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Idaho's prison system, though challenged by a growing number of issues, is headed toward a better future
Prisons are a reflection of society. When asked about the challenges that face the Idaho prison system one must realize that the challenges are born from events in our communities. More drug use translates into more drug crimes and more people in prison. More people living in the state mean larger prisons. Fewer state mental health hospitals mean more mental patients in the criminal justice system. Fewer treatment options for addiction and mental health translates into the need for more prison beds. The decisions made in communities around the state influence corrections every day.
The corrections system touches all communities each day. Ninety-eight percent of all offenders sent to
prison will return home. More than 3,200 offenders left prisons and returned to their homes in Idaho communities last year — from Twin Falls to Coeur d’Alene, from Cambridge to Idaho Falls, inmates returned in record numbers.
The impact of prison growth is huge as it relates to cost, reentry challenges and managing growth with shrinking resources. Budget constraints challenge the department daily with issues ranging from staff turnover concerns to security and programming. These issues converge as the Idaho Department of Correction’s top challenges today. The list certainly does not end there, but the dynamics of growth, budget constraints and substance abuse filter through all issues facing the IDOC.
With any set of challenges must come a discussion of solutions. Any solution must pass the test of our mission, vision and values. My first goal when I became director of the Idaho Department of Correction in September 2001 was to set forth a strategic plan based upon a clearly defined foundation of mission, vision and values. The mission and vision focus the department on safe communities and providing opportunities for offenders to change. Our values are 12 guiding principles for making sound, reasoned decisions. This carefully designed strategic plan sets the tone for all decisions and has helped us more effectively manage the growth we have experienced during these times of tight budgets.
Strategies
When the Board of Correction appointed me as director, the Department of Correction was badly battered. My first mission was to restore the credibility of the agency, support the work force and change the culture to focus more intently on building evidence-based programming.
A little history is needed to understand the atmosphere that existed within the department as we launched this culture change. A legislative committee issued a scathing report in 1999 outlining morale issues and concerns within the department. Turnover was high and lawmakers demanded changes to address these morale issues. During this same time frame, the department became the subject of an attorney general’s investigation. That investigation, completed in spring 2001, was very critical of the department’s handling of a serious internal management issue and helped prompt the previous director to resign.
I was hired to lead the Idaho Department of Correction in fall 2001. As a new director leading an organization starving for positive change, I had a critical window of opportunity. Staff needed a new direction and ideals they could embrace after a long series of public humiliations. We moved quickly to create a new culture.
The strategic plan, created in the first three months of my administration, became our roadmap for everything that was to come. Key in our strategic plan is the focus on the professionals in the organization. The vision is: “To develop an organization respected for its professional integrity and ability to protect its communities, where each person actively participates in offender accountability and readiness for change.”
That word “professional” creates an image of what was, and is, expected. It creates pride for a job well done and sets a standard for all staff. Part of the goal of the mission, vision and values was to set a high standard that would draw professionals to the organization and inspire top-notch behavior within the existing staff. That professional affirmation helped make the process of infusing these values throughout the organization a little more successful.
Similarly, external stakeholders such as judges and lawmakers needed to become aware of the department’s new direction. The evidence of a shift in the department’s image was evident in a November 2003 survey of lawmakers. Eighty percent of those responding agreed or strongly agreed that the department was more professional in 2003 than it had been two years before.
Opportunities
“Providing opportunities for offender change” is a very powerful component of our mission statement. It embodies an approach to offender management that redefines how each department employee performs his or her daily duties. It has also served as a tool to help manage growth. Following are a few of the ways that the vision of our mission statement, calling for “providing opportunities for offender change,” became tangible action in prisons and community corrections.
Previously, choice of treatment programming was voluntary. Inmates often would sign up for a class they might not need just to increase their chance of getting paroled. Those who most needed to change criminal thinking patterns or abusive personalities might avoid classes, because they had no motivation to engage in change. That was the tail wagging the dog.
