IDOC Newsletter (DOCTalk) 2008

March, May, June

2008 Press Releases

June 26, 2008 - Idaho Inmate Dies in Oklahoma
June 24, 2008 - Inmate Escapes from Gooding County Jail
June 6, 2008 - Inmate Recaptured in Boise
June 2, 2008 - Minimum Custody Inmate Escapes from South Idaho Correctional Institution
May 29, 2008 - IDOC Inmate Commits Suicide at California Prison
May 22, 2008 - Work Center Walkaway Caught
May 22, 2008 - Inmates To Present Donations to Charity
May 20, 2008 - Offenders Get Barbecue for Winning Fundraising Competition
May 18, 2008 - Search for Work Center Resident Continues
May 9, 2008 - Idaho Inmates Raise $10,000 for Charities
May 5, 2008 - IDOC Honoring Correctional Professionals
April 24, 2008 - Detectives Investigate Stabbing at ISCI
April 15, 2008 -IDOC Moves 120 More Inmates to Oklahoma Prison
April 14, 2008 -Community Work Center Offenders Donate Money to Charity
March 7, 2008 - Walkaway Back in Custody
March 13, 2008 - IDOC Central Office To No Longer Accept Deposits for offenders
March 7, 2008 - Walkaway Back in Custody
March 3, 2008 - Work Center Resident Walks Away From Job
February 22, 2008 - Reader's View: Secure Mental Health Facility
January 22, 2008 - Work Center Inmate Fails to Return from Job
January 14, 2008 - 48 IDOC Inmates Back in Idaho
January 8, 2008 - IDOC Returning 48 Inmates to Idaho

Brochures

For more information, contact the IDOC Public Information Office:

Public Information Officer
(208)658-2141

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  Text of 2008 Press Releases

Idaho Inmate Dies in Oklahoma, June 26, 2008

BOISE –   Oklahoma and Idaho authorities are investigating the death of an Idaho inmate housed at the North Fork Correctional Facility in Oklahoma.  Inmate David Drashner died at 8:49 p.m. Wednesday night. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.

A correctional officer found the 51-year-old Drashner laying on the floor of his cell at the Sayre, Oklahoma facility about 7:40 p.m. An ambulance transported him to an emergency room where he later died.

David Drashner, #42410, was serving a 12 to 20 year sentence for driving under the influence. He was convicted in Canyon County in September 2006 and sentenced as a persistent violator. It was his fourth felony DUI conviction.

Drashner was sent to Oklahoma in September 2007. Idaho currently houses 240 inmates in the NFCF and 613 inmates out of state.

IDOC’s Virtual Prison Program monitors Idaho inmates housed in out of state beds. Deputy Warden Shannon Cluney was in Oklahoma performing assessments when the death occurred and is assisting North Fork staff and the local law enforcement in Sayre, Oklahoma to conduct the investigation.

Inmate Escapes from Gooding County Jail, June 24, 2008

BOISE – An Idaho Department of Correction inmate awaiting trial on a charge in Gooding County has escaped from the Gooding County Jail.

Scott Howard Holmes, IDOC #21470, escaped from the jail last night (Monday) at 9:30 p.m. 

Holmes is white, 39 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes.  He is s 6’ 1”, weighs 220 pounds and has a fair complexion

Holmes has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated assault and forgery in Twin Falls and Minidoka counties.

Anyone with information about Holmes’ whereabouts should call their local law enforcement agency.

Inmate Recaptured in Boise , June 6, 2008

BOISE - A minimum custody inmate who escaped from South Idaho Correctional Institution on Monday is back in custody.

Boise police arrested Cory Allen  Collinson, IDOC #84239, in the basement of a vacant  home yesterday evening. Collinson is currently in Ada County Jail facing possible escape charges.

Collinson escaped on Monday from South Idaho Correctional Institution.  On
January 18, 2006 he was sentenced to 1.5 years to 3 years for a possession of a
controlled substance conviction out of Kootenai County.  Collinson would
have completed his full sentence on September 14, 2009.

South Idaho Correctional Institution is south of Boise.   It houses low risk offenders who are preparing for their release.

Minimum Custoday Inmate Escapes from South Idaho Correctional Institution, June 2, 2008

BOISE – A minimum custody inmate has escaped from South Idaho Correctional Institution.

