Updates

Hi everyone.

Some of you may have noticed that not long ago I removed a significant amount of old content from this site. I did so feeling that much of my earlier work requires too much effort to read and prevents visitors from viewing more relevant posts.

But now that I am preparing a January 25th video presentation for an audience of forensic linguists, I find that referencing that older content will add supportive context to my thesis.

If you notice the reappearance of old threads containing rudimentary works, know that they’re being repurposed and will be removed again mid-February (but still available to anyone who reaches me with a request).

My thanks to Annie with Aston University in Birmingham, England, for inviting me to present and for contributing to this text:

ABSTRACT

“Exploring the Benefits of Progressively Integrating Language Structures Behind Bars”

In 2014, Patrick Irving committed acts of arson while in a drug-induced psychosis and sent to prison to serve two consecutive 20-year sentences. Four years into his prison term, an unlikely exchange with Karl J. Friston, a renowned neuroscientist from the Institute of Neurology at the University College London, inspired him to begin piecing together an exhibit of prison records, personal notes and ephemera, and release it as an improvisational experiment that he continues to run from incarceration.

In this talk, Irving will address the following questions: What happens when we fail to communicate and reinforce the beliefs behind the relabeling of carceral fixtures to the people who are incarcerated? And how do we go about better reinforcing and modeling the beliefs that drive these language shifts?

Irving will draw on his own experiences as complemented by his original writing and drawings, including the more refined works that followed, to reflect on his own journey of incarceration. He considers the role that language plays in the institutional setting: for example, how important is it for persons impacted by the correctional system to be able to articulate their experiences, as well as the significance of transparent communication between the prison and its inmates (or rather its “residents”.) Irving also traces his own behavioral changes and current trajectory through several pivotal exchanges that have rippled out from his work.

***

BIO

Patrick Irving from the Idaho Department of Correction’s Robert Janss School is currently serving a 15-to-40 years prison sentence for two counts of arson. He is a contributor to Prison Journalism Project, a member of PEN America’s forthcoming Incarcerated Writers Bureau, and the author of “‘First Amend This!’, an IDOC Newsletter”. He uses the blog bookofirving82431.com to share his efforts, progress and experiences while incarcerated. His writing has been published by the Idaho Law Review, SolitaryWatch.org, The Harbinger, Prison Journalism Project, JSTOR and The New York Times.

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

[Revised 1/5/2024]

Welcome to the December edition of First Amend This!

This publication provides an insider look at issues affecting the Idaho Department of Correction community. If you wish to assist this effort, share the link, copy and paste, or print and send this issue to another.

Loved ones are encouraged to join the Idaho Inmate Family Support Group (IIFSG) on Facebook or contact the group’s admins at idahoinmate@gmail.com.

Looking to help improve Idaho’s criminal justice system? We ask that you contact Erica Marshall with the Idaho Justice Project. The Idaho Justice Project works to bring the voices of people impacted by the criminal justice system to the legislative table to work on solutions.

***

EDITOR’S NOTE

In this issue:

I can neither confirm nor deny the demand for trauma-informed care in corrections; Ada County fails to pass a jail bond and wants to raise the rate of rent the state pays for jail beds; Idaho splits the bill for an Arizona prison with Hawaii and Montana; Ameelio offers an alternative to charging prisoners and their loved ones exorbitant rates to communicate; and how one Idaho prison is enticing good behavior.

Let’s First Amend This!

***

NEEDING TO SHARE WHILE SHARING THE NEED (FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE IN PRISONS)

Carolyn Komatsoulis with Idaho Press reported last month on how earlier this year the IDOC launched a series of pilot programs to treat staff and residents for corrections fatigue, trauma and stress.

The programs were funded using a $500,000 allocation from Idaho’s 2022 Legislature. The funding was made available through June 2023.

“For staff,” writes Komatsoulis, “the Department of Correction provided programs including individual psychotherapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (an intervention for trauma), mindfulness and trauma-informed yoga. There was also a call-to-talk careline and burnout and stress coaching. About 170 staff accessed the services.”

Komatsoulis also reports that between April and June over 600 residents across 11 facilities participated in mindfulness training, yoga and other trauma-informed curriculums.