Now the department operates an assessment-driven system. The needs of every inmate who enters the system are assessed, from education level to any substance abuse issues. Those assessments are used to create a case plan that assigns goals for programs, academic education and vocational education that an offender should achieve while incarcerated. The achievement of these goals is the best way to reduce the possibility inmates will commit new crimes when they leave prison. Instead of inmates picking classes at random, they are assigned a plan to change their criminal behaviors.
There are still some inmates who don’t want to follow their case plans, but under the system established during the past three years there are consequences for not participating. Offenders who do not participate in assigned classes may not have jobs. Though prison jobs are not high paying—$20 a month is typical—this work does break the monotony and allows offenders to build job skills and earn a little spending money for the commissary. Those not following their case plans cannot apply for better paying jobs in Correctional Industries. They also will not receive parole because the Parole Commission also believes that it is very clear that programs and case plans are critical for parole success.
Idaho’s state-of-the-art treatment has been recognized nationally. The therapeutic community at South Idaho Correctional Institution has been proven to reduce the risk of recidivism for those who successfully complete this program. The federal government and researchers have named it a model program.
Treatment capacity remains a challenge. The prison system is at 100 percent of capacity and the programming capacity has not kept pace with increases in the prison population. Programs have a waiting list, especially for the therapeutic community. Recently, a corrections expert recognized the department as a national leader in assessing the risks and needs of offenders and operating core programs aimed at reducing recidivism. The consultant, Bobbie Huskey, also warned that severe crowding could jeopardize the ability to continue these practices.
Several programs have also been reinvented over the past three years. Assessments are essential to determine which programs best fit an offender’s needs. The concept of opportunities for change impacted other actions as well, creating a cultural change within the organization.
The role of correctional officers was redefined as providers of risk control and risk reduction. That means they fulfill the traditional security functions of risk control, such as cell searches, while at the same time engaging in risk reduction as facilitators of the programs and role models. What was once considered programming’s domain is now everyone’s responsibility. Dozens of officers are now trained to facilitate Cognitive Self-Change classes, a cornerstone course in changing offender behavior. Awareness of how officers’ everyday interactions with offenders can help model behavior has also been raised.
Another key initiative was rewriting policy in prisons to support more alternative sanctions and focus disciplinary offense reports only on more serious infractions. As a result, the number of disciplinary offense reports in prisons is down and conviction rates have increased.
In community corrections, a new policy that focused on interventions and alternative sanctions has resulted in fewer parole violations. Offenders are being given alternatives to keep them on track in communities. One probation and parole officer reported to the Board of Correction that “car talk” among officers now centers on how to help offenders who are having trouble rather than how to bust them.
In both prisons and community corrections, the department discontinued programs that were not research-based and standardized the programs proven by research to help reduce risk. These are programs which best provide for offender change.
Here are some of the common issues found during offender assessments. Case plans attempt to address these issues and help offenders plan their reentry into society.
More than a third of all inmates are lacking a high school education. Education reduces risk and if offenders do not have an adequate education it becomes a part of their case plans. About 450 GEDs are awarded each year and in February 2005 the department held its largest graduation ever. Governor Dirk Kempthorne gave the keynote address as 150 offenders received GEDs and vocational certifications.
Imagine coming out of prison with the additional disadvantage of having little or no job skills. Vocational education to enhance job skills is provided by the department.
Another common issue is substance abuse. Approximately 85 percent of all offenders have drug or alcohol problems. The department offers intensive substance abuse treatment but does not have the capacity to fully meet the demand.
In the community, aftercare is now provided for parolees to bridge the transition from prisons to communities. Aftercare consists of regular group meetings that reinforce the thinking change principles offenders learn while in prison.
Since 2002, our mission, vision and values have helped the department manage its population more effectively. This fundamental change in how we do business will have a long-lasting impact on future growth. The forecast numbers indicate the department’s efforts are working. Historically, prisons have experienced a higher rate of growth than community corrections. Moving forward, the bulk of our growth is expected to occur in probation and parole.
If this trend becomes reality, the prison population will grow at a rate of 5.1 percent between fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2008, and the supervised population will grow at an 8 percent rate. Historically, the prison population has grown at 7.7 percent while the supervised population increased at a 6.5 percent rate.