Cory Allen Collinson, IDOC #84239, was discovered missing this afternoon.  On January 18, 2006 he was sentenced to 1.5 years to 3 years for a possession of a controlled substance conviction out of Kootenai County.  Collinson would have completed his full sentence on September 14, 2009.

Collinson is white, 35 years old, 6’3”, 185 pounds with blue eyes, blonde hair and a fair complexion. 

South Idaho Correctional Institution is south of Boise.   It houses low risk offenders who are preparing for their release. 

Anyone with information about Collinson should call their local law enforcement agency.

IDOC Inmate Commits Suicide at California Prison, May 29, 2008

BOISE – California authorities report an Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) inmate has committed suicide at California State Prison - Corcoran in Corcoran, California.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) says Joey Dean Schneider, IDOC #38168, died on Monday, May 26, 2008.

On September 3, 1993 in Nez Perce County, Schneider was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for first-degree murder.   On June 26, 1998 he was transferred to a high-security prison in California after three escapes from IDOC institutions.

CDCR says Schneider was found hanging in his cell.  As is standard procedure, IDOC’s Virtual Prison Program is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Schneider’s death.

The public release of this information was delayed pending notification of next of kin.

Work Center Walkaway Caught , May 22, 2008

BOISE – An Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) community work center resident who walked away last weekend is back in custody.

At 6:15 a.m. a passerby saw Michael Lee Lisby, IDOC #58277, crawling out of a ditch near the intersection of Northview and Hartman in Boise. Paramedics took Lisby to a nearby hospital where he was treated for hypothermia.  While at the hospital, Lisby became combative with hospital staff and refused to give his name.  When Boise Police officers arrived, they identified Lisby as an escapee.  Ada County Paramedics assisted police in identifying Lisby.

Lisby, 31, was serving a 5 – 20 year sentence for illegal possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.  He was a resident of the South Idaho Correctional Institution Community Work Center where he worked as an inmate cook.  Lisby disappeared at 12:15 p.m. Saturday. 

Inmates To Present Donations to Charity, May 22, 2008

BOISE – On Tuesday two inmates from the Idaho Department of Correction’s Idaho Falls Community Work Center will present a check for $465 to representatives from the Shepherd’s Inn, a home for young women facing a crisis pregnancy.  The donation is the result of a fundraising competition among Idaho Department of Correction’s five community work centers.

“Many offenders feel a strong desire to give back to society, and this competition gave them a way to do that,” said Idaho Department of Correction Division of Community Corrections Chief Kevin Kempf.   

From April 13 through May 2nd the five community work centers allowed offenders to make cash donations to such charities as the Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Idaho and the Idaho Foodbank.  Together they raised more than $10,000. 

Inmates at the Idaho Falls Community Work Center chose Shepherd’s Inn to be the recipient of their donations.  The Shepherd’s Inn is a non-denominational Christian home where young women, ages 18 to 26, receive professional support, housing, and education during their pregnancy.

Presentation of the check will happen at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27th at the Idaho Falls Community Work Center 3955 Bombardier Avenue in Idaho Falls.

“This donation is another example of how your work centers serve our communities,” Kempf said.  “Offenders also provide thousands of hours of volunteer service every year and earn money to help offset the cost of running the work center.”

30% of the offenders’ job earnings are used to defray the cost of operating the work centers.  That amounted to about $2 million in FY 2007.  Additionally, offender job earnings are used to pay court-ordered fines, fees and victim restitution costs.  About 450 offenders under IDOC jurisdiction are housed in the five community work centers around.

Offenders Get Barbecue for Winning Fundraising Competition , May 20, 2008

BOISE – The manager of the Idaho Department of Correction’s community work center (CWC) in Nampa, George Baird, will flip burgers while wearing a grass skirt and pirate hat.  The barbecue is the offenders’ reward for raising more than $5,000 as part of a fundraising competition among the department’s CWCs.

The barbecue will happen on Thursday, May 22nd at 5 p.m. at the CWC, 1640-11th Avenue North in Nampa. 

From April 13 through May 2nd the CWCs allowed offenders to make cash donations to such charities as the Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Idaho and the Idaho Foodbank.  Together they raised more than $10,000.

Search for Work Center Resident Continues , May 18, 2008

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is still searching for a community work center resident who walked away during a group outing in Boise.

Michael Lee Lisby, IDOC #58277, is serving a 5 – 20 year sentence for illegal possession of a controlled substance with the intent to delivery. He was eligible to be considered for parole on September 17, 2011.

