IDOC Newsletter (DOCTalk) 2009

2009 Press Releases

November 18,2009 - Little Named Warden at St. Anthony Work Camp
October 19,2009 - IDOC Inmate Commits Suicide at Blaine County Jail
September 8,2009 - IDOC Walkaway Recaptured
September 3,2009 - 9 Probation and Parole Officer Cadets to Graduate Friday
August 25,2009 - NICI Inmate captured
August 25,2009 - Inmate escapes from NICI
August 11,2009 - Investigators Probe Apparent Suicide at South Idaho Correctional Institution
July 17,2009 - IDOC Honors Community Correctional Professionals
July 10,2009 - Idaho Completes Return of Out-of-State Inmates
June 29, 2009 - Two Escapees Recaptured
June 28, 2009 - Two Inmates Escape for North Idaho Correctional Institution
June 26, 2009 - IDOC inmate confirmed to have HINI Flu
June 22, 2009 - 68 Inmates Return to Idaho from Oklahoma
June 9, 2009 - Correctional Sergeant Assaulted at IMSI
June 2, 2009 - Walkaways from Trail Crew Back in Custody
June 1, 2009 - IDOC Seeking Walkaways from Trail Crew
May 20, 2009 - Inmates Help Teachers by Making Educational Items
May 8, 2009 - IDOC Flags Fly at Half-Staff in Memory of Deputy Chief of Prisons
May 6, 2009 - Prison Request for Information Update
May 1, 2009 - IDOC Salutes Correctional Professionals
April 14, 2009 - IDOC Seeking Walkaway from Boise Work Center (Update: Ms. Kincaid was captured May 24, 2009)
April 8, 2009 - PWCC Teams with Girl Scouts to Connect Inmates with their Daughters
March 11, 2009 - Probation and Parole Officers Searching for Sex Offender
March 11, 2009 - 18 Probation and Parole Officer Cadets to Graduate Friday
February 14, 2009 - Inmate Dies of Apparent Suicide at ISCI
February 6, 2009 - Video Explains Idaho Prisons' Rules and Procedures
January 7 , 2009 - IDOC Completes Initial Investigation of Disturbance
January 3 , 2009 - IDOC Investigates Disturbance at ISCI

For more information, contact the IDOC Public Information Office:

Public Information Officer
(208)658-2141

Brief Sheets

October 2009 - IDOC Overview, FY09
Sept. 2009 - County Briefings
July 2009 - Furlough's
July 2009 - Year End Briefing
June 2009 - County Briefing
May 2009 - Responsible Government: Population Management
April 2009 - County Briefing
February 2009 - Treatment Pathways
January 2009 - Projects Update
January 2009 - Orofino Update
January 2009 - No Growth Initiative
January 2009 - Inmate Return and Riot

  Archives

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  Text of 2009 Press Releases

Little Named Warden at St. Anthony Work Camp, November 18, 2009

The Idaho Department of Correction has named Steve Little warden at St. Anthony Work Camp (SAWC).  He succeeds Jim Woolf who was promoted to deputy chief of the Prisons Division in June.

Little started at SAWC 17 years ago as a temporary correctional officer.   In 1997, he was promoted to correctional sergeant. He also worked as a pre-release specialist and was on the original committee that re-wrote the Cognitive Self Change Program into the Idaho model. Before being named warden, he served as SAWC’s acting warden and worked as a lieutenant.

We have a good staff and I look forward to leading the camp in the same direction it’s been going,” Warden Little said.

SAWC is designed to house a maximum of 240 male offenders. The camp offers opportunities for work experience through work projects and the Prison Industry Enhancement Program

IDOC Inmate Commits Suicide at Blaine County Jail, October 19, 2009

BOISE – An Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) inmate committed suicide early Saturday at the Blaine County Jail in Hailey.

Cody John Finch, IDOC #84211 (DOB: 02/05/1986), was found unresponsive in his cell at 1:30 a.m. Jail staff and paramedics attempted to resuscitate Finch.  He was pronounced dead at 2:04 a.m.

Finch had recently been ordered to prison for violating the terms of his probation.  On September 25th, 2009 he was sentenced to two-and-a-half to six years in prison for a 2007 burglary conviction in Camas County.

IDOC Walkaway Recaptured, Sept. 8, 2009

BOISE – An Idaho Department of Correction inmate who failed to return to the Ada County Work Release Center in Boise is back in custody.

Boise police officers arrested Chad Christian, IDOC #75474, at about 6 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Boise Street.