Having attempted to follow the rollout of these programs, and do so from the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where I lacked access to the programs and the people who participated, I have information that contrasts with Komatsoulis’s report.

I began submitting monthly public records requests to the IDOC last summer, after it announced that it was making grant funding available to qualified providers.

Throughout the fall the Department responded to my requests for grant applications and awards with “no records found.”

I waited through the winter and reached out in the spring to IDOC’s public information officer, Jeff Ray. Ray informed me through a JPay-email relay (facilitated by my father) that the IDOC awarded a total of 13 contracts to providers earlier in the year.

“Generally,” Ray wrote, “we are pleased to be able to offer mental health services that help staff and residents enhance their psychological wellbeing. Our only concern right now is that we’d love for more folks to avail themselves of [sic] the critical resources.”

I submitted another public records request after our exchange, and this time I received a total of 14 contracts–including two signed and dated August ’22–ranging from $2,476.28 to $83,826. Combined they were not to exceed $442,739.12 without written approval.

I started reaching out through letters and emails to the providers who were awarded contracts. I asked if they’d be willing to share from their experiences working with justice-impacted people, and also whether they’d recommend any wellness tips or reading materials to help promote wellness.

Dr. Ryan Hulbert sent me a copy of “Driver’s Ed for the Brain”–the book that he authored and used to guide his bibliotherapy sessions for residents. Another provider accepted a short list of questions, and then failed to respond with answers. A third provider responded by making a phone call that prompted prison staff to question me in my cell: Did I write so-and-so a letter and why? How did I obtain her address? Could my credentials be confirmed? Would I like to work as a GED tutor?

The confrontation was uncomfortable enough for me to divert my attention from the remaining providers to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI).

According to the nonprofit organization’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, “NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.”

Despite identifying myself as a journalist who works from within the peak of high-risk populations, NAMI refused to respond to multiple letters and follow-up emails.

The organization has now refused my requests for information 20-plus times in the last five years.

I also reached out to IDOC’s research department. I asked for findings that illustrate the health effects associated with working in corrections. One of the department’s research analysts agreed in September to have materials delivered to my facility.

For reasons unknown they never arrived.

Komatsoulis writes in her article that, according to the IDOC, the programs produced data suggesting that those who participated benefited from doing so.

But when the IDOC filled my public records request for all End of Project Reports and final evaluations in October, I found that it was able to produce just two of the 14 requisite reports–not nearly enough to confirm how many people participated in the programs and to what benefit the funding was used.

After her story was published, I wrote Komatsoulis through a JPay-email relay. “I noticed in your article that you were able to verify the number of facilities and people that participated in these programs, and also that you were able to obtain participant feedback. Any chance you’d mind sharing how you were able to obtain this information?”

Komatsoulis didn’t respond to my request for information.

Source: Carolyn Komatsoulis, “Healing Vs. Punishment: IDOC Offered Trauma Programs to Inmates and Staff, IdahoPress.com

***

WEEK ONE, DAY SIX BREAKFAST (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessive brewing of 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
————————————————

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

ADA COUNTY FAILS TO PASS JAIL BOND, ASKS STATE TO PAY MORE FOR TAKING UP JAIL BEDS

Last month Ada County voters narrowly failed to pass a proposal that would have funded a $49 million expansion to the Ada County Jail.

The Ada County Commission proposal fell less than one percent shy of the two-thirds majority vote required to approve a bond that would have allowed Sheriff Matt Clifford to expand the jail’s booking area, sally port, kitchen, warehouse and bed space.

Citing information from the Sheriff’s Office and Patrick Orr, the Sheriff’s spokesperson, Idaho Statesman reporters Ian Max Stevenson and Alex Brizee reported last month that the jail averages 1,008 people a day and is looking to add 294 more beds to its current total of 1,116.

According to Stevenson, Commissioner Rod Beck has suggested to lawmakers that the expansion wouldn’t be necessary were the jail not holding on average 140 state prisoners for the IDOC.

Beck is now asking the Legislature to increase the rate that the IDOC pays to house state prisoners in the county jail.

Clifford told the Statesman, “Programs that allow people in police custody to stay out of the jail through alternative sentencing are no longer able to keep the jail’s population below capacity.”