The philosophical change toward offender management, initiated and made possible by our mission, vision and values, is key to this change. One should not discount the importance of attention given to this subject by the Governor’s Office and through Legislative support, especially with community treatment dollars. Drug courts, mental health courts and Parole Commission actions have all helped stem the growth through their own initiatives as well as through supporting the culture shift within the IDOC.
If assessments, case plans and education sound like the department is soft on crime, remember that reason for this direction is community safety. Most inmates are released within three years of conviction. They will return to the towns and cities from which they were sentenced. Providing these opportunities is not only the right thing to do, it is also the safe thing to do for Idaho communities.
The department’s focus on assessment-driven case plans and research-based programs has impacted the prison population and is allowing more offenders to become law-abiding citizens.
Cots and Tents
Even with a proactive approach internally, the prison population continues to rise. In the past decade the prison population in Idaho has more than doubled (124 percent). Today, there are more than 6,300 inmates. Providing food, housing, clothes, medical care and security to manage that population has a growing price tag as well. The budget has grown 152 percent in those 10 years, from $49.25 million in Fiscal Year 1994 to $124 million in Fiscal Year 2004. Managing prison growth with tight budget constraints absorbs much management time.
Challenged by huge prison growth last summer, the department added cots and tents. While these temporary fixes saved the state millions of dollars, they added risk to the system and made it less efficient. Based on national recommendations and department experience, prisons are most safe and efficient when operated at 95 percent of capacity. Any system run at and over capacity without proper staffing and proper maintenance loses efficiency.
Let me give you a few examples of this principle. Something that happens over and over again is the domino effect caused by excessive moves. When new inmates enter the system, they must be classified according to their risk. Once this occurs they must be moved to the proper custody level to address their need, for example the therapeutic community. If no bed is available, as is often the case, they might move six or seven times before reaching a bed that fits their need. This happens over and over again. Officer time that would be best spent on security functions, such as cell searches and monitoring of offender activity, is diverted instead to property inventories and moves.
County jails are also used extensively. This places state inmates in a situation with little or no programming, which in turn undermines the effort to provide opportunities for change.
Cots in tents or gymnasiums have also been utilized to manage prison population growth. These added beds are inexpensive, approximately $13 per day as compared to $42 per day for county jail beds, but they are not a long-term solution. Institutions with cots and tents witness higher tensions among officers. Officers witness inmates backsliding into anti-social behavior. Tents have more hiding places and less line of sight supervision capabilities, so contraband and assaults increase. Housing inmates in tents is not sound correctional practice. Although tents helped Idaho through a pinch during this tight budget year, they cannot be used as a permanent solution to population issues.
Infrastructure like kitchens, visiting facilities and showers did not increase capacity to allow for the additional inmates housed in tents, so these already full facilities had to service more inmates, resulting in additional wear and tear. This is a major concern in a system with aging facilities.
The department has stretched capacity by adding many beds to existing structures. Three beds have been added to all work center rooms. These adjustments save taxpayers money — even with inflation the cost per day for each inmate has been lowered. After subtracting the money inmates return to the system by working and paying fees, the average cost per day was $43.71 for prison beds and $25.69 for work center beds. This includes a bed, food, clothing, medical care, court access, transportation, risk assessments and opportunities for programs and education. The national average cost was $62.22 in Fiscal Year 2001.
Some of these savings are efficiencies created by efforts to streamline the system, restructure operations and trim food costs. However, many of the savings were gained by stressing the system by adding beds without adequate staffing. Again, a system functioning over capacity loses efficiency.
The prison population growth has stressed the system and is now pushing us to seek beds out of state. Even if construction was started today on a major new facility, it would not be completed for three years. Inmates will need to be sent out of state within the next year, possibly sooner. Had it not been for the business practice changes initiated as part of the department’s commitment to programs and offender change, Idaho would already be transporting inmates to other states.