Mr. Lisby is white, 31 years old, 5’10”, 208 pounds, with a shaved head, hazel eyes and a fair complexion.

Mr. Lisby disappeared at 12:15 p.m. Saturday.

Mr. Lisby was last seen driving a 2003 Yamaha café racer motorcycle with an Idaho licence plate of MLG 976.  The motorcycle is painted black with red flames and has red wheels.  The windscreen and left mirror are missing.  

Idaho Inmates Raise $10,000 for Charities, May 9, 2008

BOISE – Offenders living at Idaho Department of Correction’s community work center (CWC) in Nampa will soon see Manager George Baird flipping burgers while wearing a grass skirt.  It’s the offenders’ reward for raising more than $5,000 as part of a fundraising competition among the department’s CWCs.

“We’re putting out a good product and this is just another example,” Baird says.  “They (the offenders) realize they have taken from society and this one of the ways to give back.”

From April 13 through May 2nd the CWCs allowed offenders to make cash donations to such charities as the Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Idaho and the Idaho Foodbank.  Together they raised more than $10,000.

CWC offenders already make a significant contribution to their communities.  30% of the offenders’ job earnings are used to defray the cost of operating the work centers.  That amounted to about $2 million in FY 2007.  Additionally, offender job earnings are used to pay court-ordered fines, fees and victim restitution costs.

About 450 offenders under IDOC jurisdiction are housed in five community work centers around the state.  Along with the money they earn, community work center offenders also provide thousands of hours of volunteer service every year while transitioning from prison back into their communities.

CWC Fundraiser Final Tally

Nampa-CWC     $5,325.60 with 72 contributions   Avg.  contribution   $74.00/inmate
SICI-CWC         $2,622.42 with 72 contributions   Avg.  contribution   $36.00/inmate
E. Boise-CWC    $2,032.65 with 43 contributions  Avg.  contribution   $47.00/inmate
Idaho Falls-CWC  $465.00 with 13 contributions   Avg. contribution   $36.00/inmate
Twin Falls-CWC     $40.00 with 4 contributions    Avg.  contribution   $10.00/inmate

IDOC Honoring Correctional Professionals , May 5, 2008

BOISE – This week, as part of National Correctional Professionals Week, the Idaho Department of Correction is honoring the men and women who do some of the toughest, most rewarding jobs in the state – managing the 20,000 felony offenders who are in prison or on probation or on parole.

“These correctional professionals are Idaho’s unknown protectors,” says IDOC Director Brent Reinke.  “Everyday around the clock they help keep our communities safe while give offenders and opportunity to change.”

In addition to jobs like correctional officer and probation and parole officer, correctional professionals include a range of occupations like pre-sentence investigator, mental health clinician and drug and alcohol rehabilitation specialist.  In fact, non-uniformed staff is expected to be vital as the department pursues its goal of reducing prison growth from 7 percent to 3 percent so it matches population growth.

“In the last session legislative session, lawmakers showed strong support for substance abuse and mental health treatment – two areas that are critical to slowing the flow of offenders into our prisons,” Director Reinke says.  “A variety of people from a variety of disciplines will have to come together and work hard if we’re going to slow Idaho’s prison growth rate.”

Detectives Investigate Stabbing at ISCI , April 24, 2008

BOISE – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has asked the Ada County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a stabbing at Idaho State Correctional Institution (ISCI)  south of Boise.

At 7:49 p.m. correctional staff declared an emergency after an inmate used a pencil to stab another inmate.  The victim suffered wounds to his stomach and his face.  The extent of the victim’s injuries and his condition is unknown at this time.

ISCI is a 1,500-bed medium custody facility that manages all custody levels of inmates.

All questions about the investigation should be directed to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

IDOC Moves 120 More Inmates to Oklahoma Prison , April 15, 2008

(Who's Been Moved, Click Here )

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has completed the transfer of 120 inmates from Idaho to North Fork Correctional Facility (NFCF) in Sayre, Oklahoma.  They join 120 Idaho inmates who were moved to the facility from Idaho last September.

The inmates arrived at NFCF at 7:15 (MT) this morning.   The facility is owned and operated by a private company, Correctional Corporation of America, which also operates Idaho Correctional Center south of Boise.

“We firmly believe Idaho inmates are best managed at home in Idaho” says IDOC Director Brent Reinke. “But the fact is there is simply no room for them.”

