Committee kills bill to allow sentence reduction for good behavior

February 23, 2005. Associated Press

Killed by a 7 to 5 vote in the Idaho House judiciary and rules committee, the proposed legislation would have reduced the prison population, cutting costs. Rep. Steve Smiley says the bill would have eased overcrowding. But opponents raised two objections ...

Mental health coalition faces uphill funding battle

January 15, 2005. Idaho State Journal

The 87-member statewide coalition give Idaho failing marks for the treatment of the mentally ill. Oftentimes the illness remains undiagnosed until prisoners are incarcerated. “This is not just a correctional issue, it’s a community issue,” said prison chief Tom Beauclair ...

Idaho may send prisoners to other states

February 16, 2005. KIDK 3 - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Blackfoot

The Idaho Department of Corrections are soliciting inmates to serve out of state. Idaho prisons are completely full. Court orders limit the number of beds the corrections department can add to existing prisons. ...

Prison population hits all-time high in Idaho

May 1, 2005. The Idaho Statesman

Idaho has 6,438 inmates behind bars, a record high. A recent 7.3 increase in the prison budget was driven almost entirely by the demand for prison space. Much of the pressure is coming from the soaring population of female inmates. ...

Overcrowding pressures lawmakers to rethink sentencing requirements

January 9, 2005. The Idaho Statesman

In 2004 the inmate population jumped 7 percent, adding 349 prisoners. No relief is in sight. The crowding reflects some of the nation’s toughest minimum sentencing laws for drug possession and other nonviolence offences. ...