In fiscal year 2022, the IDOC paid Ada County $3.8 million for use of its jail beds.

Orr says that it costs an average of $117.34 a day to house a person at the jail. But the state only pays the jail $55 a day the first five days to house a state prisoner, and $75 daily after seven days.

In 2019, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office sued the IDOC for allowing its prisoners to remain in the jail for unreasonable periods of time following their sentencing hearings. When the jail’s population dramatically dropped during the initial response to COVID-19, then-Ada County Sheriff Stephen Bartlett withdrew the case.

“We understand the frustration our partners at Ada County are feeling because we’re facing the same challenges,” IDOC public information officer Jeff Ray told the Statesman. “However, adding beds is only part of the answer. In the long term, we need to reduce the demands by addressing the issues that fuel crime in our communities. Doing so will require innovation and investment on all levels of government.”

Sources: Ian Max Stevenson and Alex Brizee, “Ada County Jail is Too Full Despite Alternative Sentences. Voters Face a Decision,” Idaho Statesman. Ian Max Stevenson, “After Jail Bond Fails, Ada County Leaders ask for help from the Idaho Legislature,” Idaho Statesman.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY SIX LUNCH (MAINLINE)

[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
————————————————

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

IDAHO, HAWAII AND MONTANA SPLIT THE BILL FOR AN ARIZONA PRISON

The state of Montana has signed a $7.9 million deal to house 120 prisoners over the next two years at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona–where prisoners from Idaho, Hawaii and Montana are also being housed.

The deal comes as Montana is preparing to perform a $228 million dollar upgrade to increase the capacity of the Montana State Prison (MSP).

The official website for Montana reports that the state’s DOC director, Brian Gookin, negotiated with CoreCivic to make limited educational services and vocational training available to the men being transferred.

CoreCivic touts itself as one of America’s largest private vendors of incarceration, with roughly 80,000 beds and 67 facilities across the country, according to its most recent SEC 10-Q report.

Sources: Carolynn Stocker, “First Group of DOC Inmates Transported to Arizona Correctional Facility,” Montana.gov. Keila Szpaller, “Montana Prisoners in Arizona After $8M CoreCivic Deal,” DailyMontanan.com.

***

WEEK ONE, DAY SIX DINNER (MAINLINE)

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessive brewing of alcohol.]
______________________________
1.25 cup — Ham & Scalloped Potatoes
1 cup — Garden Salad #3
1 oz — French Dressing
1/2 cup — Fruit Crisp
2 oz — Wholegrain Bread
10 gm — Margarine
8 oz — Vitamin Beverage
————————————————

Source: IDOC Food Service Menu 7.1

***

NON-PROFIT COMPANY OFFERS AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO ICSOLUTIONS AND TELMATE

The Connecticut-based nonprofit company Ameelio has developed technology that allows individuals who are incarcerated to communicate for free with their loved ones.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman are among Ameelio’s financial supporters, and prisons in Colorado, Maine, Illinois and Iowa have already begun integrating the company’s services.

What’s keeping Idaho from doing the same?

In an op-ed published last month by the Idaho Statesman, Scott McIntosh shares how Idaho is encouraging predatory service providers to pay for play in its carceral market: “Canyon County received about $130,000 last year from its contract with Telmate. Ada County received $540,000 last year from Telmate. The IDOC received $1.5 million from its provider, ICSolutions.”

By investing in services like Ameelio’s, he posits, and allowing people who are incarcerated to keep in better contact with their support networks, Idaho could reduce its rate of recidivism and save money in the long run.

View McIntosh’s op-ed “Here’s An Alternative to the Corrupt System of Charging for Prison Phone Calls” for more.

***

CLEMENCY HEARING FOR THOMAS CREECH

The Commission of Pardons and Parole has scheduled Thomas Creech’s commutation hearing for January 19^th, 2024.

Creech is represented by the Federal Defender Services of Idaho and is seeking to reduce his sentence from death to life in prison.

Creech requested the hearing after being served with a death warrant in October.

Now 73 years old, Creech has resided on death row since 1983, following his conviction for beating fellow prisoner David Dale Jensen to death with a sock full of batteries.