Christian failed to return to the work release center from his job in the community on Friday night.  He was serving a one-to-three year sentence for drawing checks without funds.  He was scheduled to be released on April 6, 2010. 

9 Probation and Parole Officer Cadets to Graduate, Sept. 3, 2009

BOISE – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) will welcome nine new probation and parole officers to its ranks during a graduation ceremony at noon on Friday, September 4, 2009 at the Peace Officers Standards Training Academy, 700 South Stratford Drive in Meridian.

Probation and parole officers (PO’s) supervise felony offenders who have been given a suspended prison sentence by a judge or released from prison by the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole.  In addition to enforcing orders of probation and parole agreements, PO’s help offenders find housing, get jobs and receive the education and treatment they need to succeed in society.

“These PO’s play a vital and often overlooked role in keeping our communities safe,” said IDOC Community Corrections Chief Kevin Kempf.  “They hold felons accountable while giving them opportunities to turn their lives around.”

To graduate from Idaho’s Probation and Parole Academy cadets must display an understanding of IDOC’s policy and procedures. That includes everything from legal issues to how to use a firearm.  Cadets are also taught self-defense tactics, interview techniques and must now participate in a daily physical conditioning program.

“These cadets endured five hard weeks of training and mandatory physical testing,” Kempf said. “They were up every morning before 6 a.m. working out alongside the academy’s patrol cadets.”

Inmate from NICI is Captured, August 25,2009

COTTONWOOD – An inmate who escaped from North Idaho Correctional Institution (NICI) in Cottonwood overnight was captured this morning by Nampa Police, just seven hours after he escaped.

Inmate escapes from NICI, August 25,2009

COTTONWOOD – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is seeking an inmate who  escaped from North Idaho Correctional Institution (NICI) in Cottonwood overnight.

At 1:55 a.m., 19-year-old Emmanuel Jones was reported missing from the facility. Jones was convicted of burglary and eluding a peace officer in Canyon County. It’s believed he is heading south from Cottonwood toward Canyon County.

Jones is hispanic, 5’6”, 115 pounds with brown eyes, black hair and a light brown complexion. (A photo will follow in a separate e-mail.) It’s believed he’s driving a stolen 1995 Dodge Dakota extended cab pick-up. The pick-up is gray with Idaho County license plates.

Jones was being held under the Department’s retained jurisdiction program.

Investigators Probe Apparent Suicide at South Idaho Correctional Institution, August 11,2009

BOISE – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is investigating the apparent suicide of an inmate at South Idaho Correctional Institution (SICI). 39-year-old Tracy A. Hetherington, IDOC #84856, was found hanging in his cell at 10:08 p.m. last night.
 
Hetherington was serving a two-year to five-year sentence after being convicted of burglary and prohibited lottery acts in Nez Perce County.  He was to be released from prison on February 20, 2012

Per standard protocol, IDOC has asked the Ada County Sheriff’s Office to conduct an independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the inmate’s death. IDOC’s Education & Treatment Division has assigned additional clinicians to SICI to be available to work with inmates who need assistance.

SICI is a minimum security correctional institution south of Boise.  About 650 men are incarcerated at the facility.

IDOC Honors Community Correctional Professionals, July 17, 2009

BOISE – Correctional professionals, who supervise probationers and parolees in Idaho’s communities, will be honored next week (July 19th-25th) as part of National Probation, Parole & Community Supervision Week.

“Many people don’t realize the important role these professionals play in keeping us safe,” says IDOC Director Brent Reinke. “They also give offenders opportunities to make positive changes, and we all benefit when offenders turn around their lives.”

About 375 men and women work for IDOC’s Division of Community Corrections. In addition to probation and parole officers, the division includes pre-sentence investigators, mental health clinicians, community work center security staff and drug and alcohol rehabilitation specialists. They supervise more than 13,750 offenders statewide.

“These people have played an important role in the unprecedented decline in the size of Idaho’s prison population,” Director Reinke says. “We’ve been able to quit leasing expensive, out-of-state prison beds and actually return money to the state’s general fund, in part, because of the hard work of the men and women of the Community Corrections Division.”

In the past, Idaho’s prison population has increased at a rate of about six percent a year. But over the past fiscal year the population actually decreased about one percent from 7,338 inmates on July 1, 2008 to 7,283 on July 1, 2009. There area variety of reasons for the decline, but they include efforts by IDOC’s community correctional professionals to help offenders succeed while on probation and parole.

