Idaho Prison Blog

THURSDAY - An officer came by and taped a red piece of paper on the outside of my cell door today. The paper has written on it that I am under quarantine (nothing new, I've been locked in this cell for a month as of this afternoon). There are 2 other cells on this tier that had red paper taped to their door today too. I haven't been officially notified that I'm positive for the COVID-19 virus, but the red paper tells the tale according to the nurse that walked by earlier. I was tested 13 days ago - maybe the results just came in, or, more likely, the results came back days ago and they just decided to put the paper on the doors today. I asked the nurse - what now? She said they would just watch me. They have been taking my temperature, pulse and blood oxygen levels every day for the past week or so. They also ask how I feel. They don't do that to everyone, just me and a couple other guys on the tier. I bet if I watch, the other guys they check every day will be those wi...

It's bad enough being locked down in a cell 24 hours per day, showering once every 3 days and and treated like a - well, a criminal - but imagine being locked in a 8 x 10 cell with a man who continuously talks to himself aloud in odd voices, screams at the top of his lungs without warning at all times of the day and night, draws and posts illustrations of raping, killing, maiming and eating others on the walls - banging on the door and pressing the emergency call button tens of times per day claiming he has been assaulted, claustrophobia, panic attacks and being a general nuisance. Those were the conditions Dale Shackelford lived under for almost 3 weeks as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown at the ISCC before staff finally had enough Shackelford's mentally ill cell partner (we'll call him NC) bothering THEM and moved NC to a segregation cell. NC's mental illness was certainly apparent before the lockdown began. Because he was his cell partner, Shackelford did attempt to...

Lack of communication - in any situation - is usually a deathblow, whether in a marriage, a military mission or a bureaucracy. At ISCC, the communications breakdown of late between staff and prisoners is creating havoc, but there are ways to open channels of effective communication between prisoners and staff in an effort to help them help us. Over the past couple weeks for example, I have made suggestions to IDOC administrators for actions/items which would allow the lock down of the IDOC facilities go a bit smoother for the affected prisoners. I have strived to make these suggestions reasonable, and to make them in a positive manner. It works. In one case, I asked if there were something that could be done about the quality of the food being served in the Styrofoam trays. In another instance I asked why the Morale Packages promised to us by the IDOC Director went undelivered for weeks after they were to have been delivered, and I even went as far as to ask the IDOC Director to ca...

Although prisoners are encouraged by IDOC administrators to report symptoms of the coronavirus to medical staff, doing so guarantees that not only will the prisoner be quarantined, so will his cell partner, and neither will be provided over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, Tylenol, cough suppressant or anti-nausea meds. Days after submitting a Health Services Request (HSR) complaining of nausea, headache, dry cough and severe lethargy, Dale Shackelford was tested for COVID-19 by medical staff. At the time he was tested, Shackelford - who had been locked in his cell for 2 weeks - asked for OTC meds to relieve the symptoms. Medical staff then advised Shackelford that prisoners would not be issued any such medications by the medical department which might mask their ongoing symptoms, but that the items could be purchased on commissary. There are several things wrong with this scenario. First, Shackelford was being tested for COVID-19, so masking his symptoms so as to prevent suspi...

This message was received on July 10, 2020. It is provided as received and has not been edited. Hi All- Its been more than a week since our facilities in the south Boise area moved to secure status. I know this is a stressful time for everyone working and living in those facilities and Im sure it feels punitive, even though it is not intended to be. We appreciate your patience with the situation and your help in working to keep yourself and others safe. Please know this is a temporary situation, and every facility is working on plans that keep appropriate containment measures in place while allowing more movement. Testing of the incarcerated population. This week, we conducted mass testing of everyone in B and C blocks at ISCC. We hope to have those results early next week, if not before. At ISCC, weve now tested B, C, E, G, and H blocks. We have A, D and F still to test. Statewide, we have tested over 1,500 people and found 618 negative, 18 positive with symptoms, and 137 positive and...

Unit F (aka F Block), tier 3 at the ISCC has been locked down for more than 2 weeks, with much of that time under quarantine status - or so they tell us - so why is it that prisoners from other units/facilities are being moved into cells on F3, breaking the so-called quarantine? Worse yet, why are prisoners who live on non-quarantined tiers being allowed access to those cells, and why are quarantined prisoners allowed to work in food service? On Wednesday, July 9, 2020, 4 prisoners were moved onto F3 from either another unit, or from another facility. The very fact that these prisoners were moved into a quarantined area negates the status of quarantine, for if these prisoners were in fact infectious, they are capable of infecting others. If they were not infectious, they are subject to infections from others on the tier. In either case, staff are now telling F3 prisoners that the 2 week quarantine clock has now restarted because of the introduction of these prisoners onto the tier. In ...

(This update is printed as received. No corrections to typos, if any, has been made). EDITOR'S NOTE: Reference to the S. (south) Boise Complex in this posting includes these facilities: ISCC IMSI, ISCI, SICI, and SBWCC Hi all I know its a tough time for many of you right now as it is for your friends and loved ones on the outside. I wanted to give you an update on where we stand as it relates to COVID. I received some correspondence from a gentleman in custody yesterday that really helped me understand how the lack of information can increase tension and fear. So in addition to telling you where we are with things, Im also going to do my best to explain the why behind it. Positive COVID Tests:So far, weve had 9 people incarcerated at ISCC develop symptoms and test positive for COVID-19. Weve done mass testing events in E block and H block at ISCC. We should have the E block results today. I want to share with you what weve learned from other systems who have battled COVID at the on...

EDITOR'S NOTE / FORWARD - In an email from Director Tewalt, I have been assured that there are efforts in the works to resolve some of the issues discussed below, and I have no reason to doubt the Director's assurances. Some of these efforts will include, but not be limited to more communication between staff and prisoners. In the email, Director Tewalt pointed out that I am seeing things from my perspective, from inside my cell - and that is correct, so indeed my perspective is limited, and may be a bit skewed. As noted in the following article, it is sometimes difficult to make people happy even when you're trying to help them, but when you know that others - in the same unit and prison - are allowed to be out and about while you are locked in a cell 24 hours per day, frustration sets in, as while the lockdown may be justified, the difference in treatment of identically situated prisoners is not. Kudos to the Director in listening, and for his offer to keep prisoners (and...

With nearly 3,000 meals per day being served in the ISCC inmate dining room (chow hall) every day, hundreds of general population (G.P.) prisoners and several staff stand and sit just inches from each other, from 30 to 60 minutes per day, arriving from and dispersing to various units in the facility twice daily. There is no more dangerous place in the institution not only from physical assaults, the passing of contraband from unit to unit and conspiratorial plans being hatched and discussed, but from the transmission of contagions which are then spread throughout the institution and beyond. The obvious and most effective remedy to this situation is satellite feeding. Satellite feeding, or feeding prisoners in their units, is already being done with G.P. lunches served in plastic bags on the unit every weekday (lunch is served with the breakfast meal on the weekends - miss breakfast, you get no lunch either). All G.P. meals are currently being served in H block (formerly the PIE buildin...