IDOC ANNOUNCES PLAN TO HOUSE PRISONERS OUT OF STATE - AGAIN
On December 9, 2017 several news outlets in Boise, as well as the Associated Press (AP) reported that the IDOC intends to house Idaho prisoners in out of state prisons as soon as March 2018.
With all the problems Idaho has had with housing prisoners in out of state facilities, and with private prison contractors, one must ask whether this announcement is an effort to force the Idaho Legislature to allocate funds to construct more prisons within the state to house its convicts. The timing of the announcement indicates that it probably is.
Idaho's gubernatorial election takes place in November, 2018 - and with current Governor Butch Otter not seeking re-election, the newly elected governor may or may not take well to the political fallout of having Idaho prisoners being housed out of state. With the Director of the IDOC serving at the pleasure of the governor, who's to say that current Director Henry Atencio - who is pushing for the moves - will maintain his position when the new governor takes office?
Exorbinant costs, prisoners being moved hundreds or thousands of miles from visiting families, private prison contractors violating contractual obligations and violations of constitutional and civil rights of prisoners as was experienced when private prison contractor Corrections Corporation of America (CCA, now known as CoreCivic) housed prisoners both in Idaho and in out of state facilities may not sit well well with the new governor. The new governor, in order to return the inmates to Idaho earlier than a negotiated perion of time, would have to break any contract - likely with a pecuniary penalty of hundreds of thousands of Idaho taxpayer dollars - being paid to the receiving state or corporation.
Although it has not been disclosed where Idaho prisoners might be housed out of state, family and friends can keep an eye on the website for the Idaho Department of Administration (www.adm.idaho.gov) and the Division of Purchasing which might well have information on bids and/or those states or entities which have bid (or been granted a contract) for housing Idaho prisoners.
Butch Otter learned his lesson dealing with private and out of state prison contractors, recalling all prisoners after various federal and state investigators learned that CCA was padding the books and allowing the prisoners to run the facilities. In one infamous instance a surveillance video surfaced in the news showing a CCA guard watching while an inmate beat another into unconsciousness tired himself out, sat down to rest, then resumed beating the nearly dead prisoner, earning the ISCC the nickname "gladiator school".
Friends or family concerned about these transfers to out of state prisons should make their concerns known to their legislators, and/or to IDOC, and as always, you can leave comments by clicking the POST A COMMENT below.
- DS
With all the problems Idaho has had with housing prisoners in out of state facilities, and with private prison contractors, one must ask whether this announcement is an effort to force the Idaho Legislature to allocate funds to construct more prisons within the state to house its convicts. The timing of the announcement indicates that it probably is.
Idaho's gubernatorial election takes place in November, 2018 - and with current Governor Butch Otter not seeking re-election, the newly elected governor may or may not take well to the political fallout of having Idaho prisoners being housed out of state. With the Director of the IDOC serving at the pleasure of the governor, who's to say that current Director Henry Atencio - who is pushing for the moves - will maintain his position when the new governor takes office?
Exorbinant costs, prisoners being moved hundreds or thousands of miles from visiting families, private prison contractors violating contractual obligations and violations of constitutional and civil rights of prisoners as was experienced when private prison contractor Corrections Corporation of America (CCA, now known as CoreCivic) housed prisoners both in Idaho and in out of state facilities may not sit well well with the new governor. The new governor, in order to return the inmates to Idaho earlier than a negotiated perion of time, would have to break any contract - likely with a pecuniary penalty of hundreds of thousands of Idaho taxpayer dollars - being paid to the receiving state or corporation.
Although it has not been disclosed where Idaho prisoners might be housed out of state, family and friends can keep an eye on the website for the Idaho Department of Administration (www.adm.idaho.gov) and the Division of Purchasing which might well have information on bids and/or those states or entities which have bid (or been granted a contract) for housing Idaho prisoners.
Butch Otter learned his lesson dealing with private and out of state prison contractors, recalling all prisoners after various federal and state investigators learned that CCA was padding the books and allowing the prisoners to run the facilities. In one infamous instance a surveillance video surfaced in the news showing a CCA guard watching while an inmate beat another into unconsciousness tired himself out, sat down to rest, then resumed beating the nearly dead prisoner, earning the ISCC the nickname "gladiator school".
Friends or family concerned about these transfers to out of state prisons should make their concerns known to their legislators, and/or to IDOC, and as always, you can leave comments by clicking the POST A COMMENT below.
- DS