Idaho Completes Return of Out-of-State Inmates, July 10, 2009

BOISE – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has completed the transport of 188 inmates from an Oklahoma prison to Idaho, signaling an end to the department’s four-year practice of renting out-of-state beds to ease overcrowding.

“This is a milestone for the department and something the people of Idaho can truly celebrate,” said IDOC Director Brent Reinke. “We’re saving taxpayer dollars, and in the long run, making our communities safer.”

The return of the inmates is made possible, in part, by the opening of 628 new beds at Idaho Correctional Center (ICC).  It will cost $40.00 a day to house one inmate at ICC versus $61.53 at North Fork Correctional Facility (NFCF) in Sayre, Oklahoma. As a result, IDOC will save $1.4 million in Fiscal Year 2010.

In addition to the savings, the money that is spent on incarceration will help create new jobs for Idahoans. Corrections Corporation of America, which operates ICC, says it has hired 103 people as a result of the increase in the facility’s inmate population

“It’s wonderful to see this money being put to work right here in Idaho creating jobs and helping fuel our economy instead of flowing out of state,” said Idaho Board of Correction Chair Robin Sandy.

Three hundred four of the new beds at ICC were created by converting a warehouse into a housing unit. The conversion cost $4.7 million, far less than the estimated $12.5 million needed to build a new, standalone facility of comparable size. 

The removal of the inmates from NFCF began on June 21st.  It culminated with today’s arrival of 40 inmates at Idaho State Correctional Institution south of Boise. All of the inmate transports were done by bus.

“This was a huge logistical undertaking that has quietly played out over the past three weeks,” Director Reinke said. “I’m very proud of the correctional professionals who made sure the operation went off without a hitch.”

Two Escapees Recaptured

BOISE - Two inmates who escaped from North Idaho Correctional Institution (NICI) in Cottonwood are back in custody.

Local law enforcement agencies and the department’s Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) worked as partners to track the two inmates. They were captured near the institution after an accident involving four-wheelers. Both inmates are being evaluated at a local hospital. The injuries are not life-threatening.

At 6:05 p.m. Sunday night, 20-year-old Richard Daniel Nieves and 20-year-old Ben Westley Perez climbed over a security fence and ran from the institution.

Nieves was serving a four-to-seven year term for injury to a child in Blaine County. Perez was serving a three-to-10 year term for criminal possession of a financial transaction card and forgery devices, and burglary in Minidoka County.

Both men were being held under NICI’s retained jurisdiction program and were eligible to be considered for release in October. Prosecutors will determine if the two will face escape charges.

Two Inmates Escape from North Idaho Correctional Institution

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is seeking two inmates who have escaped from North Idaho Correctional Institution (NICI) in Cottonwood.

At 6:05 p.m. tonight, 20-year-old Richard Daniel Nieves and 20-year-old Ben Westley Perez climbed over a security fence and ran from the institution. It appears at least one of the men was cut during the escape.

Nieves was serving a four-to-seven year term for injury to a child in Blaine County. Perez was serving a three-to-10 year term for criminal possession of a financial transaction card and forgery devices, and burglary in Minidoka County.

Nieves is white, 5’5, 140 pounds with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion.

Perez is white, 5’11, 155 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and a light brown complexion.

Both men were being held under NICI’s retained jurisdiction program and were eligible to be considered for release in October.

Anyone with information about Nieves’ or Perez’ whereabouts should call their local law enforcement agency.

IDOC Inmate Confirmed to have HINI Flu, June 26, 2009

BOISE – An inmate at the South Idaho Correctional Institution Community Work Center (SICI-CWC) south of Boise has a confirmed case of the H1NI (Swine) Flu. The inmate has been moved to an isolation unit at Idaho State Correctional Institution’s Medical Unit. At least five other inmates at SICI-CWC have flu-like symptoms and are in the process of being evaluated and treated.

The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has done extensive preparation for such an event. Protective masks are being distributed to inmates and staff at SICI-CWC and the facility is being thoroughly disinfected. At SICI-CWC, visiting is canceled and inmates who are exhibiting flu-like symptoms will not be working in the community until the risk of further exposure has passed.

In addition, IDOC’s medical contractor, Correctional Medical Services (CMS) is working closely with the Idaho Department of Public Health on measures to control spread of the disease. The measures include urging inmates and staff to:

? Cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
? Wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
? Avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
? Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says studies have shown that influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for up to
2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface. The CDC says people who are infected should avoid contact with others for seven days after their symptoms begin or until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.