He was originally sentenced to death for killing two people in Valley County in 1974, but was allowed back into the prison’s general population after that sentence was reduced on appeal.

Boise’s KTVB news reports that Creech is also scheduled by the court for a review hearing in February.

The IDOC has announced that it has obtained the chemicals needed to perform a lethal injection.

Source: KTVB staff, “Review Hearing for Idaho’s Longest Serving Death-Row Inmate Thomas Creech Delayed,” KTVB.com.

***

A SYNOPSIS OF IDAHO’S EFFORTS TO SCORE DEADLY DRUGS

With a shield of secrecy protecting the measures taken by the IDOC to procure its lethal injection drugs, many are wondering how and from whom did the agency finally score.

Will the secrecy laws be enough to keep the nation’s most innovative reporters from cracking the case?

Idaho Capital Sun reporter Clark Corbin covers the state’s controversial law that civic sleuths must work around in  “Idaho Has Obtained Lethal Injection Chemicals. But State Law Protects Where they Came From.”

***

IDAHO SETS A NEW STANDARD WITH GOOD BEHAVIOR PROGRAM

Boise’s CBS2 News took time out of its November 7^th broadcast to show residents* at the Idaho State Correctional Center (ISCC) being rewarded for good behavior with a trip outside to view the October 24^th solar eclipse.

But what the news station failed to share was how behind this reward was the inference, “Behold! The gods are angry with the actions of the others who live among you!”

Nevertheless, says Lefty’s cousin Tucker who is friends with Tommy “Good Legs” Brinkerhoff, the ISCC resident population is looking forward to being let outside again come the next solar eclipse.

Sources: CBS2 Staff, “Idaho Inmates Step Out of Cells to Witness Rare Solar Eclipse,” Idahonews.com. Lefty’s cousin Tucker.

***

P.U.R.P.O.S.E.
by IMSI Sgt. Jonathan Riley

[This article was originally published through Idaho Department of Correction on Facebook. It is shared here in accordance with the Idaho Public Records Act.]

The Idaho Maximum Security Institution recently upgraded an old white-walled conference room to a fully functioning training and mat room for staff.

This process allowed us to showcase some of our residents’ talents in painting and furniture design.

Residents Jeremy Wilhelm and Zachary Johnson designed and built the shelf to celebrate staff achievements and awards.

They, along with residents Daniel Alldrin, Larry Halbert and John Vallenciano, Jr. helped paint the room and provided artwork for the P.U.R.P.O.S.E. mural.

The PURPOSE initiative is about getting clear on direction and expectations, aligning our individual and agency goals, and finding purpose in our work.

***

CHRISTMAS DINNER

[Fruit and whole grain bread is substituted at facilities flagged for excessive brewing of alcohol.]
______________________________
2.5 oz –Turkey
2.5 oz — Ham
1/2 cup — Holiday Gravy
1/2 cup — Cornbread Casserole
1/2 cup — Mashed Potato
1 cup — Garden Salad
1oz — Homemade Ranch Dressing
1 pc — Pecan Pie
1 — Roll
1 — Margarine
1 — Fortical
————————————————

Source: IDOC JPay notification to residents.

***

A MESSAGE FROM THE IDOC: KNOW THE RISKS OF BREWING PRUNO

[The message was delivered to IDOC residents over JPay 11.17.23. It is presented here in accordance with the Idaho Public Records Act.]

Pruno: A Recipe for Botulism

You may have heard about a cheap, quick way to make a kind of homemade alcohol that goes by many different names, including pruno, hooch, brew, prison wine and buck. No matter what it’s called, it can give you more than a cheap buzz. It can give you botulism, a life-threatening illness.

What is botulism?

Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin (poison) that attacks the body’s nerves and can lead to paralysis and death. Because the disease can paralyze the muscles used in breathing, people can die soon after symptoms first appear. Even those who get medical treatment right away may be paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator (breathing machine) for many weeks.

One way people get botulism is by eating or drinking something that has the toxin in it. Some prisoners in California, Arizona, Utah, and Mississippi have gotten botulism after making and drinking pruno. Almost all of them had to be hospitalized for treatment, and many were put on a ventilator for days or even weeks. All of the botulism outbreaks linked to pruno have occurred among prisoners. However, anyone who drinks this kind of alcohol is at risk.