7,400 inmates are incarcerated under IDOC jurisdiction.  In addition to the 240 now housed at NFCF, 373 are kept at Bill Clayton Detention Center in Littlefield, Texas.  About 600 are incarcerated in county jails in Idaho.  IDOC expects to send another 120 inmates to NFCF by this summer.

To assure the safety of public, staff and inmates at these out-of-state facilities and jails, the department established the Virtual Prison Program in July of 2007.  The team monitors all aspects of operations at these facilities including security, health care, programming and food services. The program operates as part of the Division of Prisons.

Relatives of inmates wishing to know more can visit IDOC’s website:  idoc.idaho.gov.
Relatives with questions about the move may also call the Idaho Department of Correction’s Virtual Prison Program at (208) 658-2171.  State the general nature of your question.  Your inquiry will be referred to the Virtual Prison Program staff member who is best able to provide you with an answer.

For more information, please visit our Out of State placement page

Community Work Center Offenders Donate Money to Charity, April 14, 2008

BOISE – Idaho Department of Correction’s community work centers have launched a campaign to raise money for charities. 

From April 13 through May 2, community work center offenders will be allowed to make cash donations to such charities as the Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Idaho and the Idaho Foodbank.  Offenders at the community work center who raise the most money will enjoy a barbecue prepared by their center’s manager and security sergeants.

“The managers of our community work centers displayed great leadership by coming up with this idea,” said Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) Community Corrections Chief Kevin Kempf.   “It’s a way for offenders to express the strong desire many of them feel to give back to society.”

IDOC’s community work center offenders already make a significant contribution to their communities.  Thirty percent of the offenders’ job earnings are used to defray the cost of operating the work centers.  That amounted to about $2 million in FY 2007.  Additionally, offender job earnings are used to pay court-ordered fines, fees and victim restitution costs.

About 450 offenders under IDOC jurisdiction are housed in five community work centers around the state.  Along with the money they earn, community work center offenders also provide thousands of hours of volunteer service every year.

The selected charities are:

Nampa Community Work Center – Ronald McDonald House
East Boise Community Work Center – Special Olympics Idaho
SICI Community Work Center – Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County
Idaho Falls Community Work Center – Sheperd’s Inn Crisis Pregnancy Home
Twin Falls Community Work Center – Shriners’ Hospital for Children

If you’re interested in profiling the project in your area, call:

Jeff Ray, Public Information Officer
Idaho Department of Correction
jeray@idoc.idaho.gov
Work:  (208) 658-2141
Cell:    (208) 863-8250

IDOC Central Office To No Longer Accept Deposits for offenders , March 13, 2008

BOISE – Starting April 1, 2008 the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) will no longer accept in-person deposits at its central office in Boise from people wishing to put money on inmate and parolee accounts. All such deposits on or after April 1 must be made using a money order or cashier’s check and sent via the U.S. Postal Service to the facility where the inmate is located.  Inmates located at a community work center or the South Boise Women’s Correctional Center should be mailed to:

Idaho Department of Correction
Attn: Inmate Accounts
1299 N. Orchard St., Suite 110
Boise, ID 83706

IDOC does not accept cash or personal checks.    The money order or cashier’s check should include the following information: the inmate’s first and last name, the inmate’s number, the institution and housing unit where the inmate is located, plus the name and address of the remitter.

The only exception to this rule will be for businesses that employ inmates through a community work release center.  Businesses will still be able to deliver payroll checks to IDOC’s central office for processing.

This change is being made to improve security and streamline the process by which family members and friends convey money to offenders.

For more information about how to deposit money on an offender’s account visit IDOC’s website at www.idoc.idaho.gov and click on the link titled, Visiting and Mail Information.

Walkaway Back in Custody, March 7, 2008

BOISE – An Idaho Falls Community Work Center resident who walked away from his job site is back in custody.

Fort Hall Police arrested Lyle Joey Plentywounds Sr., IDOC #68937, at 1:27 AM on Wednesday.  He is now at the Bingham County Jail in Blackfoot.

Work Center Resident Walks Away From Job , March 3, 2008

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is searching for a resident of Idaho Falls Community Work Center who walked away from his job site.

Lyle Joey Plentywounds Sr., IDOC #68937, disappeared from a potato shipping warehouse in Shelley on Friday.  He was serving a 2-5 year sentence for driving under the influence out of Bingham County.  He was scheduled to be released on February 7, 2009.

Plentywounds is American Indian, 52 years old, 6’0”, 200 pounds, black hair and brown eyes with a medium brown complexion.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call law enforcement.