The CDC says symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

68 Inmates Return to Idaho From Oklahoma, June 22, 2009

BOISE – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has completed the move of 68 inmates to Idaho State Correctional Institution (ISCI) from North Fork Correctional Facility (NFCF) in Sayre, Oklahoma. The inmates arrived in Boise today aboard two buses.

The inmates’ return is possible because 628 new prison beds will soon be available at Idaho Correctional Center south of Boise. IDOC started sending inmates out of state on October 25, 2005 due to a lack of space at facilities in Idaho. By the end of this summer, the department expects to have all of the 120 inmates who remain out of state back home in Idaho.

“The return of these inmates is a reflection of how Idaho’s criminal justice system is working as a system,” said IDOC Director Brent Reinke. “Because we’ve been able to reduce the size of the prison population, we are no longer forced to rent beds out of state and that helps preserve tax dollars during this economic downturn.”

The decline in the size of prison population is unprecedented in Idaho. At the start of the fiscal year, July 1, 2008, Idaho had 7,338 incarcerated offenders. Today the state has 7,270 incarcerated offenders. Reinke says the decline is the result of better coordination between the department and its criminal justice partners.

Other factors behind the decline are increased substance abuse treatment, increased use of sanctions that serve as alternatives to incarceration and treatment pathways that are based on standardized timeframes. As a result of these measures, the flow of inmates out of the prison system has increased because more inmates have the programming they need to qualify for release when they become eligible for parole.

Correctional Sergeant Assaulted at IMSI, June 9, 2009

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) has asked the Ada County Sheriff’s Office to help investigate an assault on a staff member at Idaho Maximum Security Institution.

At about 6:30 p.m. Monday, IDOC Sgt. Guy Jenkins suffered non-life threatening wounds when an offender used a shank to stab Sgt. Jenkins in the head and face.  Correctional officers quickly restrained the offender.  He has been placed in segregation and will likely face new criminal charges as a result of Ada County’s investigation. 

Sgt. Jenkins’ injuries were not serious. He is now resting at home.

Walkaways from Trail Crew Back in Custody, June 2, 2009

BOISE – The Mineral County (Montana) Sheriff’s Office has apprehended the three Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) inmates who were discovered missing early Monday from a work crew that was building and repairing trails east of the Avery Ranger Station in north central Idaho.

Matthew S. Harris (IDOC #74357) and Jeffrey Anthony Whipple (IDOC #89341) were taken into custody at 6:10 p.m. in the town of Superior, Montana just minutes after  Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputy Joe Bettis starting distributing wanted posters for the men. 

The third escapee, Garry G. Layman (IDOC #88643), was found at 8:19 p.m. hiding near railroad tracks about a quarter mile from where the other two men were located.

Deputy Bettis says the inmates appeared tired but in good health.
 
Layman is 36 years old.  He was serving a two-year to eight-year sentence for burglary in Bannock county.  He was eligible to be considered for parole on December 24, 2009.

Harris is 26 years old, He was serving a one-year to five-year sentence for burglary in Bannock county.  He was scheduled to be released on December 28, 2009.

Whipple is 46 years old.  He was serving a one-and-a-half to five-year sentence for illegal possession of a weapon in Kootenai county.  He was eligible to be considered for parole on September 20, 2009.

The inmates were assigned to the Givens Hall Work Camp at Idaho Correctional Institution Orofino. They will be returned to an IDOC correctional facility and will likely face escape charges.

IDOC Seeking Walkaways from Trial Crew, June 1, 2009

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is searching for three minimum-custody inmates who walked away from a work crew east of the Avery Ranger Station in north central Idaho.

Garry G. Layman (IDOC #88643), Matthew S. Harris (IDOC #74357) and Jeffrey Anthony Whipple (IDOC #89341) were last seen at 8:15 last night. They were discovered missing this morning.

Layman is 36 years old, white, 6’1”, 220 pounds with blue eyes, blonde hair and a light complexion.  He was serving a two-year to eight-year sentence for burglary in Bannock county.  He was eligible to be considered for parole on December 24, 2009.

Harris is 26 years old, while, 5’6”, 145 pounds with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion.  He was serving a one-year to five-year sentence for burglary in Bannock county.  He was scheduled to be released on December 28, 2009.

Whipple is 46 years old, 6’2”, 210 pounds with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. He was serving a one-and-a-half to five-year sentence for illegal possession of a weapon in Kootenai county.  He was eligible to be considered for parole on September 20, 2009.

The inmates were assigned to the Givens Hall Work Camp at Idaho Correctional Institution Orofino. They were part of a 10-person crew that was building and repairing trails in rugged, mountainous country near the Montana border.

