IdahoReporter.com

An Idaho Senate committee approved two proposals from the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) that would give IDOC more authority in dealing with placing prisoners in substance abuse treatment and quelling riots and other serious disturbances in private facilities. IDOC director Brent Reinke said the moves could save Idaho money in prisoner costs and potential lawsuits.

The first proposal would give Idaho courts and IDOC more time to allow inmates to complete substance abuse treatment rather than serve a full prison sentence. It would extend the current 180-day period of suspended judgment to 365 days. During that time, IDOC could place prisoners in programming including substance abuse treatment that could shorten their overall prison stay. “We are not looking to do anything but set the stage for better programming for our inmates,” Reinke said. IDOC currently has one short-term programming option lasting 120 days, but the department is looking to expand to three options that span from 90 and 270 days. Reinke said having more offenders go through shorter-term programming rather than serving an entire prison term, which lasts an average of 2.7 years, means the state could slow its population growth by 400 inmates a year.

“If an inmate goes through this program, he wouldn’t have to do what I’d call ‘hard time’ in a penitentiary,” said Sen. Les Bock, D-Boise.

The second proposal would allow IDOC to set up procedures for dealing with violent incidents at private prison facilities, including the Idaho Correctional Center (ICC) in Boise. Those serious disturbances include riots, escapes, fights, and insurrections. The legislation would let IDOC renegotiate its contract with the Corrections Corporation of America, the private company that runs ICC. The legislation would give Reinke more oversight on private facilities dealing with disturbances and would allow for employees at private prisons to use extreme and deadly force to stop incidents.

“It wasn’t clear that the department had the authority to intervene at a private correctional facility,” said Paul Panther, a deputy attorney general for IDOC. Panther said that CCA has agreed to the legislation.

Reinke said IDOC needs to prepare for emergencies, and that’s it’s only a matter of time before there are disturbances at Idaho’s private prisons. “We now have six facilities in the south Boise (ICC) complex and we have many, many gang members incarcerated in that area,” he said. “That is an area that has us concerned.”

The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee approved both of Reinke’s proposals on a unanimous voice vote. Both pieces of legislation now head to the Senate floor. The suspended judgment legislation is available here and the disturbances in private prisons legislation is available here.