pizzuto’s Fourteenth Amendment rights, he determined it plausible that a violation of the Eighth Amendment occurred, making Pizzuto’s claim eligible to move on to the next step of the legal process.

Pizzuto’s lawyers are asking the state to refrain from issuing any more death warrants or activating execution protocols until it possesses the ability to carry out an execution.

Sources: Ruth Brown, “Judge Permits Pizzuto Lawsuit Claiming Cruel, Unusual Punishment to Move Forward Against Idaho AG,” Idaho Capital Sun. Kevin Fixler, “Are Repeated Death Penalty Dates Psychological Torture? What Idaho Federal Judge Says,” Idaho Statesman.

***

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN EXPECTING (TO BE EXECUTED)

James Dawson with Boise State Radio News last month outlined the process of seeking and imposing the death penalty in Idaho:

1) Prosecutor seeks the death penalty
2) Judge assigns counsel
3) Trial and sentencing
4) Appeals
5) Issuing and serving the death warrant
6) Performing execution protocols

Citing information obtained through the Death Penalty Information Center, Dawson reports that Idaho has performed a total of 26 executions since 1884, when the state was still a territory.

View his article, “How the Death Penalty Works in Idaho” here.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY THREE DINNER (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessively brewing alcohol.]
______________________________
1 cup — Chicken Stir Fry
1 cup — Steamed Rice
2 oz — Teriyaki Sauce
0.75 — Cup Vegetables #7
1/2 cup — Fruit Crisp
8 oz — Vitamin beverage
______________________________

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

FORMER HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR IDAHO PRISONS FINDS A WAY TO F*CK BOISE HOSPITALS FOR MILLIONS

It turns out that residents who received inadequate medical treatment under the care of Corizon Health, Inc. aren’t alone in getting screwed by the company now operating as YesCare, Inc.

Prison Legal News contributor Matt Clarke reported last month that in April 2022, using a shady yet legal maneuver known as the “Texas 2-step,” Corizon filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy under the name Tehum Care Services.

Clarke writes, “[The company’s] listing of its 20 largest creditors shows over $37 million in debts, but two of the largest creditors on the list–hospitals in Boise, Idaho–have an ‘unknown’ amount of debt.”

As First Amend This! reported in June, the company has also filed to wipe away the $2,631,593 awarded earlier this year to pay the attorney fees of former resident Adree Edmo, who sued the IDOC and Corizon after being refused surgical treatment for gender dysphoria.

Source: Matt Clarke, “Corizon Executes ‘Texas Two-Step’, Spinning Off Debt Into Bankrupt New Firm to Avoid Paying Creditors and Lawsuit Winners,” Prison Legal News, Aug. ’23. First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, June ’23.

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IDAHO MODERNIZES PRISON FOOD SERVICE, SERVES WOMEN EQUAL PORTIONS

On July 2, for the first time decades, residents of IDOC facilities were treated to a fully revised food service menu.

In addition to receiving a surprising array of more savory and healthier options than before, this reporter was elated to be supplied after submitting a public records request with food service menus that no longer discriminate against residents based on their gender.

The androgynous adjustment of portions is most likely to be noticed by females in custody, who before were receiving half of the male portions for many of their meals.

Sources: IDOC Food Service Menus 7.0, 7.1. “First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, Nov. ’22”

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HUMAN COMPANIONSHIP FOR A HUMANE SOCIETY

Luke Randle with CBS2 news reported last month on the new partnership between the Idaho Humane Society and the Treasure Valley Community Reentry Center.

Randle shared with viewers how the heartwarming partnership is providing the animals that society has abandoned with an opportunity to care for the cats, dogs and other critters awaiting your adoption.

View: “Reentry Center Residents Lend a Helping Hand to Idaho Humane Society” @ Idahonews.com.

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BOOKIN’ WHAMMERS

Our friends who publish the Coalition for Prisoners’ Rights Newsletter are curious to learn in what ways readers have been harmed by the contents of books.

“There are a lot of opinions and decisions by those in charge of what books are made available to who and about how books might be harmful to readers,” the coalition wrote in its June newsletter. “But we know of NO situations where people feel they have been harmed by reading certain books. Please let us know if you are a person who feels they have been harmed in that way. In the meantime, if you feel reading a certain book is actually bad for you: STOP reading it.”

Coalition for Prisoners’ Rights Newsletter
PO Box 1911
Sante Fe, NM 87504

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RENICK ON THE RADIO

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

8.12.23 Author and policy advocate Kristy Laschober returns to the show to discuss how she arrived at her new position at Operation Restoration, a Louisiana-based project that is helping incarcerated women in get into college and advocacy work. Her book, “Perfectly Flawed: Uncovering Your Greatest Purpose” is available on Amazon.