How can pruno give me botulism?

When people make pruno, they usually ferment fruit, sugar, water and other common ingredients for several days in a sealed plastic bag. Making alcohol this way can cause botulism germs to make toxins. The toxin is what makes you sick.

How can I stay safe?

If you make pruno, you put yourself and anyone who drinks it in danger of getting botulism. The alcohol in your drink won’t render the toxin harmless.

We don’t know how to make this kind of alcohol safely. But we do know the batches of pruno that gave people botulism used at least one of these ingredients:

• • • Potatoes
    • Honey
    • Food from bulging cans

How would I know if I have botulism?

If you drink pruno and have symptoms of botulism, get medical help immediately.

Symptoms include:

• • • Blurred or double vision
    • Drooping eyelids
    • Slurred speech
    • Difficulty swallowing
    • A thick-feeling tongue
    • Dry mouth
    • Muscle weakness
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Paralysis

***

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, 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.

11.18.23 — Returning citizens and St. Vincent de Paul employees Sara Deaton and Geneen Gillogly discuss breaking free from negative lifestyles to reestablish one’s purpose and self.

11.25.23 Stephanie Wells is a returning citizen and the reentry coordinator for All American Publishing. Wells and her employer, who has long hired justice-involved individuals to sell advertising for school sports, are now working with the IDOC to open a call center at a women’s facility.

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

Statewide — 31 members of POST Academy 94.

IMSI — Ofc. Ben Potter with the PA94 Tactical Edge Award; Sgt. Nathan Roe with Top Instructor Award.

SICI — Ofc. John Henrie with Top Student Award.

NICI — Sgt. Josh Marks for keeping a resident safe while he was at risk of committing suicide; CCM Nathan Collins for noticing a shift in a resident’s behavior and intervening before he engaged in further self-harm.

Sources: Idaho Department of Correction on Facebook

***

RESIDENT AUDITING 101

A tip from former resident auditor Clarence Sorensen on reducing the costs associated with submitting public records requests from prison to Idaho entities: “Ask that all responsive records be printed lengthwise on the front and the back of the page using size-appropriate font. This will increase the amount of content that you receive in the 100 pages that you are entitled to for free.”

Public records requests submitted by the Resident Auditing Committee in November:

1. 1. 1. The complete log of public records requests from October and November ’23.
      2. The total number of grievances filed by IDOC residents over Centurion Health’s billing practices, including the number of grievances that were filed but denied their process for not being filed within 30 days of the date that the incident occurred.
      3. All ongoing court cases that involve the IDOC, Centurion Health and/or its contractors.

***

RESOURCE FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS

The PARC National Prisoner Resource Directory lists Just Detention International (JDI) as a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse and exploitation in all forms of detention. JDI publishes a resource guide for incarcerated survivors, as well as a Survivor Packet that includes contact information for local rape crisis centers and legal aid organizations; and a letter of hope from another prison rape survivor. The organization serves people nationally and prisoners may communicate confidentially with JDI using legal mail.

Just Detention International
Ms. Cynthia Totten, Esq., Bar #199266
3325 Wilshire Blvd, Ste. 340
Los Angeles, CA 90010

***

INMATE SERVICES AT WORK

To: Prison Library Project, Prisoners Literature Project, Rogue Liberation Library, LGBT Books to Prisoners, Prisoner Express, Prison Book Program

11.25.23

Hi folks,

I’m looking to form a creative problem-solving, civic-outreach service group–a small group of IDOC residents who are motivated to support their communities and their communities’ efforts through creative and constructive methods that build transferable experience.

I am interested in materials that explore:

• • • Creative problem-solving
    • Solutions-oriented journalism
    • Community-centered healing — approaches and philosophy
    • Leadership and networking
    • Civic organizing and restoration
    • Resource development

And anything else that you feel might supplement our mission.

Please send all materials to:

Patrick Irving 82431
ISCI Unit 14B-4B
PO Box 14
Boise, ID 83707

Many thanks.

