Idaho Prison Blog

Within hours of posting on this site my recent article ANOTHER STATE PRISON SYSTEM MAKES ALL INMATE CALLS FREE , I received an email from Scott McIntosh containing a copy of an article he had written for the Idaho Statesman, published November 26, 2023 regarding the same issues I covered in my piece - but from a completely different perspective (as one might expect). If you get a chance, his article is great read on what is going on with the inmate telephone/video visiting systems in Idaho and beyond. Don't forget to go back and re-read my article too. Here's the link I was provided by Mr. McIntosh for his article: https://idahostatesman.com/opinion/from-the-opinion-editor/article282224548.html Dale

In January, 2023, I posted an article on this site titled ISCC PROVIDES MISINFORMATION TO NEWS MEDIA LOOKING INTO DECREPIT CONDITIONS IN THE PRISON . In March, 2023 I authored and posted another piece titled IDAHO TAXPAYERS PAYING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR SHOWER TRAILERS WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN USED. In October, 2023 I followed up with yet another piece titled ISCC 'SHOWER TRAILERS' FINALLY REMOVED, ALONG WITH $184,708.62 OF TAXPAYER MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN. In a nutshell, these articles concerned self-contained showering trailers that were dragged to the Idaho State Correctional Center from Nevada because the hot water system at the prison (i.e., boilers) had gone down, leaving the main section of the facility without hot water for showers, washing and other necessities. These trailers sat, unused, at the ISCC for more than 9 months, while the payments continued to accrue. Shortly after I posted the last article on this topic, I received an email (within hours in fact) regarding t...

Around October, 2022 - possibly even before that, the Meridian Canine Rescue [www.meridiancaninerescue.org] (MCR) took over the "dog program" at the Idaho State Correctional Center (ISCC), a program previously operated by the Idaho Humane Society. With the takeover, and some questionable activities associated with the program (and inmates participating in same) several emails sent to MCR staff have gone unanswered. Almost everyone wants to see a prison dog program succeed, giving unwanted or homeless dogs opportunities to become socialized, receive medical care, exercise, basic training and ultimately a good home in the community where they can live the dog's life. What most everyone does NOT want to see is undue [and dangerous] favoritism, lack of (prison) security, misuse of funds - especially funds which have been donated by the public - abuse of animals or violations of laws in the effort to home these animals (the dogs, not the prisoners). Prisoners who have certain ...

On 12/4/2023, the Idaho Department of Administration signed a contract (Number 4543) on behalf of the Idaho Department of Correction with a company located in Meridian, ID to provide closed circuit television (CCTV) services to state prisons (and work centers) located south of Boise. The vendor/contractor, Praxis Limited Co. (dba A+ Satellite) provided the lowest of 3 bids obtained for providing a minimum 32 "Core Package" channels from Dish Satellite services (including at least one add-on 'sports' channel), all available over-the-air (OTA) channels [FN1] as well as the necessary hardware for two years beginning February 15, 2024. The name of the package to be installed is called the "A+ Satellite Extreme Economy Pack". The two year, $527,836.08 contract may be renewed, extended or amended three additional terms of one year each. IDOC facilities to receive services under this contract are IMSI, ISCI, SICI, ISCC, TVCRC and SBWCC, and will provide service to ...

In addition to the states of California, Colorado and Connecticut, the State of Minnesota passed legislation earlier this year which guarantees that all telephone calls from prisoners, both in jails and prisons, are free of charge as of July 1, 2023. According to an article published in the November, 2023 issue of Prison Legal News, numerous studies have shown that when incarcerated individuals are released, their chances to succeed are increased, and the chances of reincarceration are reduced if prisoners maintain strong family bonds while inside. PLN notes that state and local economies also benefit in that instead of spending money on exorbitantly priced telephone calls [with that money then being sent to out-of-state corporations], the freed up funds can be spent on goods and services from local businesses. Because Idaho has such a geographically diverse population, with family and prisoners separated by hundreds of miles even within the state, telephones are a virtual lifeline for...

Thanksgiving is over for this year - thankfully. While it was once one of my favorite holidays, these days it just brings to mind minimum expectations of the quality and quantity of holiday fare of days gone by. As is the norm of late, I was not disappointed in my significantly lowered expectations - and this year it came with a twist... The ISCC Thanksgiving meal menu consisted of: Turkey slice Stuffing Mashed potatoes and gravy Green beans Cranberry sauce Pumpkin pie w/whipped cream(?) (2) Slices white bread Absolutely nothing wrong with the Turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy cranberry sauce - except maybe there wasn't as much as a typical American would expect (then again, we do eat a lot on Thanksgiving). On the other hand, the stuffing had the consistency of drywall mud, and tasted little better. It was almost as if the ingredients weren't mixed completely, and it wasn't baked completely through. Couldn't stomach that at all. Next - how in the world does someone screw u...

According to a memo posted at the ISCC on 11/21/23 the ISCC is staging a special visiting and gift-giving event for prisoners and their children at the prison December 21, 2023. While the memo states the presents for children will be paid for by the prison, there is no indication from what prison (or prisoner) budget the money for these gifts will come from, the types of gifts which will be distributed or other such details. Based on this, if you want child to participate, have your incarcerated friend/loved one get their concern form in ASAP (concern forms can only be submitted by prisoners, not by people on the outside). While the memo doesn't make it clear, the wording implies that only children of prisoners would be eligible for the gifts (as opposed to nieces, nephews, etc.), but I could be wrong about that. Contact the prison if this is a question you want answered (see the FACILITY INFORMATION link in the sidebar on this page). It is also unclear and unknown whether the prog...

On 4/14/23 Dale Shackelford, a prisoner at the ISCC sent a Health Services Request (HSR), notifying the medical department that his chronic care medications (related to high blood pressure and other issues) expired on that date, that the prescriptions needed to be renewed, and he had not been seen by the contract medical provider for renewal. This issue should have been done automatically, without need for Shackelford to submit the HSR. Several days later, Shackelford was seen by a medical provider, and the prescriptions were all renewed. On or about 5/9/23 the medical department (in league with the Inmate Accounts department) charged Shackelford's account a $2.00 co-pay for submitting the HSR - in violation of IDOC policy (and contract with medical provider Centurion) - which prohibits prisoners from being charged co-pay for chronic care issues. Per SOP, Shackelford immediately sent the medical department a Concern Form asking that the $2.00 co-pay be reimbursed. Because there was...

Just days after the article "ISCC ADMINISTRATORS DENY SPECIAL MEAL FOR ACTUAL VETERANS ON VETERAN'S DAY - WHILE ALLOWING BANQUET/FEAST FOR OTHERS" was posted on this site, the following memo, adorned with the official seals of the various military services, was posted throughout the ISCC facility: ATTENTION VETERANS * Are you interested in living on a tier with fellow veterans? * Would you like the opportunity to live in a patriotic environment where you can focus on your rehabilitation and reintegration into society? * Are you interested in PTSD/TBI and peer-to-peer support groups that focus on your specific needs? * Are you looking for opportunities to continue to serve your community, state, and nation? Submit a concern form to Officer Thompson stating you want to like be on the veteran's tier today! Just a day or so later, I had the opportunity to speak with Officer Thompson regarding this memo. I asked if this "Veterans' Tier" was the tier which was...