8.19.23 Not long ago Marvin Castaneda was a resident working at the Idaho State Correctional Institution as a reentry specialist. Today he carries the title of “career program specialist” for St. Vincent de Paul of Southwestern Idaho. His experience in incarceration, he says, is a strength that he uses to help others at his job.

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

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RECENTLY ACKNOWLEDGED

TFCRC — Resident Joe Agnew as the Restore, a nonprofit home-improvement store’s, Volunteer of the Month.

ICIO — Ofc. Junior Garcia and Cpl. Chad Fernald for graduating from the IDOC Honor Guard’s level one military training.

SAWC — Cpl. McKenzy Bradley for graduating from the IDOC Honor Guard’s level one military training.

IMSI — Administrative Assistant Leilani Howard, Ofc. Daniel Cordero and Ofc. Michael Hopson as Employees of the Month. Sgt. Cassaundra Lehmkuhle as Supervisor of the Quarter.

Source: Idaho Department of Correction on Facebook

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RESIDENT AUDITING 101

A public records request reveals that as of August 16:

1. 1. The sum housing capacity of Idaho prisons is 8,249.
   2. The number of Idaho prisoners housed in Arizona is 480.
   3. The number of people on probation and parole in Idaho is 15,909.
   4. The number of females in Idaho prisons is 1,195 (1,475 including those in county jails).
   5. The number of residents currently housed in Idaho is 8,118 (total population is 9,533 including those in county Jails, expanded CRC, and Texas).

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RESOURCES FOR THE INCARCERATED

After successfully petitioning President Obama for clemency, Jason Hernandez set out to help others through the process. His book, “Get Clemency Now: A Guidebook to Everything A Person in Prison Needs to Know About Clemency and How Families Can Help,” is free for those who can access the PDF versions he’s made available online.

Other versions can be ordered through Hernandez or Amazon.

Though much in the book pertains to federal commutations, state prisoners and their loved ones will also find its contents helpful.

www.getclemencynow.org
getclemencynow@gmail.com

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INMATE SERVICES AT WORK

To: Jacob Evans, HOPE Guides
Date: 8.31.23

Hi Jacob,

Good to hear back from you. I’m excited to learn more about your project and brainstorm ways to help.

From what I remember hearing on the radio, your project originated in Nampa but is looking to expand. Can you tell me to what areas and in what ways you are expanding? Knowing will help me narrow my scope of operations.

I’ve had my father search around your site and relay to me what he can. He tells me that you list your mission, community partners, information on Idaho’s good Samaritan and medical assistance laws and instructions on how to administer NARCAN^®.

That’s great, because those links are easy to share and I myself was unaware before the radio show that Idaho has established good Samaritan laws and that neutralizing fentanyl overdoses requires before-and-after CPR. Powerful information that others need to know.

Have you by chance considered linking to or creating any videos that show the proper technique for reviving individuals experiencing fentanyl overdoses? I think those would be great resources as well.

Also, as I begin to share you with my network, I may end up inadvertently directing non-local traffic to your site. This may result in an opportunity to help people outside of your service area without having to tie up your resources beyond what it takes to have your web guy add the links or content.

I may be reaching here, but the IDOC hosts an audio/visual apprenticeship program–how cool would it be to form a partnership with the IDOC and allow its residents to participate in creating educational content for your project?

I’m guessing the Division of Probation and Parole managers in District 3 and District 4 might also welcome the opportunity to inform their clients of your efforts. My reasons for saying this: 1) I’ve been hearing stories of people leaving prison and dying from fentanyl overdoses, and, 2) a partnership with the IDOC could come in handy when grant opportunities open up.

I would also like to ask your opinion on how extensive medical assistance laws are,  and if you have identified any need to improve them at the legislative level? If so, I’d be happy plug you in with a folks who help move those types of discussions.

One final question, … have you been in contact with Emergent Pharmaceuticals at all, and have they provided any supportive messages or resources?

With your permission, one of the actions I’m looking to take immediately is to share your project and the information you offer in the monthly newsletter that I write as a service project for the Idaho Corrections community (First Amend This! @ bookofirving82431.com). It has a small but loyal audience of people that come for different reasons from all over the globe.

Again, I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to learn more and exchange ideas. I know it to be true that your project will save lives, and I recognize it as my responsibility to help in whatever ways I can.

Cheers,
Patrick Irving 82431

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SUGGESTION BOX

More pizza.

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Shout out from Slim to Danielle!

“Blue Sunshine”
— The Meteors

* NARCAN is a registered trademark of Emergent Operations Ireland Limited.
Bookofirving82431.com is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Emergent Operations Ireland Limited or Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Next: First Amend This! An IDOC Newsletter, Oct. ’23 [Censored!!!]