Idaho needs to build another prison. It will cost between $60 million and $90 million just to construct a new prison building, not taking into account the cost of operating it. The Offender Population Forecast anticipates there will be 1,377 added inmates between now and Fiscal Year 2008. Currently, two planned construction projects will add 230 beds to IDOC capacity. This will house the expected prison population increase between now and next spring.
A new prison is needed to shore up an overflowing system. It is essential that continued efforts be program-driven rather than bed-driven in order to provide opportunities for change and to make society safer. A bed-driven system doesn’t achieve what is needed to make a difference and enhance public safety.
Addictions
Lawmakers, citizens and the media often ask what causes prison growth. An increase in the general population is one factor, recidivism is another and certainly the sentencing structure and a ‘get tough on crime’ stance has contributed to prison population increases nationwide.
One major reason for prison growth reflects the more pressing issues in our communities and prisons. Substance abuse is a huge issue facing corrections today. More than 85 percent of offenders in prison and on probation and parole have a substance abuse issue. Substance abuse issues impact more than 14,000 of the 17,000 adult offenders in prison and on probation and parole in Idaho.
Drug crimes are driving much of the offender population growth in communities and prison. The number of inmates sentenced for drug crimes has doubled since 1996. That growth rate is faster than any other crime group. The impact of drugs is most evident in the female population. 43.3 percent of all women incarcerated in Idaho are serving time for a drug crime. For incarcerated males that number is 23.5 percent.
Drugs in communities are responsible for a radical change in the typical offender seen in the Department of Correction. In the 1970s the typical offender was a multi-offense alcoholic. Today, a typical inmate is a poly-drug user. Drugs seem to enhance and support criminal behavior.
Idaho’s prison population grew by nearly 500 inmates last year. More than one third of all new admissions to prison were for drug crimes. More than 12,000 offenders under IDOC supervision in prisons and in our communities have assessments that indicate the need for substance abuse treatment.
Substance abuse treatment is an identified need, yet treatment options in prison and the community are very limited. Department professionals aided by the 13 drug and alcohol specialists employed statewide manage treatment for more than 1,100 offenders on probation and parole. The assessed need for treatment is nearly three times the capacity the department staff can provide. In terms of the larger community, criminal justice clients use about 80 percent of the Health and Welfare budget for community treatment, yet it still falls short of the need.
The increasing prevalence of drug use is a huge issue as methamphetamine becomes the most common drug of choice. Breaking the meth addiction cycle is more extensive and expensive than with other drugs. More substance abuse treatment options are needed in communities to divert people from prison. The department is working to build more aftercare into communities to keep inmates off drugs as they reenter communities. Aftercare enhances the chance an offender will succeed on parole. The need for programs is far greater than the supply for all Idaho populations, whether an offender or an addict without a criminal history.
Troubled Minds
If I had to rank the two largest societal issues that are currently impacting the Department of Correction, the first would be drugs. A close second would be mental health.
Reflecting a trend seen across the United States, Idaho prisons have become de facto mental health hospitals. (See "New Asylums"). A series of public policy shifts over the past 50 years has pushed mental health patients from institutional care to community-based care. While this push to deinstitutionalization worked for some mental health patients, the rest of the population ended up in the criminal justice system.
The current assessment from December 2004 indicates that 1 in every 4 offender housed in Idaho prisons has a diagnosed mental health issue. That equates to more than 1,500 offenders with mental health issues. The cost of treating those mental health offenders represents more than one tenth of the Department’s total health care contract cost.
As a result of policy shifts we are now locking people up rather than treating their mental illnesses. Prisons are usually ill equipped to manage the mentally ill. The controlled environment of a prison can result in the mentally ill decompensating — getting worse.
Prisons nationwide, and in Idaho, are staffed for security, not mental health treatment. There are 21 mental health professionals managing 1,500 mentally ill offenders in facilities statewide. Recognizing the growing and pressing need of these offenders, and realizing that we are not equipped to provide services without help, we launched the Idaho Mental Health Coalition. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Boise State University and more than 20 other groups formed the Idaho Mental Health Coalition, is the first of its kind in the nation.