Inmates Help Teachers by Making Educational Items, May 20, 2009

Teaching with Conviction (TwC) is a collaboration between the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center and School District 25 (Jefferson and Tendoy Elementary Schools).  Volunteer inmates at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center will transform donated paper, poster board, felt, and other materials into flashcards, journals, maps, book bags and dozens of other education and incentive items.  Teachers will take these products, at no charge, back to their students and classrooms.

“Jefferson and Tendoy Elementary will be the lab for this new program.” stated Tami Romriell, assistant to the warden, who spearheaded this program. “As the process is worked out, and supply and demand needs are determined, we may be able to add more schools as time goes on.”

Materials that are donated from area businesses will be used to make a myriad of products the teachers will be able to use in their classrooms. This frees up teacher time and the monies many teachers spend themselves to provide these materials.

TwC is asking the community to help by providing good used sewing machines, material, felt, paper, craft items, office supplies and plastic bags such as Ziploc baggies to put materials in. The office supplies could include such things as binders, labels, markers, pens, pencils, etc.

“We are also in need of a couple of large die cut machines.  These run about $700 a piece and do not include any of the dies,” Romriell said. If anyone is interested in buying any of these items, contact Romriell at 236-6360 ext. 239 prior to making the purchase.

IDOC Flags Fly at Half-Staff in Memory of Deputy Chief of Prisons, May 8, 2009

BOISE - Flags at all Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) facilities are flying at half-staff today in memory of Deputy Chief of Prisons John Hardison. He died last Sunday at age 57 of natural causes.

Hardison joined the department as a correctional officer in April of 1988. He went on to serve as a corporal, sergeant, lieutenant and deputy warden and warden at Idaho Maximum Security Institution and Idaho State Correctional Institution. He also worked as an investigator, firearms instructor and member of the Correctional Emergency Response Team.

Hardison’s colleagues remember him as a true correctional professional who was committed to IDOC’s mission of keeping the people of Idaho safe while holding offenders accountable. His colleagues say they will miss his dry sense of humor, his practical jokes and his willingness to try new ways of doing things.

“Despite his serious demeanor, John cared deeply for the well being of his colleagues and for offenders,” said IDOC Director Brent Reinke. “He also cared about offenders’ families and was deeply committed to his own.”

Hardison’s supervisor, Division of Prisons Chief Pam Sonnen, says many people throughout IDOC considered him to be their mentor. Sonnen says she will remember Hardison for his loyalty and humility.

“John’s ego didn’t grow as he moved up through the ranks,” Sonnen says. “As a warden he was the same guy he was when he joined the department 21 years ago as a correctional officer.”

Hardison is survived by his wife, daughter, three brothers and several nieces and nephews and a large extended family. He will be buried at Idaho’s Veteran’s Cemetery following a funeral service today.

Prison Request for Information Update, May 6, 2009

BOISE – The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) will not issue a request for information on possible private operation of the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino. Governor Otter requested the department and all agencies explore creative options to reduce costs during the economic downturn.

In development of the request for information, the department identified several key services provided at the Orofino prison that would need to remain under state operation reducing potential cost savings of private operation. The Governor thanked the department for its due diligence in looking at the option, but agreed it should not be pursued at this point.  He challenged the department to continue looking
for cost saving measures throughout the system. 

“At this time the Idaho Board of Correction feels the economic benefit to North Idaho and the firefighting industry outweighs the need to privatize Orofino,” said Board of Correction Chairman Robin Sandy. 

“Our prison numbers are stable and we plan to bring all out-of-state inmates back by late summer. Even though these tough economic times are challenging, we feel IDOC has done the best possible job with taxpayers’ money.  The system is working well at this juncture,” she said.

IDOC continues its initiative to focus on No Prison Growth in 2009. During the current fiscal year the inmate population has dropped by 68 inmates, creating cost savings and allowing the department to return 430 inmates from out of state beds.

IDOC Salutes Correctional Professionals

BOISE – Starting on Sunday Idaho’s correctional professionals will be honored as part of an annual, week-long salute to the men and women who play an essential but often overlooked role in assuring public safety.

Correctional Professional’s Week is observed across the country every year during the first full week of May.  It pays tribute to people who work in all aspects of the juvenile and adult correctional field.

“These people perform a difficult job, around the clock in every corner of this state with no expectation of public acclaim,” says Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) Director Brent Reinke. “We owe them our gratitude for making sacrifices every day that allow the rest of us to be safe.”