Idaho Prison Blog

During debate on House Bill 665 on March 9, 2018, Representative Luke Malek (R - District 4: Kootenai County) stated in open session that while it is the goal and legislative intent of juvenile corrections in Idaho to develop the character and fitness for young offenders, rehabilitation is not the goal for adult offenders in Idaho. As an attorney and a legislator since 2012, Representive Malek would certainly have knowledge of the inner workings, intricacies and intent of the laws of the State of Idaho, and with the millions of dollars of federal funding and state general fund appropriations being accepted by the Idaho Department of Correction under the guise of using it for rehabilitation of adult prisoners, the lawmaker's statement on the House floor should raise serious concerns. For years, Idaho's adult prisoners have been required to participate in and complete various [rehabilitation] programs while incarcerated in order to have any meaningful opportunity for parole, or i...

Cell searches by staff in prisons and jails are a common and necessary security action, but are an intensely intrusive act that can do more harm than good when done incorrectly, or for improper and unprofessional purposes. Few staff (or administrators) stop to think of the ramifications of shakedowns gone wrong - but here's an overview - and a potential fix for many of the problems associated with cell searches. Imagine if you will that your home is burglarized, and someone goes through all of your belongings. Even if nothing is taken, the VIOLATION of knowing that someone has looked through, inspected and touched your most private of possessions - from your underwear to your food, sacred religious items and even your private documents and cherished photos - is overwhelming. If items are taken, it's worse, but imagine how that feeling lingers when a week later, you discover things missing that you hadn't discovered were missing immediately after the burglary. What else migh...