In 1985, Idaho prisons housed 1,300 inmates; 27 were on psychotropic medicine. That represented just 2 percent of the prison population. Twenty years later, Idaho prisons house more than 6,300 inmates. More than 1,100 inmates, 19 percent of the prison population, are on psychotropic medicine. Without serious changes in the mental health treatment offered in communities, this community and prison problem will continue to grow.
The Coalition began by bridging gaps that will make a big difference but that do not require funding. Already underway is a survey of all mental health care providers statewide. Legislation drafted by the coalition would allow for the sharing of mental health records between verified agencies and care providers, so that mental health patients who need help will receive it more quickly as they move from jails to prisons, or communities to courts. The coalition has also launched an education effort on mental health issues and the importance of bridging gaps in the system to make safer communities. The broad nature of this group will position it to obtain federal funding.
Next Steps
We cannot afford to continue down a path where we have only pieces of a system for treatment in prisons and communities. We need a continuum of care for substance abuse and mental health needs that bridges all aspects of treatment and care.
Idaho must support programming for offenders in prisons and for offenders in communities. Evidence-based programs are the keys to reducing recidivism. They ultimately enhance community safety by challenging offenders to change the way they think. In this way, they move away from criminal thinking and into a more pro-social mind set.
Idaho needs to build an infrastructure of substance abuse programs in communities to treat addiction. We must treat the problem, not incarcerate the addict. It is only through treatment options that we can begin to keep families together in communities.
Idaho needs more mental health care in prisons and communities. The Idaho Medical Association has prioritized adding more mental health care beds statewide as its number one issue. If we don’t fund mental health care in communities, we will need to pay for incarceration of more mental health offenders. We have experienced tremendous growth in the number of mental health offenders in Idaho prisons since the 80s. We cannot expect to change this trend unless we invest in a continuum of care for mental health patients. Mental health courts are an important piece of that effort. They provide support and accountability for a population that sometime needs just a little guidance and supervision to remain in communities.
In January 2005, Governor Kempthorne created the Criminal Justice Commission to review prison overcrowding, substance abuse and gang issues in Idaho. These dynamics are all inter-related and I look forward to participating in a process that can bring together all interests and begin building a better way of addressing these issues. My sincere hope for this commission effort is that we can move past preconceived notions and work toward innovative solutions that move Idaho forward as a leader in addressing the issues that impact our communities and criminal justice system.
Idaho needs to build another prison. The system has operated at and over capacity for three years now. There are many interests competing for tax dollars, and funding corrections has never been a popular choice. But the need is obvious. We will send inmates out of state in the near future and with that our dollars and our ability to impact their lives goes out of state as well.
During my yearly presentation to budget writers in the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee I made reference to a book called “The Tipping Point,” by Malcolm Gladwell. The book explores how ideas and issues reach critical mass. I used this idea to illustrate the current state of the Department of Correction. Over capacity, understaffed and vulnerable to lawsuits, we have a system that is at a tipping point.
I believe the question is which way do we want to tip? Do we want to be proactive and continue to provide opportunities for offenders to change, or do we want to become a system filled with violence, filled with hatred, providing no job skills and without hope? Without proper support we have the potential to come under a court monitor. We don’t want to go there. There are solutions. The Criminal Justice Commission is looking at options for a better Idaho.
Values-based leadership in corrections is an essential element in creating a correctional work force that remains professional in its approach. We need correctional officers and correctional professionals who are role models to reduce risk, instill values and continue to move toward safer communities.
Prisons mirror society. When asked about the challenges that face the Idaho prison system, one must realize that challenges are born from events in our communities. The decisions made in communities around the state influence corrections every day. The offenders that leave prisons, and those on parole and probation in our communities, are products of their community and the corrections environment. Our goal is to make them better, not bitter.
The challenges each day are tremendous, but we are committed to protecting the public. As our mission states, “ We safely manage offenders, provide opportunities for offenders to change, and successfully return offenders to communities.”
Features: Badly Battered • Hard Choices • New Asylums • Diminishing Returns
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