The Commission of Pardons and Parole has been monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and considering options for hearings related to parole and revocation. On Friday March 13th, Governor Little declared a state of emergency in Idaho related to COVID-19 and later that day the first confirmed case was announced in Ada County. The Idaho Department of Correction has cancelled inmate visiting and volunteer services to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 illness to staff and the inmate population.  

The Commission is committed to continuing hearings to consider releases while also maintaining a safe working and living environment for the public, Commission and IDOC staff, and the inmate population.
Health and safety are of utmost importance to the Commission; and with that in mind the Commission is implementing the following options for parole hearings, beginning Monday March 16th:

• Members of the public, including victims and inmate family and supporters, are strongly discouraged from attending hearings in person at SICI to protect the health of the public, staff and inmates

• The Commission has set up a conference line to allow Victims and Family Members and Supporters to participate and attend hearings via phone

• Opportunities for testimony will remain the same:

-One Victim or Victim Representative will be allowed to testify at the end of the hearing via phone

-One Attorney will be allowed to testify at the end of the hearing via phone

-One Inmate Family Member or Supporter, who has already given advance notice to the Commission, will be allowed to testify at the beginning of the hearing via phone

• A Commission staff member will ask at the beginning of the hearing who is testifying for the victim, attorney, and support and the Commission will call on those people when it is their turn to testify

• Participants will not be allowed to speak, and their line will be muted, during the hearing until their designated time to testify and they are called on by Commission staff

• Inmates will be on video via Skype as usual

Toll free call-in number: 1-888-585-9008Conference Room Number: 851231708

• To avoid the public being on calls for a lengthy period of time, a morning update on order of hearings at 8:30am, update on breaks taken and which hearings are up next will be posted to the Commission’s website  at www.parole.idaho.gov 

Thank you for your understanding and for choosing to attend hearings via phone to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in IDOC facilities.