One of our most important goals is to create safer communities by increasing success for those under our jurisdiction. We know that Idaho is safer when justice-involved individuals lead productive lives in the community and no longer engage in crime.

It is also our goal to ensure that everyone in our custody or on supervision be effectively connected to the programs and interventions that address their unique criminogenic needs. Further, we aim to provide these opportunities in normative settings that help foster rehabilitation and reentry.

To accomplish these goals, we have a number of supporting initiatives.

Bed utilization

This initiative is aimed at customizing the prison experience to better align with an individual’s unique needs. This initiative is about ensuring we move people to the facility that has the necessary programming and interventions to facilitate rehabilitation for each person. Further, this initiative seeks to maximize releases to the community via minimum-custody facilities.

Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS)

The EPICS model helps us apply principles of effective intervention and core correctional practices to our client interactions, and translates the risk, needs, and responsivity principles into practice. It is designed to facilitate engagement with clients by focusing the conversation on what matters most. Clients learn and practice skills needed to put their motivation into action and experience long-term behavior change.

Trauma intervention

A pilot project of specific interventions to reduce trauma symptoms and test if a reduction in symptoms translates to improved outcomes during incarceration (i.e., fewer disciplinary infractions) or following (i.e., recidivism).

Using Data to Triage Clients and Improve Outcomes

Through a partnership with Recidiviz, a tech non-profit company, and funding from a three-year Bureau of Justice Assistance grant, the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) is working to streamline probation and parole officers’ day-to-day caseload management through a new Case Triage tool. This tool displays existing IDOC data in a user-friendly dashboard, helping officers quickly identify clients’ needs, allowing officers to prioritize where they should focus their attention. It also elevates opportunities to move clients to a lower supervision level and highlights clients’ achievements to aid in building rapport. The Case Triage tool creates efficiencies allowing officers to spend more time on high-value client interactions improving overall probation and parole outcomes.

Pre-prosecution Diversion Grant Program

This initiative is at emphasizing treatment over incarceration. In June 2023, IDOC awarded $2.5 million in grants to help people accused of nonviolent crimes avoid prosecution by addressing the mental health and substance-use disorders that are driving their criminal behavior.