Reader's View: Secure Mental Health Facility, February 22, 2008

The Idaho Legislature is about to make an important decision on mental health care in Idaho.  Lawmakers will decide if the state will spend $70 million to build a secure mental health facility.  Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has proposed that one-time funds be used to pay for the project.  That’s a lot of money. But if we fail to make this investment now some of our most vulnerable citizens will suffer, and we will all pay a higher price.

We now house acutely mentally ill inmate-patients and those identified as being “dangerously mentally ill” in our maximum-security prison. They are segregated from the rest of the prison population and receive treatment in a secure and very restrictive environment.

But prisons are not designed to create an environment that fosters healing.   They were designed for containment, not treatment.  They can serve as incubators for mental illness, turning serious disorders into full-scale psychiatric breakdowns.  The reality is that without a continuum of care in the community, people who could have functioned as productive citizens face a real risk of ending up in our custody.

That’s why the Department of Correction and the Department of Health and Welfare are asking the Legislature for the 300-bed secure mental health facility – because these people are with us and need care in an appropriate setting.   The two departments would jointly operate the facility, creating significant savings for taxpayers. 
Health and Welfare’s hospitals weren’t designed for security, and Correction’s prisons weren’t designed for treatment.  The secure mental health facility would meet the needs of both departments while saving taxpayers’ money and allowing the Department of Correction to fulfill its legal obligation to house patients and those who are dangerously mentally ill.

A siting committee will decide the best location for the facility. But wherever it’s located you can be sure that Health and Welfare’s patients and Correction’s patients would be housed in separate pods and treated differently.

Critics say people should not have to go to prison to get mental health treatment.  I absolutely agree, but we have people in our prisons who need treatment.  That’s precisely why we need the secure mental health facility.  Right now, for some Idaho citizens, it’s our only option.  But it is unrealistic to ask Idaho taxpayers to pick up the tab for two separate facilities that would in effect have the same mission.

Work Center Inmate Fails to Return from Job, January 22, 2008

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is searching for an inmate who failed to return to Twin Falls Community Work Center from his job at a Jerome business on Saturday.

Jose Damian Tellez, IDOC #72256, is serving a 3 – 7 year sentence for forgery. He was eligible to be considered for parole on February 26, 2008.

Tellez is Hispanic, 28 years old, 5’5”, 154 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes with a medium complexion.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call law enforcement.

48 IDOC Inmates Back in Idaho, January 14, 2008

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has brought 48 Idaho inmates who were held at Bill Clayton Detention Center (BCDC) in Littlefield, Texas back to Idaho.   They returned Sunday via bus.

The 48 inmates were selected by IDOC Virtual Prison Program staff based on their need for educational and treatment programs, and how close they are to release. Some of the inmates had been in out-of-state facilities for more than two years.

The Idaho Virtual Prison Program is a group of 12 experienced correctional employees who oversee all of IDOC’s private prison contracts.  The group deployed a deputy warden and a security manager to oversee the move from Texas.

“The operation went well,” said IDOC Virtual Prison Program Warden Randy Blades.  “The offenders are currently being assessed for appropriate custody level and program needs as we continue to prepare them for their return to Idaho communities.”

The department was able to bring the inmates back because the demand for prison beds in Idaho has leveled off in recent months.   IDOC analysts say it is too soon to know if the decrease is temporary or an indication of a long-term trend.

Idaho now has 494 inmates incarcerated in out-of-state facilities.

IDOC Returning 48 Inmates to Idaho, January 8, 2008

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is bringing 48 Idaho inmates currently held at Bill Clayton Detention Center (BCDC) in Littlefield, Texas back to Idaho.   They will be returning within two weeks. 

The department is able to bring the inmates back because the demand for prison beds in Idaho has leveled off in recent months.   Fewer offenders are being sentenced to prison and more offenders are being paroled.    But IDOC analysts say it is too soon to know if the decrease in demand is temporary or an indication of a long-term trend. 

“Over the past year we’ve been focusing on developing a correctional system that is data driven,” says IDOC Director Brent Reinke.  “Clearly we have much more work to do.  But the availability of these beds shows the potential of what can be done.”

Idaho now has 550 inmates incarcerated in out-of-state facilities.  The 48 inmates who are being brought back from BCDC will be selected based on their programming needs and how close they are to release.  Some of the inmates have been in out-of-state facilities for more than two years.

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