***

SUGGESTION BOX

I suggest filming a series of conversations between people associated with Idaho corrections and the community at large, and then airing those conversations over institutional channels. This to better provide the spectrum of individuals who are currently in custody with more exposure to the mission, goals and beliefs that are driving Idaho corrections today.

***

Shout out from Joe to David in Pocatello!

“Don’t Think Jesus”
— Morgan Wallen

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

Mark Renick and his team are at it again, collecting store-bought cookies, donations and volunteers willing to help sort, bag and distribute roughly 6,000 bags of cookies destined to people in Idaho prisons.

Thanks to a collaboration made possible by the Idaho Department of Correction, the cookies will be distributed throughout the growing prison complex in the desert south of Boise during an annual event that continues to gain momentum.

Those looking to support this year’s Cookies for Corrections can contact Mr. Renick at 208-477-1006 for more information or drop off their store-bought donations by end-of-day December 8th at the following locations:

St. Vincent de Paul
Ada County Reentry Office
3217 W Overland | Boise, ID 83705

St. Vincent de Paul
Canyon County Reentry Office
3110 Cleveland Blvd.
Caldwell, ID 83605
(inside Idaho Dept. of Corrections)

St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho
5256 W Fairview Ave.
Boise, ID 83706

KBXL
1440 S. Weideman Ave.
Boise, ID 83709

Financial contributions can be made online, dropped off or mailed to the Fairview Ave. office. Please make checks payable to “St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho” and add “Cookies for Corrections” to the memo line.

Hear Renick and Darrel Taylor with Ten Mile Christian Church discuss Cookies for Corrections on Renick’s KBXL 94.1fm weekly radio show Victory Over Sin.

11/28/23

The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) today notified residents of the Idaho State Correctional Institution that a certified Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance auditor will be visiting the facility from January 8 to January 11 to determine the agency’s compliance with the U.S. Department of Justice’s PREA Standards for Prisons and Jails.

According to notices posted throughout the facility, information relevant to the IDOC’s compliance with these standards should be submitted at least 10 working days prior to the audit.

Please send all written materials or comments to :

J.C. Bell
Certified PREA Auditor
P.O. Box 91
Roxboro, NC 27573

The IDOC shared this message with its residents over JPay on 11.17.23. It is presented here in accordance with the Idaho Public Records Act

Pruno: A Recipe for Botulism

You may have heard about a cheap, quick way to make a kind of homemade alcohol that goes by many different names, including pruno, hooch, brew, prison wine and buck. No matter what it’s called, it can give you more than a cheap buzz. It can give you botulism, a life-threatening illness.

What is botulism?

Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin (poison) that attacks the body’s nerves and can lead to paralysis and death. Because the disease can paralyze the muscles used in breathing, people can die soon after symptoms first appear. Even those who get medical treatment right away may be paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator (breathing machine) for many weeks.

One way people get botulism is by eating or drinking something that has the toxin in it. Some prisoners in California, Arizona, Utah, and Mississippi have gotten botulism after making and drinking pruno. Almost all of them had to be hospitalized for treatment, and many were put on a ventilator for days or even weeks. All of the botulism outbreaks linked to pruno have occurred among prisoners. However, anyone who drinks this kind of alcohol is at risk.

How can pruno give me botulism?

When people make pruno, they usually ferment fruit, sugar, water and other common ingredients for several days in a sealed plastic bag. Making alcohol this way can cause botulism germs to make toxins. The toxin is what makes you sick.

How can I stay safe?

If you make pruno, you put yourself and anyone who drinks it in danger of getting botulism. The alcohol in your drink won’t render the toxin harmless.

We don’t know how to make this kind of alcohol safely. But we do know the batches of pruno that gave people botulism used at least one of these ingredients:

• • • Potatoes
    • Honey
    • Food from bulging cans

How would I know if I have botulism?

If you drink pruno and have symptoms of botulism, get medical help  immediately.

Symptoms include:

• • • Blurred or double vision
    • Drooping eyelids
    • Slurred speech
    • Difficulty swallowing
    • A thick-feeling tongue
    • Dry mouth
    • Muscle weakness
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Paralysis

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.

***

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!

***

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.

***

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

***

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.

***

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.”

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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

***

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